haku^wood record 



17 



of about five miles a year aud some forty miles remain. It is un- 

 fortunate that Osage orange harbors the disease as the trees grow 

 fairly rapidly and will pro<lace fence post material of unsurpassed 

 durability. It is not, though, in any sense a tie proposition as the 

 trees rarely attain large size and are usually very orooked. 



Canada's Lumber Output 



A REVIEW of the report of Canada's lumber cut in 1911 may 

 ■*» be found elsewhere in this issue of Hardwood Eecokd. It is 

 worth more than a passing thought, and is published at an oppor- 

 tune time, in view of the bill now before Congress to admit 

 lumber into the United States free of duty. An important point 

 is that, except aspen, balm of Gilead, and birch, Canada is cutting 

 very little hardwood; and the amount of softwoods passing through 

 sawmills in that country is considerably less than has been gen- 

 erally supposed. The figures show decline in several places and no 

 great increase anywhere. The sawmill values of lumber are not 

 low enough to make it probable that large shipments will be 

 made into the United States, even if the duty is taken off and 

 Canada does not collect an export duty. The report does not give 

 figures on pulpwood, and that is generally considered to be a 

 resource in which Canada is comparatively rich. 



An Extravagant Disease 



P lONEEBING IN ANY ENTEKPBISE is beset with difficulties. 

 •*• Pioneering is expensive. Results are long of consummation, 

 and even eventual success is conjectural. Suggestions of radical 

 changes in systems and processes are looked upon with little favor 

 by the average business man. He resents the suggestion that 

 better systems of a(;complishing results than those employed by 

 him for years are possible. He is far from keen to even investi- 

 gate new methods. These observations apply to business methods 

 in general, but especially so to nearly every phase of lumber pro- 

 duction and utilization. 



This almost resentment of the introduction of anything new may 

 be termed a disease, which, for the want of a better name, may be 

 called pig-headedness. Every monthly innovation in logging, lumber 

 manufacturing, lumber handling, lumber seasoning, lumber grading 

 and lumber marketing has encountered the same series of difli- 

 culties before finding general and appreciative adoption. 



The inventor of the mule.y saw had his troubles in securing its 

 adoption in place of the whip saw. The advent of the circular 

 saw, which supplanted the muley, also had its diificulties, and it 

 was a long time before this tyi^e of sawmill came into general 

 use. When experiments first demonstrated that the band saw was 

 an improvement over the circular, the entire lumber manufacturing 

 trade looked at the innovation askance, — but the band finally won 

 out. 



The introduction of rotary cutting flooring machines was so re- 

 sented, that their introduction in Philadelphia in the late 40 's, 

 caused nothing less than a riot. But who today would think of 

 making flooring save by the use of machines for this purpose? 



The inventors of steam log loaders and steam skidders have also 

 had their troubles, and it is only within the last few years that 

 these wonderful money-saving machines have come into general 

 use. When log loaders were first introduced into timber, the 

 average lumberjack took to the woods. He was "gun-shy" of the 

 outfit, and it took him a long time to get over it. 



This has been the history of all innovations looking to in- 

 creased efliciency and attempts at lowering cost in woods work 

 and lumber production. The disease of pig-headedness has not yet 

 run its course, because it is just as difficult today to introduce 

 innovations in any feature of the trade, as when the attempt was 

 made to supplant the muley with circular. 



Perhaps too many lumbermen are too easily satisfied with their ' 

 own existing systems of accomplishing results. Usually they 

 are very busy men, and they are tied down closely to their par- 

 ticular occupation. A good many of them are not readers of the 

 lumber-trade press, and do not keep up with new suggestions 

 or new inventions. Comparatively few of them are travelers, who 



visit the operations of their confreres in the business; and hence, 

 again little opportunity for seeing new and improved methods. 

 They are satisfied with their own way of doing things. 



The late Marshall Feld had an axiom that is worthy of quota- 

 tion: "The man who condemns or turns down any proposition 

 without having first acquainted himself with all the details relating 

 thereto, confesses his ignorance and stupidity. ' ' 



The wise men in the lumber trade confess not only to them- 

 selves, but to their neighbors that probably not fifty per cent 

 of ultimate efficiency has been attained in lumber production. 

 There is lots yet coming to lumber manufacturers in learning bet- 

 ter methods, better systems, and better details in every feature 

 of the lumber business, from the stump to the delivery of the lum- 

 ber to the eventual consumer. Hence, it is worth while for every 

 man connected with this industry to investigate .and analyze every- 

 thing that is suggested, that this monumental inefficiency may be 

 corrected, and better and more profitable methods be constantly 

 secured. Pig-headedness does not pay, — enterprising progression 

 does pay. 



Mechanical Properties of Wood 



•"pHE FOREST SERVICE has published Circular 21.3 dealing with 

 •I the mechanical properties of forty-nine woods of the United 

 States, tested in the green condition. The tests were made on 

 25,000 specimens, in order to reach reliable averages. Work was 

 carried on in co-operation with the universities of Wisconsin, Pur- 

 due, Colorado, California, and Washington. The figures obtained 

 are of interest chiefly to builders and architects. Osage orange 

 cut in Morgan county, Indiana, is shown to be the strongest in 

 the list of forty-nine, the mockernut hickory from Webster 

 county. West Virginia, is second; while the stiff est wood is this 

 same hickory from West Virginia, and the second stiffest is pig- 

 nut hickory from the same locality. The weakest is Engelmann 

 spruce from Colorado, and the lowest in quality of stiffness is 

 arbor-vitai from Shawano county, Wisconsin. 



Foreign Tariff Information 



O/IANY AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS AND EXPORTERS 

 1»* are apparently unaware of the facilities in the Bureau of 

 Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce, for 

 answering inquiries concerning the customs duties and customs 

 regulations of foreign countries. Such inquiries are often ad- 

 dressed to American consular officers in foreign countries, as well 

 as to commercial agencies, information bureaus, and foreign con- 

 sulates in the United States. Replies to inquiries addressed to 

 United States consular officers can be expected only after the 

 lapse of considerable time. In many cases commercial agencies 

 and information bureaus obtain their tariff information either 

 from this bureau's publications or through special inquiries ad- 

 dressed to this bureau, while certain foreign consular officers in 

 the United States frequently refer tariff inquiries to this office. 

 It is therefore evident that direct inquiries concerning tariff in- 

 formation addressed to the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com- 

 merce should be preferred by American exporters on account of 

 promptness of service as well as accuracy of information. 



The tariff work of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com- 

 merce is not rigidly restricted to customs duties and customs regu- 

 lations. The Division of Foreign Tariffs of the bureau gives atten- 

 tion also to closely allied subjects atiectiug our foreign commerce, 

 such as the internal revenue laws of foreign countries, the regula- 

 tions for commercial travelers soliciting business abroad, and the 

 requirements of foreign countries for consular invoices, merchan- 

 dise-marks, .standards of purity, and the like. The United States 

 diplomatic and consular officers report on these subjects, and 

 translators and other assistants in the Bureau of Foreign and 

 Domestic Commerce examine carefully the official publications of 

 the foreign governments in order that all information regarding 

 foreign tariffs and these allied subjects may be kept up-to-date. 



The answering of specific inquiries concerning customs rates and 

 regulations has come to be an important part of the tariff work 



