The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1913-07-04

WOTlO 10 more absolutely de-
| pendent on the services OF an
animal than Is the teak indus
try on those of the elephant.
In Java, 1t Is true, the timber, being
smaller and the conditions different.
hand labor and implements are en-
ployed. and in parts even of Burma
and Siam the country Is uff1ciently
nat to permit the carting by buffaloes
being used as a method of extraction
But these parts are comparatively few
and far between, and the obstacles In
the way OF introducing heavy plants
into . country deficient in good roads,
bridges or facilities for transport must
be at once apparent, writes CORE
] spondent OF the London Times Even
without these obstacles 1t is doubtful
whether teak, being 80 scattered as
1t Is, could ever be profitably worked
| up and down steep hillsides by ma
| chinery. while 1t is as certain as any
| thing can be that no machinery could
ever devised to perform the part
played by elephants in the water.
Apart from the enormous bodily
~ "hiSu CudDIcb II W uTuk, al
elephant can. with its forehead, trunk
or tusks. push and roll enormous logs
about as II they were playthings, nor
does 1t mind working in water five
feet. and even more, in depth.
Asiatic Differs From African.
The Asiatic elephant. which belongs
to an entirely different species from
the African and resembles the latter
hardly more closely than the buffalo
does the OK. Is. like the teak tree, con-
fined mainly to India, Farther India
and the Malay peninsula Wild herds
are still found in Burma and Siam,
where they are carefully protected, a
special license being required to shoot
them in the former country and the
law forbidding their destruction ex-
cept In cases of necessity, or for self
defenes in the latter Every few
years the Siamese government holds
"keddah" operations or catches at
Ayuthia, and by their agency the do
mesticated are recruited from the free
herds.
That apart from its work, the condi-
tons under which the elephant is to
live in captivity should as closely as
possible resemble those OF its wild
state will naturally be the owners
first care. 1t is = purely herbivorous
animal, and thrives we'll on the ordi-
nary jungle plants and creepers, the
juicy "kaing" grass. young bamboo
shoots and wild plantain being among
its favorite foods. In Siam, 1t Is
hardly ever stall fed as it is in India;
In the neighborhood of a town or vii
lage. when 1t has to be tied up, food
must. of course. be brought to it. But.
as general rule, the animal is sim
ply turned out int othe jungle to find
its food for itself, the forefeet being
hobbled to prevent its straying too far.
Among its primary requisites are
shade and abundance OF water Given
these and good grazing. an elephant
has fair chance of keeping It's con-
dition throughout the seven months
which constitute its working season.
The latter begins. as already stated,
in June. From that time onward. the
animals daily and weekly routine is |
something as follows: Directly it is
daylight the rider leaves his camp. |
goes out to track his charge, which, |
despite his hobbled condition, will |
often succeed in straying a distance |
of several miles; bathes him all over |
in the creek-this is one OF the most |
important of the mahout's duties-and |
brings him to the scene of the days |
work. Operations begin at seven a.
m, or little before. and go on till !
IL, by which time the power Of the
sun generally renders it imprudent to
continue further. For 1t must be re-
membered that the elephant is natur-
ally a nocturnal animal and extremely
liable to sunstroke. On the comple-
ton of their days work the animals
are brought to camp. Invested Of their
gear. hobbled and turned out into the
Jungle. Toward evening the riders
pay them another visit to make sure
that their charges have not slipped
their hobbies. as they occasionally
to do, or been walked off by
/ gang OF thieves, who till lately in.
tested some parts of Siam. and even
now are not unknown. The elephants
ire inspected by the foreman in
.harge OF the camp. bathed and left