St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-05-04
VERMONT NEWS.
Vermont Mills Saving Smaller Logs and
More Hard Woods.

Vermont Mills Saving Smaller Logs and
More Hard Woods.
There are some who say that Forestry
in Vermont is unnecessary, that our
forests are growing faster than they are
cut. If this were true it would be no
argument against increasing the forest
productivity of the State any more than
it would be an argument against better
dairying to say that our cows are pro-
ducing milk as fast as we are using it.
Unfortunately it is nottrue, for although
the annual cut of lumber in the State has
remained about the same for the past
twenty five years, it is being so main
tanned by thecutting of small trees and
by the substitution of hardwoods.
LAUNDERING the hardwoods has only been
made possible in most districts during
the past few years because of the grow
ing scarcity of softwoods throughout the
country and consequent rise in prices of
hardwoods. Many of the sawmills of
the State are now equipped with
machinery for making bobbins, clothes
pins or some other small articles, thus
enabling them to utilize the portions OF
hardwood logs which a few years ago
were wasted.
The State Forest Service, in order to
form some accurate idea of the size of the
logs now being manufactured, made a
study of two mills: one belonging to
Mr.. Knight of Underhill aud the other to
Mr.. Wheeler in Waterbury. OF the
million and a half feet of logs in the
yard of the Underhi1l mill 9OO,O feet
are hardwoods and 6OO,OOO feet soft
woods. OF the latter only about 100, 900
feet are spruce. here at the foot of
Mount Mansfield, at a mill whose
annual cut of spruce was a million feet
~ 41,aco 1@rre
purchased, many of them being hauled
ten or twelve miles; and some of them at
least were from sugar orchards.
A great many logs on the sideways of
these two mills were measured just as
they came and represent probably the
average run of logs in this portion of the
State if not of the whole State. Of the
spruce logs at one mill 20 per cent were
less than 10 inches in diameter; % per
cent. Ills inches; 2 per cent 1920
inches At the other mill, So per cent
were less than 10 inches; 33 per
cent, Ills inches; IA per cent
1920 inches. Out of 800 spruce logs
measured it would only be possible to
saw two boards 20 inches wide. 1t is
also interesting to note that in the latter
mill, where So per cent of the spruce logs
were less than 10 inches, these logs only
scaled IS per cent of the lumber: while
the logs Ills inches scaled 40 per cent,
and those 1920 inches 35 per cent.
While the hemlock logs run somewhat
larger than spruce about the same the pro-
portions obtain, namely, 55 per cent less
than 10 inches; SO per cent, Ills
inches; 8 per cent, 1920 inches; 4 per
cent, over 20 inches. Of course the
hardwoods are not sawed so small and
the biggest proportion of the logs are
therefore between IL and Is inches.
In so far, as the small softwood logs
represent tops which would have been
wasted ten years ago, mill practice has
improved; but most of these small logs
represent also small trees; and herein lies
the explanation of the fact that the
lumber cut of Vermont has not yet ma
terially dropped off; but the equally evil
dent proof that it will drop off very ma
terially during the next few years.
If any lumbermen of the State have
records of the sizes of their logs in past
years a comparison of these sizes with
those of the present would be very in
teresting and the State Forester would
be glad to learn of such data.
NE O. P. Officers.
The following officers were elected at
the meeting of the grand lodge of YER
mont, New England Order OF Protection,
in Burlington last week.
Grand warden H. k. Hill, Burlington;
grand vice warden, F. B. Hooker of ST.
Johnsbury; grand secretary, H. A. Bart
lett of ST. Johnsbury; grand treasurer,
H. II. Davis of Burlington; grand chap
lain, Mrs. T. J. McCutcheon of Mortified;
grand guide, Mrs. May A. Heath of St.
Johnsbury; grand guardian. Mrs. Helen
Herrick of Springfield; grand sentinel w.
l. Greene of Bennington; grand trustees.
Mrs. Katherine Taylor of Rutland, w. 1.
Lawrence of Montpelier, Mrs. Mary
| Ring of Montpelier; committee on
finance, Henry D. Fillmore of Benning-
ton, A. J.. Goss of West Danville, H. E.
Byron of ST. Johnsbury; committee on
laws, c. T. S. Pierce of Vergennes, L. G.
Burnham of Burlington, H. K. Bush OF
| Barre; committee on appeals, Mrs. P. J.
| Foster of Rutland, A. c. Shufelt of st.
| Adams, c. M. Sawyer of Hardwick;
| committee on credentials, P. ]. Foster OF
| Rutland P. B. Ellis of Morrisville, Mrs.
| James Clark of Rutland; representatives
to the supreme lodge, E. A. Bugbee OF
Barre, L. 6. Burnham of Burlington, c.
T. S. Pierce of Vergennes, Mrs. w. F.
Mixer of Brattleboro, Mrs. Anna Cops
of Rutland.
Will Test Constitutiona1ity of Sawdust
Law.
States Attorney Maurice of Lamoille
county was in Wolcott recently where be
|, prosecuted c. e. Haskell on a charge O.
putting sawdust in the Lamoille river
from his mill in Wolcott village, which is
violation of a law enacted at a recent
legislature. R. w. Hulburd appeared fol
Haskell and demurred to each count
The demurrer was over-ruled and the de
tendant was found guilty under the first
count and was fined $40 and costs. The
case was appealed to County Court
This case will be test of the constitu
tionality of the law. 1t is said thai
there may be more prosecutions on thu
same charge before the June term o
| Court