490 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



November 



under the Santa Inez Range to Santa 

 Barbara by means of a tunnel. The 

 watersheds supplying this dam are 

 practically barren of trees, and are 

 either entirely denuded or covered 

 with chapparal, which does not hold 

 the flood waters or prevent the move- 

 ment of silt. The planting operations 

 of the Forest Service will at the begin- 

 ning be concentrated on the reforesta- 

 tion of this important basin. The 

 seeds of several hardy trees, including 

 the knobcone, Coulter, western yellow, 

 and Monterey pines, bigcone spruce, 

 incense cedar, and Himalyan cedar, 

 will be planted in the San Marcos nur- 

 sery and the young trees will be cared 

 for until two or three years old, when 

 they will be finally transplanted to the 

 planting sites which have been select- 

 ed on the mountain slopes. 



The study of woods used 



Woods 1-1 r 



For Vehicles. ln vehicle manufacture, 

 which is being carried 

 on by the Forest Service, is one in 

 which manufacturers are keenly inter- 

 ested. An agent of the Forest Service 

 who has been assigned to the work 

 has so far visited nearly one hundred 

 manufacturing plants where buggies, 

 wagons, farm implements, automo- 

 biles, and wheelbarrows are made. 



The question of woods for boxes 

 was found to be a vital one to the 

 wagon manufacturers. Poplar and 

 cottonwood have reached a price which 

 almost prohibits their use. Poplar is 

 expected to rise yet higher, and the 

 manufacturers will then be forced 

 either to use other material or to raise 

 the price of their wagons. The rigid 

 grading which manufacturers place on 

 poles and shafts makes it difficult to 

 meet the requirements for wood for 

 these purposes, and it is said that un- 

 less the grading is broadened timber 

 for poles and shafts will soon fall be- 

 hind the demand. The strict specifica- 

 tions of white oak for wagon-pole 

 stock has already weakened, and red 

 oak is being largely used in its stead. 

 Birch is slowly gaining favor for hub 

 manufacture, taking the place of white 

 oak, the excessive checking of which 



is said to occasion considerable loss to 

 the manufacturers. Red gum is grad- 

 ually gaining a place for itself for use 

 in various parts of buggies, sleighs, 

 automobiles, and other like vehicles. 



In the implement trade longleaf pine 

 has practically replaced red oak, and 

 shows a strong tendency also to super- 

 sede white oak as well. Red gum, in 

 combination with western spruce or 

 red fir, has entered into this line of 

 manufacture for panel work. 



Fire 



Fighting 



Successful 



How successfully a well- 

 trained and efficient ran- 

 ger force may fight dan- 

 gerous forest fires is well shown by the 

 achievement of Supervisor Slosson 

 and his rangers in putting out the re- 

 cent forest fire in the Santa Barbara 

 Forest Reserve in southern California. 

 This fire broke out the first week in 

 October and was quickly reported to 

 the supervisor. A strong wind blew 

 the flames into the reserve and made 

 the work of the fire-fighters extremely 

 difficult. For several days the fight- 

 ing force under the supervisor and his 

 best rangers fought the fire with great 

 energy and skill, until it was at last 

 extinguished. 



The fire was reported by two ran- 

 gers, who rode thirty miles to bring 

 the news. The wind is said by resi- 

 dents to have been the most violent in 

 years. Within three hours the fire had 

 traveled four miles along the south 

 border of the reserve and south of the 

 reserve. Meantime, another large fire 

 was reported from Nordhoff, but this 

 was prevented from entering the re- 

 serve by the diligence of rangers sta- 

 tioned at that point, who secured help 

 from the nearby settlements. Within 

 the reserve the constant work of the 

 supervisor and rangers was required 

 from October 7 to October 17. Mr. 

 Slosson is said to have collapsed when 

 it was assured that the reserve was 

 safe. The efficiency and devotion to 

 duty of the reserve officers in fighting 

 and extinguishing these fires has call- 

 ed forth congratulations from the For- 

 ester. 



