1904 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



101 



He helped build the International 

 and Great Western, and was promi- 

 nently connected with the Galveston, 

 Houston and Henderson road, in Texas. 



Later, until 1898, he had charge of 

 the freight business of the Colorado and 

 Southern. In July, 1902, he became 

 supervisor of the Pike's Peak group of 

 reserves. His personal energy and un- 

 derstanding of his work soon made his 

 reserve known as a model of adminis- 

 tration. 



Mr. Michelsen was a student of for- 

 estry, geology, political economy, and 

 kindred topics. He spent much time in 

 preparing articles upon these subjects, 

 which attained considerable circulation 

 in the magazines. 



At the time of his death he was vice- 

 president of the American Forestry As- 

 sociation for Colorado, and of the Colo- 

 rado Forestry Association as well. He 

 was also a member of the National Irri- 

 gation Association, the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science, 

 and of the National Geographic Society. 



The Sports- The tenth annual exhibi- 

 rnen's Show, tion of the Sportsmen's 

 Exposition Company, 

 which was held at Madison Square 

 Garden, seemed to take the public fancy 

 quite as strongly as did its predeces- 

 sors. 



Exhibits crowded the entire available 

 space, and the center was occupied b} r 

 a great tank, upon which canoe races, 

 tilting, and birling were carried on. 

 This artificial lake also allowed of the 

 display of launches and automobile 

 boats. 



The east end of the garden was made 

 to represent a mountain scene, through 

 which dashed a real stream, which 

 turned the wheel of an old mill and 

 passed on to supply one of the tanks. 



Guides from all the famous sporting 

 regions maintained model camps, as has 

 been the custom at previous shows, and 

 much greenery was in evidence. 



A feature was the fly-casting contests, 

 which took place every day under the 

 rules of a special committee. The show 

 began February 19 and lasted until the 

 fifth of the present month. 



Development Red gum (Liquidambar 

 of Red Gum. styradflua) is rapidly 

 gaining in favor with 

 the lumber trade. Nearly every issue of 

 the lumbermen's journals pay increased 

 attention to the interests of those who 

 manufacture it and the increased capital 

 and brains devoted to its introduction 

 and to the overcoming of certain preju- 

 dices against it. ' ' Doubtless, ' ' says an 

 exchange, " the scarcity of other staple 

 and higher-priced materials has had 

 something to do with the interest that 

 has lately been manifested in gum. A 

 few manufacturers, firmly convinced of 

 success, have for several years past en- 

 countered the usual difficulties to be met 

 in introducing any new thing, until by 

 degrees the objectionable features have 

 practically been overcome. Efforts of 

 individual concerns have been combined 

 and a systematic educational campaign 

 has been started. First of all, uniform 

 grades were necessarily established, and 

 to facilitate this work the Dressed Gum 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association was 

 organized by a small body of determined 

 men, honest in their conviction that 

 gum, properly treated and carefully se- 

 lected, is unquestionably the best suited 

 medium-priced wood for building ma- 

 terial obtainable, not even excepting 

 yellow pine. Tests, indoors and out, 

 have demonstrated the truth of these 

 statements, and the increasing number 

 of satisfied users is fast adding pre- 

 ponderance to these arguments." 



Among the main objections which 

 have kept gum in the background here- 

 tofore are its tendencies to warp and ta 

 discolor in drying, making necessary 

 certain preventive treatment which is not 

 employed with other woods. To prevent 

 discoloring, girdling is practiced by some 

 operators. Others claim to secure the 

 same brightness of lumber by felling 

 only in the winter. 



On account of the growing interest in 

 gum and the valuable substitute which 

 it offers for other hardwoods now be- 

 coming scarce, the Bureau of Forestry 

 has lately begun to investigate the stand 

 and properties of this wood and the 

 present marketing conditions. It is 

 hoped that the investigations will result 

 in the collection of information valuable 



