NEWS AND NOTES 



383 



inches in diameter absolutely free from vis- 

 ible defect. Would it not pay to make an 

 effort to utilize such stock? 



Such blocks or logs are well adapted to the 

 manufacture of dimension stock. They could 

 be split on the main saw and transferred 

 to a resaw, then run through the edgers or, 

 if deemed advisable, transferred to the de- 

 partment where dimension stock is cut. This 

 should make it possible to utilize the product 

 closely and to produce high-grade dimension 

 without interfering with the usual cut of the 

 mill. It would require only a few seconds 

 for the handsaw to split a block or log and 

 the halves could be handled with great dis- 

 patch in the resaw. Of course, if an upright 

 resaw be used, it would be advisable to slab 

 both sides of the log. 



The only question involved is whether or 

 not it would be profitable to develop this 

 phase of the hardwood trade of the South. 

 The field is practically illimitable. In addi- 

 tion to oak dimension, shooks could be cut 

 from cotton-wood and red gum blocks, han- 

 dles and small dimension stock from ash and 

 hickory, table and chair dimension stock 

 from oak, washing machines and similar ma- 

 terial from cypress, and like classes of mate- 

 rial from other kinds of wood. 



So far as the American Lumberman is 

 aware, the idea never has been applied, but 

 it would seem possible to do so with ex- 

 cellent results, increase the productivity of 

 the timber owned, prolong the life of the 

 mill, and swell the income greatly. — Amer- 

 ican Lumberman. 



NEWS AND NOTES 



CANADIAN CONDITIONS 



Consul Van Sant Gives Some Facts in Regard 

 to Lumbering and Forcstery 



Referring to recent discussions of Canadian 

 forestry and to the attention that is being 

 directed to the subject by our neighbors 

 across the border, Howard D. Van Sant, 

 United States consul at Kingston, Ontario, is 

 quoted as making the following interesting 

 statement in regard to Canadian forest re- 

 sources : • 



"The area of the merchantable forests of 

 Canada has been very much overestimated. 

 Estimates of the forest area vary from 

 200,000,000 to 600,000,000 acres, the timber 

 belt stretching from Ungava across northern 

 Quebec and Ontario, and thence north of the 

 prairies to the Peace River country, but the 

 larger portion of this is not merchantable ex- 

 cept for firewood, and cannot be transported 

 long distances. The area of merchantable 

 timber is estimated by some authorities at 

 100,000,000 acres. The secretary of the For- 

 estry association stated that the amount of 

 Canada's merchantable timber was one-third 

 that of the United States, a liberal estimate 

 placing the available supply at 532,000,000,000 

 feet board-measure. A recent Ontario esti- 

 mate was to the effect that the timber, used at 

 the present rate, will last the province thirty 

 years. 



"In Ontario the last annual return of rev- 

 enue was $2,082,878. The only reason given 

 that Ontario has not had to resort to direct 

 taxation is because the revenue of her crown 

 lands has been sufficient to meet this need. 

 The annual revenue of Ontario from these 

 crown lands amounts to about $1 per capita. 



The total revenue from forest lands held by 

 the Dominion is, in round numbers, $4,500,000, 

 which all goes to reduce taxes. 



"Besides these revenues, the total exports 

 of lumber, timber, pulp wood, and firewood 

 in the last fiscal year, for which returns are 

 available, was $44,507,528. The home con- 

 sumption is estimated at $50,000,000 per year 

 and constantly increasing. 



"The value of pulp wood exported in 1890 

 was $168,180, while in 1908 it had increased 

 to $4,037,852, the United States taking $3,- 

 545-530 and Great Britain $385,199 worth. 



"In manufactured wood products the trade 

 with the United States from 1886 to 1908 has 

 increased from $7,842,526 to $27,470,574, and 

 with Great Britain during the same period 

 the trade has increased from $9,354,244 to 

 $11,843,094^ while the total export from Can- 

 ada during this time has increased from 

 $18,742,625 to $44,170,470. In 1908 the total 

 exports of wood products increased to $49,- 

 168,535. 



"There is importation of forest products 

 into Canada, principally from the United 

 States, and the value of these imports has 

 increased from $2,412,572 in 1874 to $12,- 

 032,595 in 1908. For the ten years — 1897 to 

 1906, inclusive — the total imports amounted 

 to $59,934770, of which $57,520,731 was im- 

 ported from the United States. In 1905 the 

 import of pine alone from Minnesota and 

 Wisconsin was 125,000,000 feet, board- 

 measure, largely to the western prairie nrov- 

 inces. In the other provinces the imports 

 are mostly of hardwood, such as oak, ash, 

 walnut, hickory, and cherry. 



"It is claimed that over 8,000,000 acres of 

 waste land in Ontario could be managed for 

 forest crops. There are also over 200,000 



