The San Francisco call., 1910-01-09

pitched its camp. Here for 10 healthy out
door weeks those who, according to a camp
Ere song,
Want be a forester
And for clifford p.
assemble. from the SHOWS of Oregon to the sunshine
OF California, to receive their first instruction in the
profession of forestry.
The camp is situated on a high plateau which is
part of the estate of Clifford Pinchot, chief for
ester Of the United States whose home Gray Towers,
lies half mile away the gorge of the Sawkill.
The camp proper has four simple story build
ings and stone cottage Gray Towers, in which
those who taking the short course have their
lectures
These Buildings the hall, rooted, but open
to the winds of heaven the Sides with its accom-
panying Kitchen junior hail. where the surveying in
struments kept and the lectures and rectations
Ia surveying held small building which contains the
Office of the director of the camp, with small work
ing technical library and supplies Of calpers tapes,
hypsometers and other instruments pertaining the
profession of forestry and last but dearest to the
heart Of the students, clubhouse a building with
large and immense fireplace, the walls
hung with pictures of past classes and the colors of
many colleges.
The stuoeltE live in army tents, two each
covering pitched along the Two streets. Fifth avenue
and Broadway (which extend from the Flatiron build
ing. rather dudshly white tent into the woods back
of the clubhouse. The residences along these two
famous thOroughfares furnished with cots and
blankets, washstand with washbowl two chairs and
a table. Luxury creeps in in the form of bookcases
improvised from fragments of packing boxes, and
straight limb swung from the ridge pole of the tent
which man may hang his other flannel shirt and
khaki trousers. These two streets the healthest
in the world, and trade has and never will
croach on them.
On July 6, 1909. when the school opened, there
we're forest fires burning the hills in several direc
tons. and a cali for volunteers to fight them
issued. The wise put on heavy hobnailed boots
and left their coats behind; the uninitiated suffered
for their ignorance There can be pitiful
sight than a wearing his coat and smooth soed
shoes trying to two pals Of water up the side
Of hill made glacial with pine needles.
Under the orders of the instructors and senior
students the fires beaten out with hemlock
boughs dipped in pals of water, then tiny effective
FIRE trenches were dug and scientific back firing foiled
the hungry fame with its weapons
Many Sore Muscle
When night came the fires were either out or under
control but there were sore muscles and blstered
hands galore. The way beans and roast beef disap-
peared in the mess hail. however banished all fears
Of internal injuries.
The next day the camp formed into two di-
visions one of which went to Junior hall. where it
eiven g short lecture the fundamentals of survey
ing and then turned loose outdoors with tsne plumb
bob and instruments put into practice what it had
lust heard The other division assembled in the club
house where it listened for an hour and half to
lecture on mensuration. They were told how by
measuring an arbitrary distance from the foot of
tree, setting up stick with notch in It at given
distance from the ground and lying down and squint
ing across this notch till they got it in line with the
top of the tree they could find the length by the
method of similar triangles
They discovered that calipers were simply piece
OF wood, with one fixed and sliding limb, which
placed on the trunk of tree showed its diameter In
incnes on the piece Of along which the limb Slid
and that hypsometer an instrument which gave
the heieht OF trees In more refined manner than the
SUCK and notch method. After some information had
oeen furnished to the standard lengths into which
logs are cut they divided into crews of three and
fohr and sent into the woods with small map to
hno now many logs might be cut from certain area
There only three subjects in the regular curric-
nium Of the summer school, all very practical The
surveying is all field work. the Office work bene done
later in New Haven; mensuration, which covers the
esunating, cruising and valuation OF timber from
every point of view. the study of log rules and VOL
une tables and ends with analysis bv nasns ~
which the age, contents and of growth of ind
Floual trees is determined The timber is all felIed
trimmed and cut by the students themselves Dem
ofoiogy the third subject teaches the scientific name