FOKEST SERVICE. 337 



process can be perfected and used commercially, it will greatly ex- 

 tend the life of pulp mills where they now exist and will aid mate- 

 rially in the establishment of the industry in new regions. 



Research has recently produced the long-sought cheap preserva- 

 tive to spray on ground- wood pulp to prevent its decay during stor- 

 age. Infection of pulp by fungi entails a triple loss — the total loss 

 of pulp that is too badly decayed to use, the cost of sorting out 

 this pulp, and the reduction in yield and quality of paper through 

 the use of partly decayed material. Such losses amount to $6,000,000 

 .annually at ground-wood mills. After two years of experimenting 

 with various antiseptics, the laboratory provided the industry with 

 several preservatives that were considered economical enough to 

 use, and very recently found, in a mixture of cymene and naphthalene, 

 a preservative much cheaper than any tried before. This mixture 

 sprayed on ground-wood pulp stored in a damp fungous pit kept it 

 fresh and clean for 10 months, while untreated pulp was rendered 

 useless. The cost of the treatment is less than 50 cents a ton. Some 

 mills are now spending as much as $2.75 a ton simply to sort out de- 

 cayed from sound pulp. 



For some time the Forest Products Laboratory has been collecting 

 data necessary to the formulation of universal grading rules for lum- 

 ber. In May, 1922, a general meeting of manufacturers and other 

 interested groups was held in Washington under the auspices of the 

 Department of Commerce to discuss lumber standardization. Vari- 

 ous groups of manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers 

 have organized themselves, with the assistance of the Departments 

 of Commerce and Agriculture, to prosecute the standardization of 

 lumber grades and specifications to its ultimate conclusion. 



In the meantime the Forest Products Laboratory had made a 

 nation-wide survey of the conditions in lumber manufacture, distri- 

 bution, and utilization, so that when representatives of the various 

 lumber associations met in Madison, Wis., in July, 1922, it was able to 

 present basic grading rules for softwood yard lumber and struc- 

 ' tural timbers. These rules were accepted practically in their en- 

 tirety by the committee and also by an assembly of all interested in 

 softwood lumber standardization held later in Chicago. A central 

 lumber standards committee was appointed by this assembly, to act 

 as a steering committee for lumber standardization activities and to 

 induce the acceptance of the standards agreed upon by manufac- 

 turers and consumers. 



The laboratory's nine basic grades for yard lumber unify the two 

 dozen sets of grading rules of various lumber manufacturers' asso- 

 ciations and the diverse specifications of wholesalers, retailers, con- 

 suming factories, railroads, departments of the Federal Govern- 

 ment, States, and cities. The basic grading rules harmonize lumber 

 manufactured in the various regions from the same or different 

 species of wood into grades of equal quality intended for the same 

 general purpose. Standard rules have also been developed cover- 

 ing the nomenclature of yard lumber, sizes for its principal forms 

 (such as boards, flooring, drop siding, and finishing), and the 

 grades for each of these forms. 



The basic rules formulated by the laboratory for grading struc- 

 tural timbers cover all species that are used for structural purposes. 



