HARDWOOD RECORD 



35 



gave away a Mission wall clock, 14 x 17 inches in size, made from 

 plain oak, with the numerals and pendulum of brass. It is esti- 

 mated that a quarter-million of these clocks were distributed in 

 this way, causing the movement of hundreds of thousands of feet 

 of plain oak for the lumbermen. At about the same time several 

 other papers made premium offers of a large Mission lamp with an 

 art glass shade, and found this fully as great a circulation-builder 

 as the clocks proved to be. 



The most peculiar thing about Mission finish is that, unlike most 

 crazes, it has not proven a merely temporary thing, but still con- 

 tinues popular. When golden oak finish — so long a standard — 

 first began to pall upon the public taste and it was known that 

 high-priced mahogany and fancy woods could not replace it, the 

 furniture man boomed oak, hoping desperately for the best. Had 

 he predicted the use of millions of feet of this wood, all because 

 of a new finish, he would undoubtedly have been proclaimed vision- 

 ary. Yet that is what has happened, and the lumberman, as in the 

 case of no other wood, has been enabled to dispose of a large quan- 

 tity of short, narrow and hitherto little utilized stock. 



Plain and quartered oak take a Mission finish best, the quarter- 

 sawed producing a beautiful article when completed, as it shows 

 ofiE the golden-brown flakes to the greatest advantage against the 

 dark stained background. Plain oak is used for the smaller, 

 cheaper work and even basswood, chestnut and gum are occasion- 

 ally utilized. 



The housewife of many cares finds the use of Mission furniture 

 a reduction of fully half her cleaning and dusting duties, and is 

 thankful that on this finish finger-marks and ordinary wear leave 

 no traces. The business man finds it more solidly comfortable and 

 rejoices that the time of fragile chair legs and bric-a-brac is past. 

 This is the age of the antique and the darker hues in furnishing 

 and decorating. Art, dress, rugs, draperies and furniture must all 

 conform to it. Lumbermen can safely be assured that the demand 

 for oak for Mission goods will continue indefinitely, and its manu- 

 facture will rontiniie to absorb hardwoods in quantities. 



Solid Cabinet Work 



Fancy figured work is now so commonly used in the form of 

 veneers that not only the general public, but the trade itself, some- 

 times fails to understand and appreciate the exact standing of solid 

 lumber in cabinet work. Veneer has made wonderful progress and 

 will continue to do so, but it has by no means crowded out solid 

 lumber. In fact, every now and then, there is noted in some quar- 

 ters a sort of reaction — a heavier call than formerly for furniture 

 and other cabinet work done in solid wood. 



This point was recently brought out quite forcibly in a conversa- 

 tion with the head of a furniture company, which specializes in fine 

 bed-room furniture. The majority of stock displayed in the show 

 windows by this concern is of figured veneer wood and often is inlaid. 

 In the conversation referred to, the head of the company stated that 

 while it made a strong feature of this inlaid veneer work, it has 

 also found a large call for solid work, even in mahogany. He stated 

 that his company was probably using more solid mahogany today 

 than ever before. He said it did not convert the finest figured wood 

 into solid lumber, as that almost Invariably is made into veneer, 

 although it does use some nicely figured wood, even in solid mahogany. 

 He further stated that not only his company, but many others, do the 

 same thing. More veneered furniture is now being made than ever 

 before, and at the same time more solid lumber is ' used today than 

 was used three or four years ago. 



What is doing in mahogany is also a guide to the situation in oak 

 and other cabinet woods. There is a continued enlargement in the 

 call for veneer, but there is also a strong call for solid lumber in 

 cabinet work and this call seems to be insistent enough to suggest 

 greater possibilities in the future for solid quartered oak than the 

 trade may look for. A little discouragement has been felt in quar- 

 tered oak circles the past season, and some manufacturers have 

 been afraid that the progress of veneer is interfering seriously with 

 the future of good wide stock in quartered oak lumber. However, 

 if the predictions of this furniture company are right, another year 

 may see an unexpectedly heavy demand for stock in quarter-sawed 

 lumber. T. 



VARIOUS SPECIMENS OF MISSION CLOCKS 



