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HARDWOOD RECORD 



A Lumberman's Letters to His Son, 



ClUCAliO, Mulcll --. 



Mv Dear iSon : 1 ;iiu in receipt of your 

 expeuse account ami weather report. Kii- 

 elosecl find ehet-k to cover the former, and 

 your mother will express to you your fancy 

 mackintosh to protect you from the latter. 



Xow right here I want to say somethiug 

 to you: Don't you let those Memphis chaps 

 jolly you any further about getting you on 

 the inspection bureau committee of any as- 

 sociation. Never mind about there being 

 no Chicago representative on that eomaiittee. 

 Chicago is lucky. Don't you try to help 

 anybody steer inspection rules. 



Go and make application for membership 

 in the Down and Out Club if you want to, 

 but keep clear of the other game. This 

 patching up other folks ' rows for them isn 't 

 a good stunt. You can't satisfy either the 

 buyer or the .seller, and every time you cut 

 in you make both i>artic.s enemies for life. 

 Besides that, it takes up too much time. 

 You can't tinker with the troubles of the 

 entire lumber fraternity and be of any use 

 in my business at the same time. We have 

 troubles enough of our own. This philan- 

 thropy proposition and "for the good of the 

 trade" is all right theoretically and senti- 

 mentally, but there's no coin in it for your 

 dad. There are enough lobsters trying to in- 

 terpret hardwood rules today without your 

 assistance. You don 't know the difference 

 between Mack ash and .sbell-bark hickory, 

 anyhow. 



i'ou say they arc asking more lor oak at 

 Memphis than we arc getting for it in Chi- 

 cago. I have been telling you that for three 

 months, and that's not all; they are going 

 to get their price. When it comes to getting 

 the true value of lumber in this market we 

 are a set of innocents; w(> never did know 

 anything about getting prices. The only way 

 we estimate values in the Big and Windy is 

 to cut a competitor's price a dollar a thou- 

 sand, and then try to get even on the grade. 

 We have been building up a pretty good rep- 

 \itation on grades for the last year or two, 

 bnt we still have got to start in at the kinder- 

 garten and get a ]iricc for our stuff. I am 

 going to start a night school pretty soon 

 and make you a star pupil. The way you 

 fooled away our stock of oak while I was 

 out of town was scandalous. 



The sawmill will be shipped from Mil- 

 waukee next week, and the millwrights will 

 be on the ground as soon as it arrives. You 

 better get over into the swamp _and at least 

 keep the time book for the superintendent. 

 The boarding-house may not please you, but 

 you '11 learn to like the grub in time. 



Your Affectionate Father. 



I'. S. — A collector was just over from Mar- 

 shall Field's with a bill against you for six 

 pair of silk hose and three Italian vests. 

 When did you get to wearing silk hose at 

 .$•"> per. and what in the douce is an Italian 

 vest ? 



Hardwood Record J\lail Bag. 



(In this department it is proposed to reply 

 to such inquiries as reach this ofBce from the 

 Habdwood Uecoku clientage as will be of enough 

 general interest to warrant publication. Evcr.v 

 patron of the paper >s invited to use this de- 

 partment to the fullest extent, and an attempt 

 will be made to answer queries pertalninu to ail 

 matters of Interest to tbe hardwood trade, in 

 a sacclnct and intellleent manner.] 



tufonnation Wanted About Dimension Ma- 

 chinery. 

 IlKINEMAN, Wi.s.. .March 17. - Kditor IIakh 

 «iHiD Recoiid: We have licen following the 

 matter of dimension slock in tlie various Issues 

 of tbe Kecobd, and we have taken considerable 

 interest In the same. We arc contemplating d(i- 

 iHK some of this work, not from tbe standpoint 

 'if cutting up lumber, but utilizing trimmings, 

 •'dgihgs and slabs. We would like to know if .vou 

 • an put us In loiich willi some one who has tbe 

 proper machine for ripiiing up hardwood squares 

 from edgings and trimmings. We have a band 

 resaw for the sawing of slabs, but If you could 

 advise us of someone who has a plant that 

 [night be able to give us a diagram, It would be 

 gr-aliy appreciated. With best wishes for your 

 future success, Compa.w. 



Will some of the readers of the Habdwood 

 Kfcokd who are familiar with the details of 

 reflu(fing sawmill refuse to dimension ma- 

 terial kindly supply information concerning 

 the proper equipment of tools and their best 

 arrangement for this purpo.se, for publica- 

 tion in the Becord? The subject should be 

 of interest not only to the correspondent in 



question, but to many others engaged in the 

 manufacture of dimension material. — Editor. 



Proposed Experiments in Growing Hickory. 



Wasjiixgtox, D. ('., >Iarch 14. — Editor IIakd- 

 wooD RiccouD : I note in your issue ot February 

 25 that a committee, of wliicb you were made 

 chairman, was appolnlod by the Hardwood Di- 

 mension Association at its Cincinuati meeting, to 

 cooperate witii the Forest Service I'u bicliory and 

 hickory reforestation, I want to say that tlie 

 Forest Service appreciates very greatly tbe inter- 

 test ot the association in tills multer, and T am 

 sure that the committee can be ot great help to 

 the Forest Service. We Imvc just liad a coni'cr- 

 cnce here about the work which shall be done 

 on hickory during the coming season. We thini; 

 it Important to give a good deal of attention to 

 this wood on account ot its great nsefuiuess, 

 and we have tentatively outlined a three-fold 

 study ot it as follows : First, a study of the 

 present supply and distribution of lilckory; sec- 

 ond, an experimental test in gmwlng hickory ; 

 third, a study of tbe uses of lihkory In which it 

 cannot well he substituted by otiier woods. 



The Forest Service Is in piisiiinn to carry out 

 by Itself the llrst and third, lint we are not in 

 position to iniderlakc the sct'ond wlibont sonx- 

 assistance, as we iutvc not tbe ground upuu 

 which to nmke exiterlments. I bring tlds matter 

 to your attention, thinking tliut upon this point 

 It may be your association can cooperate with us 

 furnishing tbe ground fur a test of this kind. 

 We should look forward to It running several 

 ycors, and we at least should have several acres. 

 We sbnnid a|i|ireclHte It very much if you will 



consider this matter and let us know whether 

 ,vour association will be in a position to help u^ 

 .\lso we shall appreciate any suggestions that 

 you can give in regard to any part of the pro- 

 gram outlined above. — Wii.i.iasi L. IIali,, Chief. 



It ajipcals to the editor of the Hardwood 

 Record as chairman of the committee re- 

 ferred to that there must be a number of 

 timber land owners in the countrj' interested 

 in the regrowing of hickorj- who own de- 

 nuded or partially denuded timber land.-" 

 suitable for this purpose, who would be very 

 glad to set aside a sufficient area to the 

 Forest Service for making experimental tests 

 in growing hickory. The ITahdwood Recoijh 

 would be pleased to receive communications 

 from anyone interested in this suggestion, 

 and is sure that the Forest Service would be 

 glad to undertajte the proposed experi- 

 ments. — Editor. 



Information Wanted About Lignum-Vitae. 

 iNiii.VNAi'OLis, I Ml.. Marcli Hi. I'lditur Hai:|' 

 WOOD KiiCORD : Wiil you please advise where 

 iignum-vitae grows, and is there any stock of it 

 carried in this country? If so, by wliom, and at 

 about what price per thousand does it sell? — 

 Deckkk Coil, Hoop Co. 



Information has been supplied the iu 

 quirer in a general w-ay about sources of 

 supply of Iignum-vitae, but any further in- 

 formation on this subject from readers of 

 the Hardwood Record will be welcomed. — 

 Editor. 



Pittsburg Fuel Company. 



riTTSBURG, I'A., March 1?,. — ICditor IIakdwocU' 

 Recokd : We have in our possession one lU 

 your publications, and note tbe position in 

 which you are trying to place our firm, atni 

 wish to inform you that the writer purchased 

 this business in .lanuary from l>. li. I'^ans of 

 .leanctte, paying him a sum of .?7,(K)0 for the 

 business and his sood will. I retained Mr. Har 

 ris as manager for one month, in order to be 

 come more thoroughly acquainted witli the trade 

 We are not trying to .set tbe world on fire, and 

 positively* are not sending orders fuit prondscu 

 uusiy. We have been sending out several circii 

 lar letters soliciting prices on dilTcrent stocks, 

 so that we can be able to ntake up a price list 

 and get cstai)lished with l)otli tbe buyers and 

 sellers of lumber. We arc here In stay, and lie 

 lieve your publication is unwarranted. 



We note what you say In regard to .Mr. Harris 

 antecedents, and iu reply to this will state wc 

 know nothing about him only on tbe recommenda 

 tion of XIr. Evans, his former employer. We also 

 know that Mr. Harris was purchasing agent for 

 the Sclioenberg Coal Company, this city, for sev- 

 eral years prior to his coimectiou with Mr. 

 lOvans. We believe that yon liave Mr. Harris 

 mixed up with someone else. 



If .vou have a connecti»in or a representative 

 in tills market, we will be glad lo liavc bim call 

 on VIS and can give him sucli Information as he 

 may want In regard to our business methods. 

 Yours respectfully, Louis N. Sti'k.nman. 



Again the Hardwood Rkcord wishes to 

 repeat what it said in the i.ssue of March In. 

 that it will be pleased lo inililish any evi- 

 dence tending to show the reliability and 

 competency of the Pittsburg Fuel Company 

 ;is hardwood dealers, — EditoI!, 



San I''ranclsco liardwoorl numufactnr-ers arc 

 about In CNlabllsh a factory In Knoxvllle to man 

 ufacture various kinds of hardwood llnish and 

 tlooring. The proposed plant will cost $50,(aai. 

 The finished product will be shipped to San 

 l''rnu<'lscn. wlicre tlie main imsincss otilce will 

 lie liicalcd. 



