FIFTH NATIONAI, CONSERVATION CONGRESS 317 



is to place the spurs from 1,200 to 1,400 feet apart. The back end of the strip 

 tributary to a given spur is logged during the winter when the bottom is solid 

 and the timber for a distance of from 300 to 350 feet back of the track is left 

 until the rainy season in the spring. It is then possible to secure this timber 

 readily. If all of the timber tributary to the spur was removed during the wet 

 season the ground along the track would become so boggy that it would be im- 

 possible to work animals. 



The chief method of power logging used in this region and the one best 

 adapted to the general conditions is a ground system, known as the snaking 

 system. Four line machines are the more common. Overhead skidders are 

 not adapted for handling yellow pine timber, because of their limited daily 

 capacity in stands of from six to ten thousand board feet. 



Where the snaking system is used a method followed to advantage is to log 

 the section between the track and the back side of the strip in three units. The 

 timber on the back third of the strip is felled and logged, then the middle third is 

 felled and logged and finally the remaining one near the track. This insures a 

 clean bottom between the machine and the strip being logged, and does away 

 with the annoyance from brush and abandoned logs through which all timber 

 would have to be pulled if the entire width of the strip were felled and logged at 

 one time. 



As a general rule, the practice in this region is to have from four to six 

 weeks' supply of logs cut ahead of the skidding teams during the fall and 

 winter months and to reduce this to a ten-day or two weeks supply during the 

 summer season. The latter practice is necessary because the sap wood of pine 

 logs which remain in the woods during the summer for a few weeks is attacked 

 by insects. 



Railroad location. — Except in the rough portions of the region, railroad 

 location does not demand a high degree of skill. A common practice is to employ 

 an engineer to locate the main line, while the spur location is chiefly done by 

 the logging superintendent of the company. The transit is used for main line 

 work, while a box compass is usually ample for the spurs. 



The general principle of main line location is to follow the lower levels of 

 the tract, especially in the rougher regions in order that there will be a down- 

 grade haul for the mill-bound trains. Location on the lower levels also pro- 

 vides a down-grade haul for most of the timber on the tract. When animals 

 are used to bring the logs from the stump to the railroad it is essential that the 

 spurs shall also be located so that a down-hill pull will be afforded the animals. 

 Location is also influenced by the method used for loading logs on cars. 

 When animal power is used for this purpose the road should be at the lowest 

 level on which logs are to be decked, since there is too much power required to 

 elevate logs from levels below the roadbed. Further it is not practicable to 

 load logs from the bank of a small stream, on the side opposite the railroad. 

 Provision must also be made for a clear space of at least forty feet on the side 

 of the track opposite the skidway in order that the loading teamster may have 

 a sufficient space in which to maneuver his team. This may require the location 

 of the road in the stream bed or on the edge of the bank. 



