1136 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



ttus statistics are also given as to the production and importation of creosote at 

 different periods since 1898, from which it would appear that al)out 7.700.000 

 gal. of creosote oil were used in this country in 190:^, for the impregnation of 

 timber. Tliis amount increased to about 8.050,000 gal. in 1904. and to 13.550.000 

 gal. in 1905. A description is given of the methods of extracting creosote from 

 timber and analyzing the extracted creosote. 



Analyses were made of 37 samples of w^ood, consisting of railroad ties, piles, 

 itnd paving blocks of English and American origin, and one sample of conduit 

 jiipe. The analytical results are tabulated and discussed. 



Woods used for packing boxes in New England, J. P. Wextling (U. S. 

 Dejit. Agr.. Forest Sen: Circ. IS. pp. //). — In this circular, statistics compiled 

 from answers to questions sent to box manufacturers thi-oughout New England 

 are given, showing the kinds, quantity, and value of wood used in 344 box 

 factories in the 6 New p]ngland States during 1905. 



The white pine is the leading Ijox material of New England, furnishing 81.8 

 •per cent of a total consumption of GOO.493,000 board ft., or more than 4 times 

 as much as all other kinds combined. Spruce, which is used largely in the 

 manufacture of butter boxes, comes next with 9.9 per cent. The other woods 

 used are hemlock, beech, birch, maple, fir. poplar, chestiuat, and basswood. The 

 consumption of 138 factories in Massachusetts was 290.220.000 ft. of lumber, or 

 nearly as much as the 5 other States combined. The total cost reported was 

 $7,871,500, of which white pine comprised .$6,463,500. or 82.1 per cent. The 

 average cost per 1.000 ft. for each species is given. 



" Wood to be suitable for high-grade box making must be strong and tough, 

 so that it can be utilized without splitting; light, to facilitate handling and 

 lessen freight charges; odorless, so that it will not taint the contents of the 

 box ; and preferably light in color." Since white pine largely meets these condi- 

 tions, is easily worked, and seasons well, it is considered the ideal wood for the 

 box maker. Box manufacturers of New England depend for their supply of 

 lumber mainly upon the farmers' woodlots. and it is believed that if the cut of 

 the available stand continues at the present rate the supply will be exhausted 

 before the present young growth reaches a marketable size. 



In order to illustrate the possibilities of forest growth in New England a 

 table is given showing the areas of farm, forest, brush, and waste land in the 

 different States. It is believed that the 10.000.000 acres of waste land, which 

 at present is yielding scarcely any return, if forested and properly managed 

 would eventually yield each year more lumber than the entire cut of white pine 

 in New England in 1905. Suggestions for increasing the supply of white pine 

 in New England have been previously noted (E. S. R., 16. p. 57; 17, p. 772). 



The control of forest fires at McCloud, California, A. W. Cooper and P. D. 

 KellEter (U. S. Dept. Agr., Forest Serv. Circ. 79. pp. 16, fig. l).—ln 1904 the 

 Forest Service, in cooperation with the State of California, made a thorough 

 study of forest conditions in their relation to fire on the tract of the McCloud 

 River Lumber Company, in Siskiyou County, California, with the primary 

 object of devising a practical scheme of fire protection, particularly for the 

 logged lands on which fires are most prevalent. The results of this study 

 showed that adequate protective measures could be carried out at a cost justi- 

 fied by the benefits obtained, and a plan of protection was prepared and sub- 

 mitted to the company. 



This circular contains a description of the tract in question, with reference 

 to its area and timber content, notes as to the causes and effect of forest fires, 

 and a description of the plan as submitted and as executed by the Forest 

 Service in cooperation with the lumber company. The plan included the con- 

 struction of fire lines, a telephone and patrol system, and the equipment of a 



