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258 



RECREATION. 



Army, to instruct the seniors in mule pack- 

 ing on their spring field work. Mr. Daly- 

 has been in the pack transportation service 

 of the army 39 years, and knows more about 

 the business than any other man living. He 

 has organized and made the United States 

 pack service the finest in the world, and has 

 been responsible for most of the ingenious 

 pack equipment now in use. Mr. Daly will 

 come to New Haven and start the instruc- 

 tion, which will be continued throughout the 

 year. The diamond hitch, the squaw hitch 

 and the stirrup hitch will all be taught the 

 men. The school will be equipped with the 

 common sawbuck pack saddles and with the 

 more elaborate and useful aparejo, the pack 

 saddle used exclusively in the army. 



A good packer is not an easy man to se- 

 cure at a moment's notice, and as the suc- 

 cess of a long cruise depends almost entirely 

 on the packer, it will be of the greatest 

 advantage for the students to learn the trick 

 themselves. A stationary, kickless mule has 

 been built of oak, in the basement of the 

 main building, on which the boys can prac- 

 tice throwing the diamond to their hearts* 

 content all winter. Mr. Daly has set them 

 a record, which some of the boys are ambi- 

 tious to equal. With an assistant, Daly put 

 on the aparejo complete and the pack and 

 threw the diamond hitch in one minute. He 

 was, however, thoroughly used to his off- 

 packer, which made the trick much easier. 



STUDY OF THE RED GUM. 



Recent investigations of the Bureau of Forestry 

 indicate an important addition to the present tim- 

 ber resources of the country through the better 

 utilization of the red gum. This timber tree is 

 the predominant species on the hardwood bottom- 

 lands of all the Southeastern States. In spite of 

 its abundance, it has been slow to reach 

 commercial importance because of the extent to 

 which it warps and stains in seasoning. While 

 hickory, oak, ash, and yellow poplar were cheaply 

 obtainable, red gum received little attention. The 

 increasing scarcity and rising price of more adapt- 

 able trees have forced the gum into a market place 

 of late, and have caused lumbermen to seek, with 

 partial success, such methods of handling it as 

 would obviate the difficulties which have stood in 

 the way of a larger use of the wood. 



In common with all the hardwood bottomland 

 species — ash, cottonwood, and oak — its growth is 

 rapid. It reaches a maximum height of 140 feet 

 and is commonly 30 to 40 inches in diameter, 

 while trees of 5 feet in diameter are not infre- 

 quently found. Little red gum has been cut in the 

 past, and at present it hardly pays to cut below 

 18 to 20 inches in diameter; so that this species 

 furnishes a magnificent supply of full grown tim- 

 ber in regions where culling has removed most of 

 the larger trees of other kinds. The wood of the 

 red gum is comparatively straight grained, free 

 from knots and blemishes, and, because of its 

 abundance, cheap. It is now used extensively for 

 building timbers, flooring, boxes and barrels, and 

 for numerous purposes where narrow boards can 

 be used. It has been found that wide boards are 

 liable to warp. 



Red gum forests are now beginning to be lum- 

 bered extensively. The lands which they occupy 

 are usually swampy alluvial bottoms. While often 

 fertile they are subject to floods, and the cost 

 of drainage is high. Whether they will pay bet- 



ter if kept in timber or whether they should be 

 sold for farming is a difficult question. One great 

 advantage for forest management which they have 

 over pine lands, for example, is their comparative 

 immunity from fire. The owner of a good forest 

 of red gum is not in danger of seeing his whole 

 investment go up in smoke. The red gum is a 

 swamp species, and its rapid growth points to the 

 conclusion, at least in certain sections, that the 

 land can be profitably held for a second crop. — 

 Forestry and Irrigation. 



TO KUROKI. 



As, old and weary, Hamilcar dying lay, 



he bound 

 Young Hannibal, his only son, by solemn 



oath 

 That, manhood reached, no thought could 



e'er be rightly his 

 Save this, "Avenge the wrongs of Carth- 

 age !" — and anon 

 All Roman mothers paled and trembled at 



the name 

 Of Hannibal, who fiercely threatened Ro- 

 man hearths. 

 So in these later days, Polish Kurowski 



fled, 

 Self exiled, to Japan, and on his deathbed 



there, 

 Amid the flowers of his kindly foster land, 

 Had thoughts of far off Poland, crushed 



'neath Russia's heel, 

 Its piteous soil all vainly drenched with 



patriot blood — 

 Dying, he cried, "Dear son, serve true thy 



mother's liege, 

 But bide the time when Poland's wrongs 



may be avenged — 

 Be thou Fate's instrument to hasten cruel 



Russia's doom." 



i/envoie. 



Lead on, Kuroki, worthy son of patriot 



sire ! 

 The bird of victory seems flutt'ring o'er 



tny hosts. 

 Lead on, brave soul, the world will give 



thee glad acclaim, 

 When friendly Mars subdues the Russian 



to thy spear. 



— Edith Pattou in N. Y.' Times. 



My Ninth Annual Photo Competition closes 

 November 30. The time is growing short in 

 which to make and enter pictures, and I 

 trust all my friends who have participated 

 in previous competitions may be represented 

 in this one. A number of valuable prizes 

 are offered, and in addition to these all 

 photos used will hereafter be paid for at 

 the rate of 50 cents to $1 each, according 

 to actual value for illustrative purposes. 



Old Grimm : Remember, young man, 

 there is always room at the top. 



Young Sprawler — Oh, I know that. I'm 

 waiting for the elevator now. — Exchange. 



