The Somerset reporter., 1906-01-25
Dead River Cut of Log.

The cut of logs on Dead river and It's
tributaries this winter will amount TO
about q 000. 90 fee Of which only
4 go, 900 feet vii be pine mr Viles
Estimates the entire cut Of l5gs on the
Kennebec sYstem this winter To be be-
tween 1zO, 000 90 aud 80 5000 feet
! his ILc.udrs a. lumber cut Oh Drad
liver, the Kasi branch and it's rribu
tarles. M0Osehead lake aud ifs ANA ef
tiIbnfatles ard So9te IVA Which IL the
prime pal tributary to the by lake.
rome II the operators who are dong
work n tie gTeatett sCate are Row call
lLg of the choppers DR. they have al
ready cut all the firms require III se
are operators for pulp and paper mils
but the smaller Of "stumpage'
operators are sill in fall SWING
with their choppers and will con
unue thus for another month unless un
usual weather conditions compel
change ia the program. small operators
are doing well aud II conditions remain
favorable for another mouth these will
have bad the best season 10 years
On Dead river the Cum berlaDd Mills
Company is Still experimenting with
poplar. Last year the company cut and
drove down the river 10 Augusta Il, 90
cords Of poplar The lumber is cut in
regulation log lengths but is reckoned
at The stump by cords and IN the drive
/ by the thousand feet. Poplar was the
original pulp wood of the state but as
big mills came to the river, as poplar
"as believed then 10 be of no conse.
quence by reason Of his heavy driving,
spruce took its place. In the back woods
where forest fires Of years ago laid
waste thousand of good pine and spruce
timber tracts, poplar and white birch
sprung up. fwenty-one years ago
series of great forest fires swept over the
Dead river valley and the acres thus
burned over are now standing with
! poplar and birch, the largest being from
eight to ten inches IN diameter. Poplar
less than eight inches Of no value.
/ The Cumberland Mills Company hit
upon the following plan of getting
/ poplar down the river in the log. For
several years poplar bad been driven
after the other drives had passed in
short sticks four feet long which bad
been peeled of bark and allowed 10 sea
son in the sun AID become bouyant.
/ Last year the Cum berland Wills Com
pany cut what scaled as l3 000 cords of
the stuff in long lengths, peeled the log
at the stump and late in the fall began
hauling the same TO the landings The
cuttings should be done in the months
of June and July and even in August,
in order that the trees may lay exposed
to the weather and, being cut in the
growing season, or GUNNER killed
when the cold weather comes on it will
not take moisture and freeze. The fol-
lowing spring when the drives are start
ed, the poplar log is almost as light on
the water as cork. Poplar is also at
tracing the attention of contractors and
builders who are now paying $40 per
thousand feet for spruce construction
timber 1t is claimed that poplar, which
1 is in the hard wood class, is much more
durable in house construction than
! spruce, it gives fine finishing surface
! but must necessarily be used in narrow
! finish.
Contractors have visited this section
during the past year and have become
/ interested in the new timber Poplar
sells on the stump from 81 so to 81 per
cord and 1000 feet will make about
three quarters of cord. The two
prices represent the difference in the
distance the stuff will require TO be
hauled to reach the river landings
Reckoning at regular rate of cost of
driving logs by the thousand feet, pop
lar can be landed at the mills the most
distant down the kennebec and manu-
featured into construction material at a
cost to the consumer of about $40 per
Thousand feet, difference of 50 in favor
of poplar over spruce. The Cumber
land Mills Company will put into the
water the coming spring nearly Is, 000
cords