NEWS AND NOTES 



455 



number are -(.-cure- 1 from tin- I K-crlodge 

 National I-".. rot west of the city. The 

 Allen Company has purchased from the 

 Government the timber which the For- 

 est officer- think can be remove 1 with 

 safety to the forest on an area .f about 

 S.i xx) acres, and it is estimate 1 that they 

 will secure alxmt 50.000.000 feet, board 

 measure, under this one contract. The 

 company also supplies the smelter at 

 Anaconda with converter poles and 

 small cordwood to whomever has need 

 for it. \\y the time the sale is com- 

 pleted, the < '.overnment will have re- 

 ceived more than $250.000 for the tim- 

 ber on this 8.000 acres, and tin- forest 

 will still be left in a condition t: pro- 

 duce more timber for the future needs 

 of the Hutte mines and other Montana 

 industries. 



The timber is almost wholly lodge- 

 pole a tree of small size, at best, but 

 large enough to supply stulls. lagging, 

 and converter poles. The trees form a 

 dense forest of nearlv even sized trees. 

 This renders it impossible to take out 

 onlv the larger trees, and the Govern- 

 ment foresters are allowing the cutting 

 of narrow strips clean, while from the 

 intervening strips of timber left stand- 

 ing only the dead and diseased trees are 

 taken. After a strip is cleared, it will 

 be seeded up with young trees from the 

 strips of timber left standing on either 

 side, and only when this has been com- 

 pleted, probably between ten or twenty 

 \ears from now, will the remaining tim- 

 ber be cut. \Yhen it is cut. the tree- 

 then growing on the strips which arc- 

 now cut clean, will seed up the newly 

 cut areas, and the whole forest will be 

 Parted afresh. 



In this forest as in every other, tin- 

 greatest danger to the program planne 1 

 by the foresters is fire, but in the pres- 

 ent cutting every precaution is taken to 

 lessen this risk. The brush from the 

 tops of the trees is being piled, and 

 later, when the ground is wet or cov- 

 ered with snow, the pile- an- burned un- 

 der the direction of a fre-t otticer. 

 With lodgepole pine this brush burning 

 is aKd an aid in securing see llinu;-. for 

 little trees are best s-arted <-n an area 

 where the mineral soil is exposed. < 



pkte dis]isal of the brush leaves, noth- 

 ing on uhieh a tWe-t fire may gain 

 headway, and, -at'e from this greatest 

 danger, the forest is left to -iippl) wood 

 for the future and to regulate the flow 

 of the streams which ''rain it. and mean- 

 while, the great mining industry of 

 lUitte is -^curing the timber it must 

 have if it is to continue. 



Production of Precious Stones in the 

 United States 



HTHF total value of the precious 

 1 stones produced in the I nited 

 States during Kpj is placed by the 

 Geological Survey at $471.300. as com- 

 pare. 1 with $208.000 in l<)on. This great 

 increase is due chiefly to a very large 

 output of sapphire in Montana, of both 

 the blue and the variegated variety. 

 The total production of sapphire in the 

 Cnited States for 11/07 is estimated at 

 $229.800. Tourmaline is second in im- 

 portance. and is placed at $84.120. 

 Among other important gems produced 

 were chrysoprase. to the value of $45.- 

 500; californite $25.000: turquo 

 $23.840: spodumene gems ( kunzite and 

 hiddenite). $14.500: varicite. utahlite. 

 and amatrice. $7.50.1: rose quartz. beryl. 

 and aquamarine, and garnet, each over 

 $6.000. 



A new gem mineral benit >itc has 

 been added to the list of known prec- 

 ious stones. This is a titanosilicate of 

 barium, having a blue color and a high 

 retractive index. It is found in San 

 I'.enito ( ounty. ("alifornia. The re- 

 opening of the emerald-hiddenite mine 

 in Alexander County. North Carolina. 

 during 1<M>7. is of interest since the 

 supplv of hiddenite for jewelry h;^ he- 

 c< une ver low. 



Body of Slain Forester Recovered 



A i \!'d.F from Manila to the I'.u- 

 reau of Insular Affairs states that 

 tin- Ixxlies of H. 1). Fverett and T. R. 

 Wakelcy have been found an-' -ire he- 

 ing brought to Manila for bur; il. This 



