11 



There were some tricks in felling, designed to save small growth, 

 which the men could learn and apply. Sometimes a big tree could be 

 let down equally well in two or three directions, and the chopper, if he 

 would notice in which direction promising young growth stood, could 

 save it. Occasionally there would be a chopper among the crews who 

 could be got to do that. Another good and inexpensive plan was to 

 fell the heavy-crowned spruce directly into the roads, where they 

 would do no damage. If they lay at an angle with the road they 

 could be dragged in by the team instead of being rolled over the young 

 growth. If the log in this position made a hard pull, they took it first 

 and made up the load below. Sometimes a more distant log might be 

 dragged out with a chain, and the cost of this labor was often more 

 than offset by the saving in the cost of swamping. 



Lastly, much could be done for the woods in every direction — in 

 economy, in effective thinning, and in favoring the resulting stand, by 

 starting operations early and stopping the cutting work in January, 

 before the advent of deep snow. A foot of snow ordinarily makes the 

 best and cheapest logging, but deep snow impedes good work. 



The gains made by these means may look to be of small consequence, 

 like nibbling around the edges of the matter instead of striking at once 

 for its core. But the measures outlined, when persistently carried 

 out, had appreciable effect on the condition in which land was left 

 and on its consequent value. Moreover, whatever was accomplished 

 by these means was without a dollar of cost to the owners of the land. 

 The future of their business was a little more secure and their immedi- 

 ate profits were no less. 



No statement of the gain expected from the policy pursued will be 

 given here. It seems sufficient to state that the company feels 

 reasonably secure and satisfied. 



CONTRACT LOGGING. 



When logging was done by contract, the clauses under which care- 

 ful and conservative cutting could best be secured were as follows: 



The contractor agrees and contracts with the company to cut, haul, and deliver 



into River all the spruce and fir timber of description given below in the 



Valley. The timber to be hauled at the rate of 2 to 2\ million feet a year, and the 

 bounds of the valley to be determined by a spotted line run on the height of land by 

 the company's inspector. 



All spruce and fir trees over 12 inches in diameter breasthigh shall be cut, but no 

 trees under that size unless in the necessities of hauling contract timber. But this 

 rule may be varied by the company with a view to leaving the land in good growing 

 condition. To this end the contractor agrees to cut the land clean or to refrain entirely 

 from cutting where directed to do so by the company's inspector. 



Windfalls that are sound shall be hauled, and all standing dry timber that is suit- 

 able for boards. Such dry timber shall not be discounted for sap rot but shall be 

 scaled like green timber. 



[Cir. 131] 



