COST OF LABOR AND MATERIAL.
The following table, taken from the report of a government inspector, will give an idea of the cost of the different materials and labor used in clearing logged-off land:
Cost of removing stumps from 1 foot to 4 feet in diameter from 120 acres of land in 1907:
| MONTH. | Powder, lbs. | Fuse, ft. | Caps, No. | Stumps, No. | Labor. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours. | Dollars. | |||||
| June | 13,700 | 10,100 | 2,400 | 2,135 | 2,380 | $650.00 |
| July | 1,750 | 2,050 | 400 | 239 | 260 | 87.00 |
| August | 2,750 | 2,700 | 700 | 445 | 324 | 114.90 |
| September | 1,950 | 2,160 | 500 | 383 | 324 | 126.37 |
| October | 1,250 | 1,000 | 300 | 237 | 198 | 77.53 |
| November | 2,350 | 3,100 | 800 | 378 | 283 | 114.97 |
| Total | 23,750 | 21,100 | 5,100 | 3,818 | 3,709 | $1,170.77 |
| Av. pr. Stump | 6.22 | 5.52 | 1.33 | 0.987 | 0.3006 | |
| Av. Cost, cents | 19.76 | 2.37 | .87 | |||
The average cost of the removal of each stump is shown below:
| Cents. | |
|---|---|
| Powder | 49.76 |
| Fuse | 2.37 |
| Caps | .87 |
| Labor | 30.66 |
| Total | 83.06 |
The average cost of the materials used was as follows: Powder, per pound, 8 cents; fuse, per 100 feet, 43 cents; caps, per 100, 65 cents.
Plate No. 31.—View of Second Avenue, Seattle, During Parade of Marines from Atlantic Fleet, May 26, 1908.
Plate No. 32.—A Corner of the Seattle Public Market. Truck Gardeners Find Ready Sale for Their Wares Here the Year Round.
There are probably two and one-third million acres of logged-off lands in the state, of which only half a million are under tillage or pasturage. The same report shows the distribution of these lands as follows:
| COUNTY. | Acreage merchantable timber. | Acreage logged off. | Acreage in cultivation. | Total acreage. | Per cent. suitable for agriculture. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chehalis | 583,200 | 112,748 | 11,216 | 807,432 | 90 |
| Clallam | 296,611 | 195,933 | 11,784 | 504,329 | 75 |
| Clarke | 190,000 | 108,661 | 51,570 | 350,231 | |
| Cowlitz | 500,000 | 25,000 | 20,000 | 704,000 | 75 |
| Island | 8,013 | 99,866 | 9,317 | 117,196 | 75 |
| Jefferson | 186,647 | 59,427 | 4,657 | 254,385 | 50 |
| King | 640,000 | 110,000 | 74,857 | 1,243,000 | |
| Kitsap | 45,429 | 171,364 | 7,978 | 224,771 | |
| Lewis | 543,995 | 160,425 | 47,059 | 884,050 | 65 |
| Mason | 240,211 | 150,430 | 7,540 | 398,181 | |
| Pacific | 367,827 | 62,720 | 23,042 | 453,139 | |
| Pierce | 413,044 | 150,000 | 27,915 | 658,052 | 75 |
| San Juan | 10,000 | 80,000 | 4,000 | 95,684 | |
| Skagit | 306,759 | 149,923 | 45,605 | 502,287 | 25 |
| Snohomish | 258,005 | 270,422 | 20,908 | 558,336 | |
| Thurston | 291,200 | 120,000 | 13,680 | 428,005 | |
| Wahkiakum | 74,564 | 67,337 | 3,642 | 145,544 | 50 |
| Whatcom | 78,405 | 258,302 | 35,059 | 371,766 | |
| Total | 5,033,911 | 2,352,109 | 428,829 | 8,700,388 |
There are a great many acres of these lands that can be slicked up and burned over and prepared for seeding, not disturbing the stumps, at an expense of about $10 per acre. Thus treated, good pasturage can be secured cheaply. In time some of the stumps will rot out and be easily removed. When the stumps are not too thick, the lands can be successfully prepared and planted to orchards without removing the stumps, and their unsightly appearance can be turned into a thing of beauty and great profit by planting evergreen blackberries and loganberries about them, using the stumps for trellises. These berries in the climate of western Washington are wonderfully prolific and find a greedy market.