HARDWOOD RECORD 



29 



tion has on its force, and previous to his 

 work at Boston was an inspector in the Mis- 

 souri hardwood district for fifteen years. The 

 appointment was made on request of a largt 

 portion of the Cairo trade and will materially 

 strengthen the inspection forces of the asso- 

 ciation. 



An Unjust Decision. 



The recent decision of the Interstate Com- 

 merce Commission in the car stake and 

 equipment matter, which has been pending 

 since January, 1905, is, of course, very unsat- 

 isfactory to lumbermen, in that the ruling is 

 directly against their contentions and plea. 

 It has been the sincere and honest beUef of 

 shippers of lumber that they should be re- 

 lieved of the railroad rules and regulations 

 now governing this equipment, and their rea- 

 sons, as set forth in the complaint, were cer- 

 tainly logical and just. They have worked, 

 both individually and in associations to this 

 end, and the decision of the commission is 

 naturally a matter of disappointment to them. 



Production of Lumber, Lath and Shingles 

 in 1907. 

 The Bureau of the Census, with the assistance 

 of the Forest Service of the Department of Ag- 

 riculture, has for some years collected statistics 

 concerning the annual production of various 

 forest products, and the preliminary totals for 

 the cut of lumber, lath and shingles for the year 

 ending December 31, 1907, have just been made 

 public. 



Unusual importance is attached to the reports 

 for the past year, which show that the aggre- 

 gate cut of lumber in the United States in- 

 creased from 37,551 million feet, board measure. 

 In 1906, to 40,256 million feet in 1907 — a gain 

 of 2,705 million feet, or 7.2 per cent. For lath 

 and shingles the total production was 3,664 mil- 

 lion and 11,950 million, respectively, in 1907, 

 as against 3,813 million and 11,858 million, re- 

 spectively, in 1906 — a decrease of 149 million, 

 or 3.9 per cent, in lath, and an increase of 92 

 million, or eight-tenth of 1 per cent, in shingles. 

 The number of mills reporting in 1907 was 

 28,850, while in 1906 the cut of 22,398 mills 

 was covered . 



The substantial increase in the total produc- 

 tion of lumber in 1907 as compared with 1906, 

 in spite of the financial stringency which meas- 

 urably affected most lines of manufacture dur- 

 ing a part of the latter year, is remarkable, and 

 especially so in view of certain well-known local 

 causes which also operated during the whole or 

 a part of the year to reduce the output of the 

 regions affected. Aside from the car shortage, 

 which necessitated a restriction of the cut in 

 many localities during the earlier months of the 

 year, the fact that the industry of lumber manu- 

 facture was practically suspended on the Pacific 

 coast early in the fall, on account of the pros- 

 pective r.iise in freight rates by the railroads 

 which handle the product of the mills in this 

 region, materially affected the amount of out- 

 put. Furthermore a steady decline from year 

 to year is to be expected in the lake states, be- 

 cause of the rapid exhaustion of their timber 

 supply. In the southern states, however — the 

 principal producers of lumber during recent 

 years — local conditions were substantially nor- 

 mal, but the effect of the business depression 

 obtaining throughout the country during the lat- 

 ter part of 1907, while somewhat obscured, may 

 nevertheless be discerned in the showing for 

 that region. 



The unprecedented volume of building opera- 

 tions under way during 1906 and the earlier 

 part of 1907 had created a demand for yellow 

 pine which reduced stocks and kept the mills 

 running at practically maximum capacity dur- 

 ing the major part of the latter year — for some 

 months even after the decline In building activ- 

 ity had become general and pronounced. Fur- 



thermore these conditions brought into opera- 

 tion many new mills, a fact which also contrib- 

 uted to a material increase in the normal cut 

 of the region through the earlier months of 1907. 

 ■The exceptionally heavy production during this 

 part of the year is more clearly indicated by the 

 figures when it is borne in mind that many of 

 the large mills in the yellow pine district were 

 idle, or practically so, for several weeks during 

 the latter part of the year. The greater thor- 

 oughness which characterized the 1907 canvass 

 undoubtedly contributed in some degree also to 

 the increased totals for these states as well as 

 for other lumber regions of the country. 



Peculiar Forest Growth. 



Those who have tramped the woods know- 

 that the forests often exhibit some abnormal 

 and peculiar specimens of tree growth. The 

 accompanying picture shows a white oak and 

 a red gum tree growing from the same trunk, 

 separating and reuniting themselves four 

 times above the ground. This odd and re- 



REMARKABLE TREE GROWTH. 



markable growth is on the property of the 

 Boynton Land & Lumber Company near Boyn- 

 ton. Mississippi county. Ark., and the Record 

 is indebted to C. D. Boynton, president of 

 this company, for the pTiotograph from which 

 the engraving is made. 



Durability of Cypress Proven. 



During the present excavations for the new 

 sewer system throughout the older portion of 

 New Orleans quite a number of unknown or 

 forgotten burial grounds have been traversed 

 and many coffins, constructed of cypress, still 

 in a perfectly sound condition, have been un- 

 earthed. Some of these, from the coins and 

 buttons found, undoubtedly contained the re- 

 mains of Spanish soldiers, but until July 8 no 

 coffin had been found bearing a date or other 

 means of identification. Nearly all the coffins 

 contained metal name plates, but those found 

 were so badly corroded that nothing could be 

 deciphered. On July 8. during excavations at 

 St. Louis and Basin streets, a coffin was brought 



to light which contained the instruction "Hen- 

 dric Miller, 1803," carved in the wood. This 

 coffin, except for the discoloration of the wood, 

 WIS as sound as the day it was made. The iron 

 cross which surmounted the grave was so badly 

 rusted that only a few letters and the date were 

 decipherable. 



The interest in this centers in the oft repeated 

 story of the durability of cypress and the fact 

 that the hand forged nails with which the coffin 

 was constructed were not rusted where they were 

 driven into the wood. These nails should set at 

 rest the theory that has sometimes been advanced 

 that cypress contains an acid which will rust 

 nails, making the wood unfit for shingles or 

 other outdoor uses. 



Wright-Saulsberry Lumber Company's Mill 

 Burned. 



A most disastrous fire occurred about midnight 

 on July 17 at the large band sawmill plant of 

 the Wright-Saulsberry Lumber Company, located 

 on the banks of the Ohio river about two miles 

 east of Ashland, Ky. The fire, which originated 

 in the engine room, was discovered by the watch- 

 man, who sounded the alarm. The entire plant 

 was soon in flames, and there was no chance 

 whatever to save the mill. All attention was 

 turned to the immense lumber yards and the 

 fire was checked so that only the mill plant 

 and the blacksmith shop next to it were de- 

 stroyed. 



The mill was operated by the Wright-Sauls- 

 berry Lumber Company, the principal owners 

 being Giles Wright and E. H. Saulsberry of 

 Ashland. Just at this time it is not definitely 

 known where the mill will be rebuilt, but it will 

 be rebuilt soon, but probably in another location. 

 The loss is estimated at $25,000, fairly covered 

 by insurance. The company has arranged with 

 a neighboring mill to take care of its rush 

 orders and do what sawing it is obliged to do 



Important Timber Deal. 



Dispatches from Raleigh, N. C, state that 

 Judge E. Day of Lexington, Ky., has sold to 

 the Lutcher & Moore Lumber Company of 

 Orange, Tex., for Asheville, N. C, parties a 

 tract of virgin timber, largely oak and poplar, 

 located in western North Carolina, on the 

 Pigeon river, in Graham county. The tract, 

 according to the dispatch, contains 55,000 

 acres, which were sold at $15.00 per acre, an 

 aggregate of $825,000. Big lumber mills, it is 

 announced, will be erected immediately to de- 

 velop this property. Complete details as to 

 the names of the parties interested in the 

 deal and the magnitude of their immediate 

 operations are not, as yet, obtainable. This 

 is by far the largest deal of its kind which 

 has occurred during recent years. 



Chinese Furniture Markets. 



Furniture used in the climate of most parts 

 of China must be especially well seasoned before 

 it is manufactured. In June. July and August 

 the dampness is excessive throughout the em- 

 pire, especially in southern parts — Hongkong, 

 Amoy, Canton, etc. In Shanghai and further 

 north it does not last so long a time. During 

 this period furniture which is put together with 

 glue falls apart, flat work warps and splits, and 

 drawers and rolling tops become troublesomi?. 

 During the winter the air is remarkably dry. so 

 that furniture which has cracked and warped 

 goes to the other extreme. 



The greater part of the furniture used in 

 China is made roughly in local shops. Teak is 

 the popular wood, but American oak and pine 

 are being imported. Camphor wood is used for 

 chests, trunks, etc., and does not split or warp 

 as do some others. English manufactured fur- 

 niture can be had in Hongkong and Shanghai, 

 but foreign residents use the locally made prod- 

 uct as a rule. Germans own two steam sawmills 

 in Tsinstau, and ask lii?h prices, so that there 



