1 9 oo. AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 209 



Forest is a plateau with many meadows, The next grove, and the last of the 



and the private claims are mostly taken up groves really remarkable for its trees of 



by two local stockmen on the meadows. superior size, is that centering around the 



There are, however, a considerable num- Mountain Home, the Bear Creek or Mid- 



ber of big trees of fine proportions about die Tule grove. It has all along been in 



the meadows within the claims. By private hands and most of it will go the 



proper procedure all these claims could way of the Kings River groves. Coburn's 



be exchanged by the owners for other mill, running for some years is said to 



public lands. The Giant Forest is in no have a capacity for cutting 15,000 feet a 



danger of decimation through milling. day, but cuts much less. The Enterprise 



The other principal grove that along the Company's mill, with a capacity of 30,000 



Mineral King road has in it 360 acres of feet has been running only about two 



private claims and two small mills. At- years, and cuts on the average, 15,000 a 



will's mill has been running on the Atwill day. In all these mills a large percentage 



claim of 160 acres for at least four years, of the cut is I believe of Pine and Fir. 

 and interruptedly before that. Its capacity Of the five groves remaining in the Tule 



is about 20,000 feet a day, but I think it River system, the majority are in private 



now never runs as high as 10,000 feet. hands, held mostly by eastern capitalists, 



On a second claim a shingle mill has who make a specialty of investing in timber, 



started during the past year, cutting, how- No milling is now in operation on them, 

 ever, very little Sequoia so far. It is not generally known that at least 



Therefore no very vigorous lumbering three tracts (the one on Freeman's Creek 



is going on or likely to go on in the Se- containing over 1,200 acres, all in private 



quoia Park, and wise governmental action claims) are on streams running eastward 



might secure a complete cessation of it in toward the Kern River. Two of these 



the near future. There are several small are now on government land. Near the 



outlying groves just beyond the park southern end of the Sierras Western Di- 



limits, some held privately, viz, Red- vide is the last of the groves, on Deer 



wood Meadows and Salt Creek groves, Creek, a stream which runs into the San 



which ought to be included in the Park. Joaquin Valley. It is a small grove, not 



They are too inaccessible apparently to quite as large as the Calaveras " Home 



be lumbered. The North Tule River Grove," and, like the three preceding, has 



grove was mostly owned by N. P. Dil- never been disturbed by the saw. 

 Ion, who at one time had a mill on it, 



abandoned years ago. Last May, if re- SAVING THE BIG TREE GROVES - 



port is correct, he sold his claims to a In connection with the question of sav- 



local lumber company, which expects to ing the big tree groves, there are two dis- 



erect a mill. The writer, knowing this tinct phases. The appeal for the salvation 



grove was in the market, advised its pur- of the Calaveras Grove is an expression of 



chase by the nation. If we had possessed one of the noblest sentiments in human 



a National Forestry Bureau charged with nature. In a measure also this sentiment 



such matters this grove, commanding the goes out to every grove of the species, 



entire forested slope of the North Tule But the Big Trees are numerous enough 



watershed, would no doubt have been se- south of the Kings River to constitute an 



cured by it as a part of the national do- important factor in that problem of tre- 



main. In situation it occupies wild rocky mendous importance to central California, 



benches, and surveyors of the Park viz, stream protection. Hence the salva- 



boundary tell me that a portion of it is tion of as many groves as possible becomes 



within the southern boundary of the Park. a forestry question. At present opportu- 



The writer discovered a small grove of nities for the reacquirement by the United 



big trees in this watershed outside the pri- States of the Sequoia land may offer, but 



vate claims and since then some others the machinery is so slow as to be neces- 



have been found. sarily clumsy, and one expects it to fail. 



