726 



Canadian Forestry Journal. September, ipi6 



cut through the stem on the oppo- 

 site side. In half a minute the tree 

 begins to lean, and there is a warn- 

 ing shout. A second or two later, 

 with a loud, cracking and rending 

 sound, it topples and crashes to the 

 ground. Without any apparent ef- 

 fort, the 'fallers' have controlled the 

 direction of its fall almost to a foot. 



The'^Sivampcr" At JJ^ork. 



"Next, without any ado, half a do- 

 zen 'swampers' set to work with the 

 axe clearing the limbs and straight- 

 ening up the tree. Simultaneously 

 a 'fit'ter.' with a wooden rod, divides 

 the stem in. suitable lengths, mark- 

 ing the cutting points with a notch ; 

 while two other men, one carrying 

 a paint pot, measure the tree, enter 

 the size in a book, and mark the 

 stump and the butt of the severed 

 trunk with a blob of red paint to 

 show that their work is done. Saw- 

 vers then cut the stem according to 

 the 'fitter's' marking, and the sec- 

 tions are ready to go to the mill. 

 Thev are dragged there bv horses 

 over deeply scored 'trails' and 'sloop- 

 wavs,' and take their turn to come 

 under the saw. 



"The mill itself is a stoutly built 

 structure, made of timber cut and 

 prepared on the spot, and saws and 

 engines coming from anada. It is 

 practically a raised platform covered 

 by an iron roof, but open at the 

 sides. A log to be sawn is rolled 

 into position on a 'carriage,' which 

 moves backwards and forwards to 

 carry it through a circular saw. Two 

 men. standing on the carriage, con- 

 trol its movements and the position 

 of the log bv a number of levers. 

 Opposite them stands the most im- 

 portant man of all, the 'sawyer,' 

 whose trained eye sees at a glance 

 what can be made of this or that log. 

 The hum of the engine and the 

 screech of the saw would drown his 

 voice, so he gives his decision by 

 signs. As the carriage brings a log 

 back through the saw with the bark 

 removed, he will hold up one finger 



or two, and the 'setter' on the car- 

 riage, by the movement of a lever, 

 adjusts the log so that the next cut 

 shall be one inch or two inches 

 thick. 



"It is all done without a pause. 

 For hours the saw screeches and 

 throws ofif a spray of sawdust as it 

 slices up the logs that a short wdiile 

 before were splendid living trees, 

 and all the while other saws, trim- 

 ming the edges of the boards and 

 cutting off the ends, join in the cho- 

 rus. Is it surprising that the daugh- 

 ter of the keeper of the wood w^as 

 reduced to tears when she stood bv 

 the mill?" 



"The Next Dry Summer." 



(Berlin Record.) 



"In making the effort to have the 

 survivors return and again begin the 

 task of establishing themselves in 

 the burned district the question 

 arises : What protection is to be 

 given them against another confla- 

 gration in the next dry summer? 



"When, a few years ago. the Por- 

 cupine fire occurred with its accom- 

 panying horrors, the public felt that 

 it would lead to laws being enacted 

 and enforced which would prevent 

 the occurrence of destructive fires. 

 It has not done so. 



"The latest horror was the pro- 

 fluct of numbers of settlers burning 

 slash, uncontrolled and unheeded 

 for weeks, until they spread and 

 united into one great furnace of 

 flame which nothing could stop." 



Changed Positions. 



"I feel the same interest in taking 

 part in this conference," said Sir R. 

 Munro-Ferguson, Governor-General 

 of Australia, recently, "as the 

 French ambassador spoken of at a 

 great forestry conference in Wash- 

 ington when I was a little bov. Said 

 the French ambassador : 'I sowed 

 some seed, and they came up so 

 small I could hardly see them ; now 

 they are so tall they hardly see me.' " 



