144 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



By this observation it could be ascer- furnishes sufficient power to turn it. 



tained readily that 1100 to 1200 srpags However, the more power is used, the 



per acre could be got of well stocked faster and better the sprags are made, 



oak and chestnut coppice forests of the The operator places a sprag stick 



age of twenty years. between the wheels, and as the wheels 



The prevailing price for sprags is revolve, the cutting knives reduce the 

 $12 per M. f.o.b. cars at shipping point, stick at the proper place, and by con- 

 Dealers pay $1 per M. less. However, tinually revolving the stick, it effects the 

 where sprags of the largest size are desired point. This proceess is then 

 specified, as much as $14 per M. is repeated on the other end of the stick 

 paid. and thereafter, it is the finished product. 



Ten years ago, sprags were made The sprag sticks are sawed in lengths 



entirely with axe and drawing knife, with an ordinary circular saw attached 



If a man made 200 of them per day, he to motive power. Two men can saw 



was considered well at his trade. A from 8,000 to 9,000 per day. However, 



machine was then devised with a knife it is inadvisable to saw such a large 



which moved vertically with every number at a time for the reason that 



revolution of the wheel which governed the pile will become very large and, 



it. The sprag stick was held in an therefore, will necessitate carrying a 



almost vertical position and at such a great number of them a considerable 



slant as to allow the knife, moving distance to the machine, 



vertically, to taper the end of the stick One man can make one thousand 



to a point. At each fall of the knife, the sprags per day if the sticks are piled 



operator would turn the stick a few near him. Eight hundred sprags of 



degrees, and continued turning until mixed sizes make a load for two horses, 



the uniform taper was affected. In the spring of 1911, a fire killed a 



This machine gave poor results in stand of oak and chestnut coppice 14 



that the process was too slow. It was years old on the Pocono division of she 



not used very extensively and the sprag Minisink Forest Reserve in Pennsyl- 



industry fell back into the domain of vania on an area of about 75 acres. The 



the handworker. timber was not merchantable because 



It was necessary to depend on the of size and the distance from market, 



handworker only a few years, and three However, the possibility of disposing of 



years ago, his elimination became per- it in the form of sprags was looked into, 



manent. A man of a mechanical turn and was found decidedly favorable, 



of mind and now living at Mountain Accordingly, arrangements were made 



Home, Pa., devised a machine for the with the owner of the above mentioned 



purpose by placing on a shaft two machine for the use of a machine and 



properly moulded wheels with planing the operation started. Almost 100,000 



knives set in each wheel. These wheels sprags were made from this area. 



are so moulded that when they are A contract was made with a party to 



placed one against the other on the furnish motive power and make the 



shaft, the space between the two sprags complete from the pole for $4 



wheels in. the direction of the shaft per M., and incidentally he made good 



admits of a perfectly made sprag. A wages. It cost approximately $4 per 



support on which to rest the sprag M. to haul them to the railroad since 



when in the process of making is built only one trip a day was possible. To 



upon the base of the machine and ex- cut the poles in the woods cost $1.30 



tends upwards between the wheels to per M. sprags, making a total cost of 



an inch below the plans of the axis. $9.30 per M. sprags delivered at ship- 



This support is raised by an extra block ping point. 



two inches higher at the circumference The use of the machine was obtained 



of the wheels, and in fact, must be on condition that the output be sold to 



adjusted so that the minimum jar is the owner of the machine who was also 



obtained. a dealer. Therefore, $11 per M. was 



A four-horse power gasoline engine received, leaving a balance of $1.70 for 



