68 Forest Club Annual 



been in the past. At present it is difficult to hold experienced 

 men unless they are paid well and given the best of grub. The 

 average meal in the woods consists of bread or biscuits, butterine, 

 syrup, tea, coffee, potatoes, fresh meat, rice, pie, doughnuts and 

 cake. Breakfast is served at 5:30 A. M., dinner at 11:45, and 

 supper at 5:30 P. M. A variety of food and all that the men can 

 eat is required and furnished. At this camp the cost per man 

 per day is 29.7 cents. The average cost is between 25 and 35 

 cents. 



In this operation each saw crew cuts on an average 10,000 

 B. M. per day and one swamper follows each crew of sawyers. 

 Sawyers are instructed to cut a six inch top diameter limit with 

 a stump height not to exceed 18 inches. The sawyers are very 

 conscientious in the matter of stump heights, so much so, that 

 it was usual to find the stumps cut to a much lower height than 

 is specified. As a rule great care is exercised in the felling of 

 the trees so as to prevent as much damage as possible. The 

 butt logs are usually cut into 14 foot lengths while logs above 

 this are cut into 10 to 16 foot lengths. It is the duty of the 

 swamper to trim all trees of side branches and to clear a way for 

 the skidders. Some lumbermen use two swampers instead of 

 one and find that it facilitates the work for the skidders. 



The amount that is skidded per day depends upon the 

 character of the timber, topography and the distance to be 

 hauled. An average day's work for a short haul is 10,000 B. M. 

 per day. For very short hauls skidding tongs are used while 

 for hauls from one-sixteenth to one quarter of a mile go-devils 

 are used. When tongs are used, only one or two logs can be 

 skidded at a time while if go-devils are used, five to six good 

 sized logs may be hauled. An average go-devil load scaled by 

 the Doyle rule showed 542 board feet. Both horses and oxen 

 are used for skidding. Where only a short haul is necessary and 

 skidding is difficult, oxen are preferred. The horses weigh from 

 1400 to 1800 pounds each and cost $500 to $700 per team. Oxen 

 cost $200 to $300 per team. Since horses are difficult to keep 

 during the summer, some operators prefer the oxen because 

 they can be turned out to pasture at any time and will do well 

 on rough feed. 



Skidways are placed on level land bordering the railroad 

 where the haul will be the shortest. Each skid should hold a 

 carload of logs and they are usually filled twice a day. Where 

 timber is being cut faster than it can be hauled away by the log 

 train special skidways are built which often hold 50,000 board 

 feet. Occasionally a certain skid is reserved for a special kind 

 of timber, as for large sizes, for different species, for piling, etc. 



