HARD WOOD RECORD 



17 



parts of the world are included. In Uese reports the American 

 consular officers describe fully local conditions. Thus the subject 

 is considered from different angles, and the reader is given an accurate 

 idea of what the exporters in foreign countries can and cannot do in 

 granting credit; what American exporters are doing and can do, and 

 what the foreign importer is accustomed to expect in the matter of 

 credit from the American exporter. 



As a supplement, the book is equipped with examples of forms 

 for use in financing foreign shipments, and Usts of banks in the 

 United States having foreign departments, and foreign banks under- 

 taking the collection of drafts. 



The report presents the general foundations and principles involved, 

 and also gives definite data that is of immediate practical value. 

 It presents no readv-made solution for the credit problem, but sets 

 forth rather the facts, and outlines the principles that should 

 govern foreign credit dealings. 



This publication as stated is issued from Washington under the 

 <lireetion of the superintendent of documents at the government 

 printing office. The Government has been successful in issuing a 

 multitude of publications of considerable importance practically at the 

 mechanical cost involved. The book in question can be secured for the 

 sum of thirty cents, which ex- 

 penditure should be well justi- 

 fied by the vast amount of in- 

 formation it contains as enum- 

 erated above. 



Poor Products Are 

 Poor Advertising 



I'N A EECEXT ISSUE of a 

 •^ Canadian contemporary is 

 given an illustration of a door 

 manufactured in this country, 

 which is accompanied by a par- 

 agraph stating that the door 

 was made of sugar pine with 

 birch veneered panels, and that 

 the veneer was warping and 

 pulling loose due to poor qual- 

 ity of glue and workmanship. 

 The article suggests that this 

 is the character of a great deal 

 of millwork sold on Canadian 

 markets by American houses 



and that Canadian manufacturers of such products should make 

 every effort to give publicity to these features with the idea of 

 .securing such trade for local manufacturers rather than letting it 

 get out of the Dominion. 



Hakdwood Eecord does not believe that in any line of business 

 knocking a competitor's products is good selling talk. It does not 

 believe that the average American manufacturer of doors of any 

 character turns out the line of goods as intimated in the article 

 referred to. Xevertheless, American manufacturers shipping any 

 line of finished product to any foreign country, either on this 

 continent or abroad, should bear in mind the human proclivity to 

 see the bad things in the world rather than the good. We are 

 constantly led to believe that the world is growing worse because 

 the newspapers give more publicity to murders, divorce and similar 

 scandals. In the same way, a foreign manufacturer of products 

 similar to those manufactured in this country might very readily 

 use a few scattered cases in which poor articles were furnished 

 the Canadian trade as evidence that American manufacturers are 

 not up to the mark in quality of production and workmanship. 

 There is undoubtedly a tendency among American manufacturers 

 in all lines, not alone the lines dealing with forest products, to 

 occasionally give too little attention to the character of the work 

 going into the manufacture of products for export when such 

 export market has actually been secured. The average American 

 is perhaps fooled by the remarkable growth of industries and 

 commerce of the United States into the belief that no other coun- 

 try is so well equipped to turn out as high class an article as is 



our own; but in this he is far from right. The American manufac- 

 turer in all lines must lend every effort if he wishes to maintain the 

 prestige enjoyed at present in all foreign markets by the American 

 goods. 



Accurate Knowledge Required in Introducing 

 New Species 



AN ADDRESS WAS KECEiXTLY DELIVEKED by a prominent 

 ^^ Londoner, treating of the efforts on the part of Australian 

 manufacturers of forest products to introduce such products into 

 English and European markets. There is a wealth of timber in 

 Australia, particularly of hardwood. A good deal of this timber is 

 of excellent quality. Australian interests have succeeded in establish- 

 ing an extensive and elaborate testing laboratory in which Woods 

 from the various species are given crucial tests through which can be 

 demonstrated their utility in different lines. Armed with reports 

 of these tests, Australians have invaded European and English markets 

 with the idea of demonstrating that the qualities of Australian timber 

 entitle such species to general use in those markets. The success of 

 these j)ioneers has not been very marked. The address referred 

 to criticizes tlie method of introduction, stating that the average 



consumer is not at all interested 



lUNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALz 



Wini\}tmtp of ifligsouri 



(LoUtmlna 



COLLEGE OF AGRICULIUKE 

 Department of Forestry 



1913 



March 3, 

 Hardwood Record, 



Chicago, III. 

 Gentlemen: 



I want to thank you for your kindness in sending us 

 the copies of Hardwood Record which we failed to get 

 just after Christmas. I consider it one of the very best 

 papers in the work I am handling here at the Forestry 



School that I can get. 



Very truly yours, 

 ERNEST C. PEGG, 

 Instructor in Forestry. 



in the mechanical properties of 

 wood, but wants to know 

 merely the color and general 

 character of the wood texture. 

 H.VKDWOOD Eecord cannot sub- 

 scribe to this, inasmuch as it has 

 been its contention for years that 

 knowledge of the adaptability 

 of certain wood species for cer- 

 tain purposes and that the only 

 way of acquiring this knowl- 

 edge is through an intimate 

 study of the structure of the 

 wood of different species. With- 

 out technical data, the intro- 

 duction of new species is based 

 on mere guesswork. A certain 

 wood will appear to resemble 

 another more prominent species 

 ill color and character and for 

 that reason it is supposed that 

 it will lie readily adapted to the uses for which the old 

 species is marketed. In many eases where a new wood is thus intro- 

 duced, it will fall d'lwu absolutely when put to the test in the 

 finished article. 



No one will maintain that the efforts of the Forest Service in this 

 country in the matter of supplying such intimate technical knowledge 

 of wood structure have not been of vast importance and benefit to 

 the lumber industry. Therefore the successful introduction of 

 an unknown species requires first, accurate and reliable data as to 

 the technical character of the wood, which data should, however, be 

 couched as much as possible in practical terms; second, an intimate 

 and practical knowledge of all the fields to which this wood might be 

 successfully applied. 



Substitutes for Circassian Walnut 



C LSEWHERE IX THIS ISSUE of H.vkuwood Record may be 

 •'— ' found a review or synopsis of a circular on Circassian walnut 

 published by the Forest Service. Users and admirers of this beautiful 

 wood have long felt the need of more exact information concerning 

 sources of supply, and the character and qualities of the product. 

 It has been known in a general way what Circassian walnut is, and 

 •whence it comes, but many things relating to the wood itself and to 

 the business of procuring and marketing it have not been clearly 

 understood. The circular goes somewhat minutely into several of these 

 matters. One point in particular will surprise many persons; for 

 it is shown that English walnut which produces the nuts of commerce, 

 French walnut, and that from Italy and Austria, are all the same 



