DISTILLATION OF STUMPWOOD. 15 



TAKING SAMPLES. 



In the spring of 1914, samples, with the attendant field data, were 

 obtained from four acres in different parts of the State typical of 

 the regions they were selected to represent, namely: (a) Cut-over 

 land of a lumber company in Latah County, hereafter referred to as 

 the Potlatch-Deary region; (l>) the Coeur d'Alene and Hay den Lake 

 region; (c) the South Idaho or Boise-Payette region; and (d) the 

 Craig Mountain or Winchester region. 



In these field-sampling operations a rapid reconnaissance trip was 

 made to get a general idea as to the abundance and apparent quality 

 of the stumps in a region. On the basis of such knowledge an area 

 considered representative of the district was selected, from which 

 samples representing the different qualities of stumps, together with 

 data for an estimate of their relative abundance and number per 

 acre, w r ere taken. 



In the beginning the stumps were arbitrarily classed as " rich " 

 when the top showed a marked resinous exudation, or, if burned over, 

 revealed decidedly resinous wood when cut into with an axe, as 

 "medium" when it showed but little of such exudation, and as 

 "poor" when, although apparently sound, it was devoid of any 

 resinous exudation. All stumps containing little if any resinous 

 wood are classed as " bull pine," despite the fact that this term is 

 usually limited to the western yellow pine less than 24 inches across 

 the stump. 



Selected stumps of each class were removed by blasting, and only 

 enough of their heartwood was taken to make, with wood from other 

 stumps of the same quality, a cord sample of that class. This cord, 

 or a smaller sample selected from this measured cord, was then 

 shipped to Moscow for the experimental work. 



In all cases the sapwood was split off and rejected; hence the re- 

 sults obtained in this investigation do not show what can be ob- 

 tained from the whole stump of each quality, but only from the 

 resinous heartwood. Because the western yellow-pine stumps ordi- 

 narily contained so little heartwood (on an average about 50 per 

 cent), stumps under 24 inches were considered only when they con- 

 tained larger proportions of the resinous heartwood. Such stumps, 

 in later years, should the sapwood rot off while the heartwood re- 

 mained sound and resinous, would then be practically 100 per cent 

 resinous, but, of course, would yield a much smaller quantity of 

 total wood. 



Distinction between " yellow pine " and " bull pine" The term 

 " yellow pine " is here used to designate such members of the Pinus 

 ponderosa group as contain an appreciable portion of relatively resin- 



