The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1910-05-20

breaking up time comes, when thaWs
arrive. The melting ice turns its
streams into the ruts during the day |
and the tank wagons are kept going !
all night to furnish ice in place OF
that which the sun has melted. When
the weather gets too warm the road
soon disappears and that puts an end
to the hauling and likewise to the
cutting. When this happens earlier
than usual the first indications of a
breakup cause a general hustle and a
pretty race ensues to get out the tim
Der before the roads become useless.
Notwithstanding the good pay 1t is
difficult to keep the men at work all
winter From the cedar savage down
to the road monkey, the man whose
duty it is to keep the ruts free from
all rubbish, there are among the log.
gers many nomads who drink heavily,
chew snuff and smoke strong pipes
and unconCernedly throw up one job,
knowing they can get another just as
good at the next camp. These roam
ers are known as camp inspectors
from their making the rounds during
the winter.
AS the renewals are estimated to
require nearly 100000 poles year,
not counting the new poles put up,
the end Of the cedar supply Is In
sight. The forestry department figures
that it will not last longer than fifteen
years and the most optimistic supply
men don't think there, is more than
twenty years supply ahead.
Considerable damage is being done
to telephone, telegraph and electric
light. poles by members Of the wood
pecker family. These birds originally
built their homes In the dead or dying
trunks or limbs Of trees, but for some
reason best known to themselves have
come to the conclusion that the
peeled pole offers better conditions for
home.
They have become so ravenous Of
late that their depredations are at.
( tracing considerable attention among
those who are compelled to use guam
titles of wooden poles. Their actiVi'
ties spread over wide portion Of the
United States, notably in the south,
southwest and central west. Cedar
poles seem to be the ones most fire..
uuently attacked. The birds bore into
them at any height from the ground,
and the holes which they make are
often two or three inches In diameter
and four or five inches deep. Such an
amount of wood drilled from stick
of timber which is carrying load Of
wires naturally weakens the strength
Of the line.
1t would, Of course, not be diff
cult matter to eXterminate these
birds. However, this is not desirable
as they are among the most beneficial
forms of bird life native to this coun
try, because they destroy large mum
bers of insects which seriously dam
age forest and food crops. 1t seems
therefore, that methods should be TN
dertaken to compel the birds to re
vert to their former habit Of boring
rather than to exterminate them.
Frequent inquiries have been mad
by the forest service in this conneC
ton but the only information to dat
which the government has been abb
to obtain is that on a casual inspec
ton of treated and untreated pol
lines in Louisiana. In that region
was found that poles which had beel
impregnated with creOsote oil Wer
not attacked by the birds, wherea
l untreated poles under the same cor
4 ditions were very severely injured.
: Whether or not creosote will pre-
vent such attack is not defnitel
l known, but the service is investigs
ting this problem, and should this o.
prove preventive it will fulfil
!, two-fold purpose: 1t will protect tn
poIes from decay and destruction fro1
animal life. In southern Indiana som
r members of a traction compan
; thought that they could prevent fu
Their destruction of their poles by fiji
e ing the holes In the wood with stone
The birds, however, simply drille
e around the stones and made the col
r ditions much worse This apparent
o does not seem to be means of pr
l. venting their depredations,