52 Forest Club Annual 



feet. The stumpage is paid for according to this scale as are 

 also the contractors and in some cases even the brush piling. It 

 can be readily seen that through this variance in the scale rule and 

 by the foresight of the cutters, the cost may be materially in- 

 creased and a hardship worked upon the lumberman. 



When the cutting is done by month's labor this loss is largely 

 if not wholly done away with, and the price paid for the stumpage 

 is what it should be. The boss may not be mean enough to 

 caution the men about this particularly, and if he does not it is 

 fair to both parties concerned. When labor is hired by the month 

 all the tools are furnished to the men by the company, and 

 usually the minimum wages are paid, except in the case of a 

 very good woodsman. The rest of the crew, however, seldom 

 know that he is receiving higher wages. If the men are conscien- 

 tious workers hiring by the month generally proves to be the 

 cheaper method. Contractors are paid by the thousand feet 

 board measure, all logs being scaled by a forest officer, who is 

 disinterested. The price paid varies with the locality, the tim- 

 ber, the density of stand, and the lay of the land. Any of these 

 factors may change the price perceptibly. In different dis- 

 tricts the price seems to vary even when other things are equal. 

 Where the timber is large, and the clear length relatively great, 

 the price paid to the cutters is lower than if the opposite con- 

 ditions prevail. The topography of the tract is an important 

 factor. When the ground is level, or even moderately steep, 

 the work can be done faster and much easier than if the land is 

 very steep and rough. The work is especially disagreeable 

 when the underbrush is thick, and there are numerous rocks. 

 In the latter case it is almost impossible to keep the tools sharp. 



The contractors receive from one to two dollars per thousand, 

 and from fifty to seventy-five cents more where the brush is to 

 be piled. They usually make very good wages, often 25% to 

 50% more than is paid under monthly hire. The cutting crew 

 consists of two men, rarely of one or three. One man some- 

 times cuts alone, using a single saw, but he works at a disadvan- 

 tage and cannot accomplish half as much as two men working 

 together. The outfit for a crew consists of a saw, several wedges, 

 axes, a measuring stick and a bottle of oil. The make of the tools 

 used varies with the camp. Although there are many arguments 

 on the relative merits of each kind, there is really very little 

 difference. Generally speaking Disston saws and Lippincott 

 axes are used most extensively throughout the region but in 

 certain camps the Atkins saw and the Kelly axe are preferred. 

 The saws are either "M" toothed or " Lance" toothed. Both 

 single and double cross-cut saws are used, but generally in a two- 





