48 BULLETIN 118, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In practice it invariably happens that a small-mill operator who 

 watches this part of the work carefully makes a success of his busi- 

 ness. The average operator usually lets the job by contract to inex- 

 perienced men at twice what it could be, or ought to be, done for, in 

 order to be rid of it. At a conservative estimate the logging to small 

 mills costs $1.50 to $2.50 per 1,000 more than it ought to cost. This 

 unnecessary expense swallows up the greater portion of the profits 

 that can be made in operating a small mill. Misdirected energy in 

 this line means a loss to the operator which can not be made up. 



CHUTES. 



When the country to be logged is split up into narrow canyons or 

 gulches and is not too steep, chute logging can be carried on with 

 more or less success. When the chute has a heavj^ grade and the logs 

 attain a high velocity at the landing, the loss in breakage is too heavy 

 to justify this method of handling timber. In fact, chute logging 

 is most successful where the grade is so light that horses are neces- 

 sarj^ to keep the logs moving. Twenty or more logs dogged in a 

 string propelled by horsepower can be taken over a chute rather 

 cheaply. 



If the distance to " chute " exceeds a mile, beats should be laid off 

 in one-fourth mile sections, with a man and team to keep each one 

 clear. In small operations, of course, one man and team or one 

 horse and man are enough. In addition, a team or single horse is 

 needed to keep clear the point where the logs are being delivered to 

 the chute. 



When the grade is heavy, soft steel goosenecks are used to check 

 the speed of the logs, and the delivery end of the chute is elevated 

 in order to insure that the logs will fall flat instead of striking " end 

 on," Logs handled in this way are generally split in the end and 

 bacll}^ bruised up, even when the}' are landed in water. 



Chutes are usually built of 20-foot logs laid two abreast and hewed 

 trough-shaped by cutting away the inner faces. The logs are drift 

 bolted to bed pieces that are sunk firmly in the ground, 12 to 14 feet 

 apart. The average size of chute timbers is 14 inches at the top. 

 The average cost of chute construction is $3 per rod. 



A chute in which logs run by gravity is called a running chute, 

 and one with which horses are used, a trailing chute. Sometimes 

 logs will run on one part of a chute and are trailed on other parts. 

 Heavy logs will run on lighter grades than small, light, short logs. 

 Trailing chutes should be greased, or, if the weather permits, iced. 



The main trouble about chutes is that very often they are not con- 

 structed properly, particularly chutes built around sharp curves. A 

 running chute should never be built with a bad curve. It costs too 

 much to keep in repair, and logs will be constantly jumping. In 



