18 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



that au intelligent observer of American sawmilling could sin- 

 cerely make such a statement. It is true, of course, that lumber 

 production as carried on in this country aims mainlj' at- quantity 

 of production; but it is certainly not a fact that quality is slighted 

 entirely for quantity. In fact, in present modern operations that 

 mill is indeed rare which turns out a quality of lumber which 

 even remotely resembles the description which this German ob- 

 server gives. Modern sawmills, when properly installed, are fa- 

 mous for their accuracy. It would not, of course, pay to saw 

 lumber in this countr}' on the scale on which it is manufactured 

 by German mills; but the mere fact that American manufacturers 

 turn out lumber in quantities does not mean that the quality of 

 their stock merits the rather foolish statement contained in the 

 article referred to. 



Shall We Worry? 



/^iS'E READS IX THE DAILY I'KESS and in the various pe- 

 ^^ riodical magazines which are published for the benefit of the 

 American xiublic of so much scandal in connection with the ad- 

 ministration of the laws and various affairs of our , government 

 that he unconsciously comes to believe that we are going to the 

 bow-wows. Occasionally the reader of these sensational reports 

 will take time to read of the good features of our form of gov- 

 ernment and of our people as a nation and he either immediately 

 acquires an unduly inflated head, because he is an American, or 

 he views such articles with scepticism. However, an editorial in 

 the last issue of the Nation 's Business demonstrates that wo 

 really have just grounds for thinking that our own little country 

 is about as good as the rest of them. The editorial, how-ever, voices 

 a warning that we should not rest on our oars, but that the fu- 

 ture development of the country will require an even greater ami 

 much more varied effort than we have had to exert heretofore. Tlic 

 editorial in part is as follows: — 



"Only three countries in the .world, ('hina, with a population of 

 350,000,000, India with 295,000,000, ami Kussia with 140,000,000, 

 have a greater jjopulatiou than the United States. The last es- 

 timate of the treasurj' places the population of the Tnited States 

 at 96,000,000. 



This great nation has grown up within two lifetimes. There is 

 a man living in Washington, D. C. at the present time, ninety- 

 eight years of age, whose father fought at the battle of Bunker 

 Hill. That battle preceded the existence of America as a nation. 

 Henry Gassaway Davis when a tiny child was present at the lay- 

 ing of the first tie of the Baltimore it Ohio Eailroad. The chief 

 participant in the actual laying was Charles Carroll of CarroUtou, 

 who had signed the Declaration of Independence. Here are two 

 instances in wliich two lives have covered the history of our 

 nation. 



"Our growth has been due to matchless resources, stored by 

 nature iu the American continent, and awaiting the power of man 

 for their transformation into results. The greatness of America 

 therefore is accounted for by the accidents of location and op- 

 portunity. AVe can not claim that the results so far secured in 

 the expansion of business have been due in any large measure to 

 scientific or thorough use of resources and opportunities. The 

 twentieth century has brought us face to face with the fact that 

 m.my of our resources are in danger of exhaustion ; therefore the 

 thought of today is strongly directed not merely toward efficiency 

 in securing raw resources from the soil, but also efficiency in man- 

 ufacturing and in marketing both at home and abroad. It is this 

 effort towarrl efficiency that accounts for the ra])id manufacturing 

 development of the past few years and the increasing export 

 trade." 



No Wood Indestructible 



A RECENT BULLETIN issued by the government, describing 

 greenheart timber, has been misinterpreted by a number of 

 writers who have published comments on this South American 

 wood. It is called the "indestructible," "eternal," and the 



"everlasting" timber. The government publication made no such 

 claims for it, and the facts warrant nothing of the kind. No 

 wood is indestructible, and none will last forever. As much as 

 can be claimed for any timber is that it will give long service, and 

 the length of that service depends upon circumstances. Any wood 

 — and any material — will wear out if subjected to friction, and if 

 there is any wood absolutely immune to decay, when subjected to 

 conditions favorable to decay, it has not yet been discovered. 



Greenheart is hard, heavy, strong and resists decay admirably, 

 and that is as much as can be claimed for it. The same is true of 

 black locust and Osage orange, and if they could .be had in large 

 timbers and in suffieient quantity, they would probably measure 

 up to greenheart. It is its large size as much as anything else 

 which has recently brought greenheart to notice, for it has been 

 known for hundreds of years without attracting special attention. 

 The gates of the Panama canal are being built of this timber, and 

 since very large pieces were demanded, greenheart seemed to be the 

 only very strong and durable wood that would answer. It was 

 tried in similar construction in England many years ago, and ship- 

 builders have long been acquainted with its good qualities. 



Thoroughly dry greenheart will sink in water, and a number of 

 other tropical woods will do the same, among such being mangrove 

 and lignum-vita', which grow in Florida. It is mentioned as of 

 great importance that "logs of greenheart which have remained 

 under water for one hundred j'ears have kept in perfectly sound 

 condition." That is nothing remarkable. Logs of any wood kept 

 under water will remain sound for a hundred years, or even a thou- 

 sand years. Decay in wood can take place only in the presence of 

 air. White cedar logs in New Jersey and cypress in Louisiana 

 have been taken in a perfectly sound condition from deep under 

 water where they had lain many hundred years. That is no test 

 i.f wood's durabilitv. If it were, some of the Alaskan firs would 

 beat them all, for sound wood has been taken from coal veins near 

 Cook's Inlet, which was certainly more than a hundred thousand 

 years old. 



Hardwood Becoming Constantly More Popular 



/~\.\K OF THE NOTICEABLE TENDENCIES of the times in 

 ^'^ connection with modern building construction is shown in 

 an increased use of hardwoods due, no doubt, to a full appreciation 

 on the part of the building public of the advantages in durability 

 and attractiveness which can be secured through the use of hard- 

 wood in various parts of building construction. The time is not 

 very long past when hardwood even for floors was not in general 

 use. Gradually more pretentious residences were fitted with hard- 

 wood floors and the style became so decidedly popular that no 

 residence with any claims to pretense or modcrnness has anything 

 but hardwoods in its floors. 



With present improved appliances for manufacture, the hardwood 

 door has become an important factor in the finish of the up-to-date 

 residence and office building. In fact, fine hardwood doors and 

 finish throughout the residence add much to its desirability, not 

 only from the investment standpoint but also from that of those 

 people who are to make it their home. Speculative builders and 

 real estate men have learned this lesson to such an extent that the 

 houses which they erect arc invariabl,v finished with hardwood 

 doors and trim. Such a house is always much more salable, and 

 as a security for loans is much more favorably considered. 



The carpenter, contractor and builder hold the pivotal position 

 in the building world midwa}' between the manufacturer of build- 

 ing materials and the consumer. With their cxjiert knowledge of 

 methods and material, their advice and opinion is sought by those 

 who contemplate building, and it often happens tliat a word from 

 a practical builder or architect will carry far more weight than a 

 mass of brilliantly illustrated catalogues and circulars. 



What is needed is a broad campaign of education toward better 

 building, one that will influence all building construction in such a 

 way that everyone, even in the remotest section, will realize the 

 economy in the use of hardwood doors and finish throughout. 



