34 Station Bulletin 372 



every half hour during the day. The sugar content and the acidity of the 

 sap were measured at frequent intervals by the staff of the Engineering Sta- 

 tion, co-operating. 



The data have not been subjected to close study, but some conclusions 

 are apparent. Maple sap flowed reasonably well daring the test on days in 

 which correct weather conditions prevailed. The rapidity of flow closely fol- 

 lowed changes in weather on those days in which the half-hourly flow was 

 measured. There seems to have been a gradual increase of the sugar con- 

 tent during the winter, reaching a peak at about the start of the spring run. 



The sap of gray birch follows a somewhat different schedule, but the 

 controlling weather conditions have not been determined. Samples tested 

 for sugar content showed less than one per cent sugar, while the pH content 

 decreased from 6.4, on April 5, to 4.5, on April 25. There was some fluc- 

 tuation but otherwise the progression was fairly regular. 



C. L. Stevens 



Reproduction Studies 



Current work involves routine measurements of plantations up to five 

 years old, and the establishment of four new ones, including one of game- 

 food species. 



1946 was not a good seed year, but 73 seed tests were conducted: 38 on 

 12 species and one variety of conifers and 35 on 20 species of hardwoods. 

 Nothing could be done, however, on the quantity and quality of seed produc- 

 tion by local species. No data were collected on sprout reproduction. 



C. L. Stevens 



White Pine Stands 



. Using two standard methods of thinning, a little over eight acres of pine 

 were thinned. About five acres were pruned, and there was a small repro- 

 duction cutting based on the Selection System. 



C. L. Stevens 



Devices and Implements Useful in Farm Logging 



The activities carried on under this project have included studies of: 



1. Loading bundles of logs for transportation to saw-mill 



2. Loader adapted from gasoline-operated, ditch-digging shovel 



3. New application of conical splitting wedge previously reported 



4. Supplying information and photographic enlargements of sev- 

 eral devices on which studies have been made 



Several methods were tried for loading standard bundles of logs, where- 

 by relatively small logs could be moved cheaply from forests where thinning 

 operations are being conducted. Owing to the length of time required to 

 handle these logs in the customary manner, it was found that loads could be 

 made up in bundles, secured by chains, and that they could be loaded direct- 

 ly on trucks with a loader adapted from a ditch-digger. This operation ap- 

 pears to be economically sound. Another type of loader made in a similar 

 manner was used for loading hardwood logs directly from the ground. Con- 



