THE SOUTHERN CYPRESS. 13 
are then at a low point and because that season is usually the driest 
in the swamps. Some choose the period following the spring high- 
water stage. An important influencing factor is the danger of attack 
by the pinhole borer or ambrosia beetle. For a discussion of this 
subject, based upon extensive investigations conducted by specialists, 
the reader is referred to Circular 82, ‘Pinhole Injury to Girdled 
Cypress in the South Atlantic and Gulf States,” and Circular 128, 
“Tnsect Injuries to Forest Products,” issued by the Bureau of Ento- 
mology, United States Department of Agriculture. 
WASTE IN LOGGING. 
Various forms of waste in logging are found in some regions. 
Utilization is complete, however, in the most literal sense of the term, 
among the Mississippi River operators; as a rule not a living cypress 
tree is left, stumps are cut low, and top logs are taken. Where clean 
cutting is practiced trees above 16 to 18 inches at the stump are taken 
for lumber; from 8 to 14 inches for ties, piling, etc.; and practically 
everything left by the axe is broken by the steam logger. Over the 
Atlantic region the wood in the trees felled has in the past been utilized 
much less thoroughly, and the smaller sized trees left standing. One 
company in western Florida commendably adheres to a high diameter 
limit in the selection of trees for felling, but wastefully cuts high 
stumps and leaves large top logs. As thousands of deadhead logs, or 
“‘sinkers,’’ left 10 to 20 years ago, are now being taken out by machin- 
ery, so in turn later cutters on the same areas will undoubtedly pick 
up many large top logs and material left in high stumps. Although 
present cutting may be for special sizes and grades of stock, it is 
doubtful if it 1s wise or practical thus to leave large quantities of good 
timber in the woods (PI. II). The high stumps often result from 
sawyers working in the girdle line, which, of course, is chopped out by 
the girdlers at as high a point as possible above the basal swell in order 
to avoid unnecessary labor. 
Waste in logging cypress is generally attributed to the poor quality 
of labor, but is usually due to carelessness in supervision and failure 
to sechae the true stumpage value of the material left. Operators 
on the Atlantic coast, where freight rates to the larger markets are 
considerably lower, should be able to apply to their own logging the 
methods which have been worked out so successfully in Louisiana. 
In many cuttings in the Atlantic coast region stumps are left 5 to 9 
feet high in order to effect a slight saving in labor; while in Louisiana, 
as a general practice, small trees are cut at 2 feet, and all others, up 
to the largest sizes, at 3 feet. The amount of merchantable lumber 
contained in the upper 2-foot section of a stump 4 feet in diameter 
cut 5 feet in height, allowing 35 per cent for defect and not including 
the slab, is 90 board feet. At a stumpage rate of $8 per thousand 
