272 REPORT OF THE 



thereabouts. For this work the crews are divided, each man having his particular 

 task assigned him. The best axemen are detailed for the felling of the large hem- 

 locks. Others with their axes girdle the fallen tree trunks at intervals of four feet, 

 and these are followed by men with " spuds," an iron tool with which they peel or 

 pry loose the bark. The first " ring," the one at the base of the tree, is taken off 

 before the tree is felled ; otherwise, the cutting at the stump would spoil this piece 

 of bark. Another gang works as " swampers," or in piling and ranking the bark 

 ready for hauling. 



With the approach of autumn the sap ceases to flow ; the bark consequently sticks 

 to the tree, and the work of peeling is ended for that year. The axemen now turn 

 their attention to the spruce, pine and balsam, and the forest echoes with the 

 constant crashing of falling trees. As before, the fastest choppers are detailed for 

 cutting down the trees ; they set the pace for the whole job. These men show 

 wonderful expertness in cutting a stump so that the tree will fall exactly where it is 

 wanted, some of them being able to set up a stake as a mark and drive it into the 

 ground with the falling tree trunks. Some such skill is necessary to the work in 

 order to prevent a tree from "lodging" in another one as it falls, to avoid piling 

 it on other down timber, and to protect as far as practicable any young growth of 

 saplings Avhich may be standing near. 



While the axemen are busy dropping the trees others are employed in lopping 

 off the limbs from the fallen trunk, and these are followed by men with long cross- 

 cut saws who divide it into logs of the specified length. Then come the men with 

 teams who haul the logs to the skidways and pile them up there in huge tiers, 

 ready to be loaded on sleighs when snow comes. The skidways were formerly 

 made of spruce or balsam and left in the woods to decay. But now, owing to 

 improved methods, and the increased value of the timber, hardwood skids are in 

 common use. If it becomes necessary to use softwood skids they are cut up into 

 logs and taken out at the end of the job. While on the skidways the logs are 

 measured, or scaled as it is termed, the scaler taking the diameter of each log, 

 within the bark at the top or smallest end, and jotting it down in his book, after 

 which a man with a marking hammer stamps the logs on both ends with the owner's 

 mark. The scaler generally has an assistant ; for the logs in the large piles must be 

 measured at both ends in order to determine which is the top, the body of the 

 log being out of sight. Crooked or rotten logs are " docked " in measurement 

 enough to offset the defects. 



While the cutting and skidding is going on, the jobber, aided by another crew, 

 is busy with the work of building roads leading from the skidways to the main 



