Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-11-28
Sanking' qualities This gum beats the

yanking" qualities This gum beats III,
world
! me Maine hoop pole man make.
even better wages than his brother III.
gum picker The hoop pole man fol
~" alohs the wake Of the loggers
ne BARRIERS the face of the hillsides %,
SUN That no one else wants. He is
after the second growth" as tho
S"LnG birch ana ash are called Thes.
spring W around the rotting stumps Of
the great trees.
The hoop pole man takes a horse
with him in his tours. He cuts III.
poles. ana the horse hauls them Ia
camp by daylight. Evenings the pole
man fashions the hoops with n draw
shave. sitting beside a roaring fire and
qua cking at his black pipe. Sometimes
The poles are sold round bur the
harvester who trims his own stuff and
| shaNes the hoops receives two or
three cents zach for the finished
product-and that pays. The hoop pole
business is pretty steady work, but the
evenings are pleasant. after all, with
the slish of the shaves. the crackle of
the fire and the rumble Of story tell
ing. Even the rabbit, up ending out
side. looks in through the windows at
the light and warmth. waggles his
ears, ana wishes he might join the
group.
AS soon as the hoop poles are sold
each is marked across with red chalk
a little way from the end For some
time in certain sections Of Maine per-
sons did a snug business by stealing
poles. But nowadays no dealer will
buy any that have been thus marked.
Yet sometimes the canny thief cuts off
he ends that bear the chalk mark
\ while ago one man sold his hoop
poles 10 q dealer who marke~ them
ana laid them III his shed Then the
seller came around by night stol. the
poles. cut them off and sold them to
another dealer as hoops for half bar
r"lS. 1t may be seen. therefore, that
the city man doesn't know All thu.
tricks. If this enterprising noon pole
man could have got the hoops once
more he could have trimmed them
down and disposed Of them a. hoops
for nail kegs.
Then there is the axe handle man.
II" needs ash of Il larger growth than
The hoop pole saplngs. The trees are
chopped in the tail. and then by means
81 4 'froe' and axe each handl. is
roughly blocked out. Then they are
buried 20 that they may season with
ont cracking. Ms an additional pre-
caution against parting Of the iibtrs
lii" broad end Of each handle is daubcd
win sort Of paint thu principal in
grcdicnt " which is grease. Ash goes
~ pieces easily If the sun gets at it,
ana THE axe handle man must he care
tai Of his wares. The rough handles
a-t sent away TO tn factory - soon as
the SNOW comes.
ca IN tough JOBS TIM sh.p-kne- man
has h. worst in the woods Tn knees
urIng gord prices, but IN" man who
gets than out earns every cent. H.
so"s prospecting with an axe, hunting
for hack" Juniper Or tamaravk.
When one IL found n" looks ID se, If ii
has the proper crook in it's root. If
thv right angl, IS there and the root |
proves sound 1T. sets 10 work digging il
out-4nd il y a muscle racking JOB.
Til. man Who ~ after hcmlock bark |
for th. tanncrIes is another Chdp who |
strays far i'll the woods. for II" bark |
is away back" nowadays.
Tia Indian Who hunts after basket |
stuff nr birch bark FOR i canoe hull is
the most patient searcher. The big
birches are few and far between in the +.
Maine woods. and sometimes an In
dian from the Penobscot or Passama- |
uuoCN tribe will tramp hundred miles |
.r, he finds tree that Will yield a |
piece. of bark without knOthole or crack |
and which will be large enough for a |
Canor.
4 number Of men are now making |
good money in the Maine woods by |
searching the brooks for fresh water |
CLAIMS. They are getting some good |
specimens of pearls from these |
uivalves. Some hunters in the Moose
head region have recently found |
pearl valued at 500.
The most unsociai folks in thr |
Main, forests are the Jrappers. they |
don't want any one within twenty |
miles Of them GunnerS Will steal from |
the traps. they believe, and lumber
mon scare away their game. Even |
bobcats rob them, as bloody smears
near a rified trap indicate. Some OF
the older trappers have twenty mile
circuit Of traps, and resent it If any
n.ichhors come that way. Some ~ the
! ie-.rast rough and tumbles" that the
Maine beavers have ever witnessed
hay, been fought out by bow legged
oId trainers who have CHANGED 10 cross
trails and have believed that they We're
bainr crowded on a hundred square