Page:Hugh Pendexter--The young timber-cruisers.djvu/179

 “Down below in the big stuff it will go better. It’s safe to say there’s six million in the section.”

“Will you reckon in all the six-inch stuff?” asked Bub, casting a critical eye about.

“We’ll have to, but on the other side we’ll take nothing under ten or eleven inches.”

“All of which is Greek to me,” broke in Stanley. “I know you mean you’ll take everything down to a six-inch diameter here, but why here and not on the west cant?”

“That’s the most intelligent question ye’ve asked in an hour,” encouraged Abner. “We’ll take it down to six inches here because it isn’t firmly rooted and in case of fire it’s poorly protected. Take it on the other cant, that'll go down Kennebago stream, and a fire wouldn’t have so much of a chance. Then again, the timber over there is in good ground and is firmly rooted. Over here we’ll snake out everything that will go into pulp. In thirty years from now the west cant will be good cutting again; this won’t be. Shows the difference between careful and wasteful lumbering.”

“And how about the next section?” eagerly inquired Bub.

“It won’t go more’n three million if it does