366 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



September, 



Noble Fir throughout its entire range 

 is the western Hemlock ( l^suga vicr- 

 tensiana). At the lower elevations of 

 its habitat occur Red Fir {Psendoisiiga 

 taxifolia) , Mountain White Pine ( Phuis 

 monticola), and Pacific Cedar {Thiija 

 plica/a). At the higher elevations 

 lyodgepole Pine {Pi7ius murrayana), 

 Amabilis Fir {Abies aniabilis), Alpine 

 Fir {Abies lasiorarpa) , Mountain Hem- 

 lock i^Tsuga pattoniana) , and Alaska 

 Cedar {Chamo'cyparis nootkate7isis) . 



EFFECT OF LUMBERING ON REPRO- 

 DUCTION. 



The method of lumbering noble fir 

 timber, while it is essentially practical 

 from the point of view of the lumber- 

 man, accomplishes in part the object of 

 the forester. The sound Larch and 

 Red Fir, when Red Fir is in mixture, 

 are cut to a diameter limit of i8 inches, 

 but, as almost every tree is over i8 

 inches, the portion of the forest which 

 is being operated is practically clear cut 

 of Larch and Red F'ir. 



Hemlock timber brings a price insuf- 

 ficient to warrant its transportation at 

 high altitudes, and hence it is rarely 

 logged. In consequence there remains, 

 after the Larch and Red Fir have been 

 exploited, a hemlock forest of no mean 

 density, and one that affords ample pro- 

 tection to the soil from the injurious 

 effects of drying out and of excessive 

 rain-washing. 



After a portion of a forest has been 

 cleared of its desirable timber, there are 

 usually left standing upon the sides of 

 the clearing sufficient trees to answer 

 the purpose of seed trees, from which 

 the seed will be distributed by wind over 

 the whole or a part of the logged area. 

 More frequently the width of this area 

 is too great to permit of seed being scat- 

 tered over the entire clearing, so that 



reproduction takes place only along the 

 edges of the clearing, and forms a lining 

 of 200 to 250 feet in width. 



The Red Fir also has but little shade 

 endurance, and reproduces only on 

 cleared areas. The Hemlock, how- 

 ever, is extremely tolerant of shade, 

 and reproduces prolifically, even in the 

 densest growths. Under these condi- 

 tions, then, lumbering operations can in- 

 jure, though inconsiderably, the young 

 growth of Hemlock; on the other hand, 

 since there is practically no young 

 growth of Noble and Red Firs in the 

 forest, lumbering operations, instead of 

 retarding, as is erroneously thought, 

 encourage at least a partial reproduction 

 of these important species, by clearing 

 areas upon which the young seedlings 

 are to germinate. 



LOG TRANSPORTATION. 



The method of transporting larch 

 timber at high altitudes may here be 

 touched upon only in a very general 

 way. Donkey engines are used for 

 hauling the logs over skidways by 

 means of wire cables to a narrow-gauge 

 railroad, where the logs are " dogged " 

 into a train, and are then drawn by a 

 locomotive to the saw-mill. The ties 

 act as skids, and to prevent frictional 

 wearing as much as possible, they are 

 watered by the locomotive which pre- 

 cedes the train of logs to the saw-mill. 

 Frequently, where the felling operations 

 are at some distance from the railroad, it 

 is both expedient and economical to 

 construct chutes, down which the logs, 

 after having been drawn into position 

 by donkey engines, are shot into arti- 

 ficial storing ponds adjacent to the rail- 

 road, whence they are drawn by a loco- 

 motive to the mill. Where trees are 

 found in deep and almost inaccessible 

 canyons a log troUej^ is used. 



IRRIGATION AND RICE GROWING IN LOUISIANA. 



RECENT GROWTH OF RICE INDUSTRY DUE MAINLY TO IRRIGATION. 



RICE growing in Louisiana had its 

 inception during the first year of 

 the civil war, but the industry did not at- 



tain large proportions until in the seven- 

 ties, when the crop averaged nearly 

 30,000,000 pounds annually, increasing 



