HARDWOOD RECORD 



29 



attention has not been paid to the plan heretofore, and it is within 

 the rauge of possibilities that study of the question might aid in 

 solving this big problem, ■which is one of the most important 

 -obstacles in the way of the complete success of the trade. 



It might he worth while, too, for the panel men to make a point 

 of attenOins- tlie furniture shows, looking over the lines and noting 



the changes, if any of consequence were made, in the character and 

 dimensions of the tops and fronts. By this plan he would he able 

 to check his figures on the consumption of various sizes the pre- 

 ceding season, and thus have a guide to future operations in the way 

 of laying up surplus stock for emergency calls. 



At any rate, the plan seems to be worth considering, — 0, D, C, Jr. 



\a5TO^^ii^^i>>iWi<i*sB iTOatoii^;iTOgjt;^ima iwitf&^^ 



The World's Timber Supply 



The amount of timber in the world is a subject for estimate and 

 speculation. There is considerable difference of opinion as to the 

 quantity in the forests of the United tates, not to speak of various 

 ■other countries, Nevertheless, statisticians have attempted from 

 time to time to compile figures for the whole world. One such 

 effort is in the form of a bulletin (Xo. 83) by Eaphael Zon of the 

 United States Forest Service. He has condensed the best of the 

 world's statistics on the subject into a publication of ninety pages. 

 The figures for Europe are in detail and doubtless are nearly cor- 

 rect; but elsewhere the values are very general, and for large 

 regions of the earth's surface details are almost wholly lacking. 



It is a matter of surprise that Europe has a larger forested area 

 than South America. The popular impression has been that Brazil 

 alone has a larger wooded area than the aggregate forests of all 

 Europe, It would appear, however, from Mr. Zon 's figures, that 

 such is not the case, and that the wooded area of Europe exceeds 

 that of the whole of South America by more than 200,000,000 acres. 

 That is. it is one-third greater. 



The surprise at the wooded lands of Asia will not be much less. 

 It is well known that vast regions across that continent from Arabia 

 to China are practically treeless; but north of that region in Siberia, 

 and south of it in India and Siam, enormous tracts are more or 

 less wooded. Siberia itself is nearly as large as Europe, and its 

 forests have been supposed to be very extensive. In spite of this. 

 however, the figures show that Asia has 140,000,000 acres less forest 

 than Europe. 



Figures for Africa also contain surprises, though the popular 

 notion concerning that continent is associated more with deserts 

 than with wooded regions. Much has been written in books of 

 travel concerning vast, pathless, and interminable forests of central 

 Africa. The impression gained from such reading is that the 

 jungles of the Dark Continent are extensive enough to form empires 

 and kingdoms. Modern travel and fuller explorations have lessened 

 very materially the former supposed boundaries of the forests of 

 Equatorial Africa; and now Mr. Zon sums up all the evidence and 

 gives to the whole continent of Africa only about one-third as 

 great forest area as Europe has. 



North America is the only grand division of the earth that out- 

 classes Europe in forest area. The region included embraces all 

 the land between the Arctic ocean and Mexico, that is, it includes 

 Canada and the United States. The wooded area is nearly double 

 that of Europe. The different forest areas of the world follow: 



Acres 



-West Indies itl'sfii'qqS 



Australasia ■iss'o?,'??^ 



Africa 2o9,253.04( 



South ■ America:;:::::;::::.;::;;." ."'. l????2'?5" 



Asia 611,14y,l(U 



Europe .■■.■.■.■.■.■",■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■...' 750,112.821 



Norih America , 1.476,360,000 



Total lor the world 3.800,408,830 



This figures a little more than two acres of woodland for every 

 inhabitant of earth. It is a little less than one-fourth of the land 

 area of the world. No figures are offered for the purpose of show- 

 ing what the world's total stand of timber may be. From the 

 nature of the case, this could be no better than a general estimate 

 based on so much per acre, and there is little information on which 

 to base such an estimate. The statistics compiled by the Bureau of 

 Corporations indicate that for the United States the average stand 

 ■of merchantable timber is about .5,000 feet, board measure, per 



acre of forested area. If it is assumed that the average for the 

 world's entire forested area is half of that, a general estimate 

 can be made, basing it on the forested area of 3,800,408,830 acres. 

 The total is thus shown to be 9,501,022,075,000 feet, board meas- 

 ure. This will do as the roughest kind of an estimate, and it should 

 not be accepted in any other sense. 



The statistics of annual output of forest products are based upon 

 information somewhat more accurate, because when lumber goes 

 to market it can be measured more carefully than when it exists as 

 standing timber in uncruised forests. Lumber statistics from all 

 parts of the world, where figures are obtainable, were collected 

 for the bulletin under review, and the total output of forest prod- 

 ucts, per year, for the entire world, is placed at 38,893,723,151 cubic 

 feet. This includes everything that comes from the forest — lumber, 

 crossties, poles, fuel, pulpwood, cooperage, and miscellaneous com- 

 modities. Theoretically, a cubic foot of timber contains twelve 

 board feet; but that reducing factor is too high in practice. Con- 

 sidering the miscellaneous character of the products, six board feet 

 to one cubic foot will give fairly accurate results. Using that 

 reducing factor, it is found that the world's yearly output of 

 forest products is equivalent to 233,362,338,906 board feet. 



More than half of this is credited to the United States, and the 

 figures seem too high for this country. If correct, it means that 

 the lumber cut of the United States is not more than one-third of 

 the total annual yield of the forests of this country. The other 

 two-thirds must be made up of fuel, crossties, pulpwood, cooperage, 

 and various other forms of forest products that do not pass through 

 sawmills. Waste in the woods and the mill also accounts for a 

 considerable percentage of this two-thirds. 



Wooden Handles in Italy 



A consular report on tlie uses of wooden handles in Italy does not 

 offer much encouragement to the manufacturers of handles in this 

 country who are looting in that direction for trade opportunities, 

 although some American handles are sold there. Nearly all agricul- 

 tural handles are made by the peasants themselves, who make them as 

 they are needed. They, are chiefly of oak and ash. Pickax handles, 

 about three feet long, sell at from five to seven cents each. There is 

 a factory at Turin that has a capacity of 500,000 pickax and hammer 

 handles a year, but it has never been operated to its full capacity. 

 It is not believed that broom handles and long, straight agricultural 

 handles will find much market in Italy in the near future. Neither is 

 it believed that wheel spokes for automobUes, carriages, or wagons 

 can be successfuly imported, because such spokes are made in Italy 

 with American or English machinery. It is believed, however, that an 

 opportunity exists for the importation of American D shovel and 

 spade handles, for pickax handles, and for hammer and hatchet han- 

 dles of American type. 



Shovels and spades with D handles are now imported in fair quan- 

 tities from Germany, but the handles do not give satisfaction on ac- 

 count of the quality of the wood. The raUways use large numbers 

 of these shovels and spades. Pickax handles, if imported, should be 

 of the hardest possible wood and very strong. They should be from 

 thirty-six to forty inches long with an oval section. 



The best opportunity probably exists for hammer and hatchet 

 handles. Those now sold are usuaUy of three lengths— 14, 18, and 22 

 inches. Such handles of American make have already been imported. 



