HARDWOOD RECORD 



43 



Rate Proposals in Central Territory 



Kreiilit rates in both the class and commocHty si'""!'* iu the territory 

 north of the Oliio and east of the Mississippi came in for discussion at 

 a meeting' of rcpvesentativGS of railroads aifiliated with the Central 

 I'reight Association, which meeting was held at Chicago on Monday, 

 July 14. Deductions and increases of considerable importance were 

 approved, although no discussion was indulged in relative to the pro- 

 posed advances averaging five per cent on the various eastern railroads. 



Cost of Recent Floods 



officials of various railroad systems aft'ecled by the recent floods in 

 the states of Ohio and Indiana estimate that the aggregate loss was 

 close to .$11,000,000. Of the various roads affected, the Baltimore & 

 Ohio probably suffered more than any of the others, its aggregate loss 

 being in the neighborhood of $-0.000,000. These figures, however, in- 

 clude losses on the C. H. & D., which is controlled by the B. & O. The 

 Big Four I>etween Toledo and Cincinnati, Cleveland and St. Louis, and 

 t_'incinnati and Indianapolis, lost the second largest amount, it being 

 damag.?a to the extent of .$2,500,000. It was reported that practically 

 the entire road-bed between Cincinnati and Dayton was destroyed. The 

 rcnnsylvania lost heavily, sustaining a loss or $1,64.), 000. Other heavy 

 losers were the Toledo & Ohio Central, the Norfolk & Western, Ches- 

 apeaUe & Ohio. Iloeklng Valley, Erie, L., E. & W., Vandalia, G. K. & I., 

 and tile WbeolinL; & Lake Krb-. 



Good Logging in Memphis Territory 



Weather conditions have been quite favorable for logging work through- 

 out the Memphis section recently, and this has made ver.v satisfactory 

 progress. In fact there has been so little interruption since the receding 

 of the flood waters in the Mississippi and its tributaries that the supply 

 of timber in sight is unusually large for even this time of the year. 

 There is scarcely a manufacturer of hardwood lumber who is not able to 

 secure all the timber that he needs, and logs are being offered in the open 

 market in some instances without finding takers. This is due to two 

 conditions : The demand is nothing like so keen for lumber itself as it 

 was a short time ago. with the result that manufacturers are disposed 

 to go Just a little slower in the matter of producing more stock, and the 

 money market is so tight that there is no disposition on the part of 

 owners and operators of sawmills to secure large quantities of timber 

 against their future needs. The tendency is rather to buy only for more 

 pressing requirements, pending further developments in connection with 

 the market and particularly with reference to the depression in lumber 

 circles that may result from the rather unfavorable state of trade in 

 this country and abroad. 



A prominent exporter said a few days ago that there was a very good 

 demand for southern hardwoods from the United Kingdom but that 

 business with the Continent was very slow and had been so for some time. 

 He does not look for any improvement in that quarter until the Balkan 

 war. and the resultant conflicts between the allies engaged therein, lias 

 been settled, and present indications to that end are not particularly 

 good. This .gentleman has a large European business and the falling off 

 of demand from the Continent as shown by his orders is regarded as 

 rather sii;nificant. 



Car Surpluses and Shortages 



Bulletin No. 14T-A, issued by the American' Railway Association, 

 covering the car surpluses and shortages for early July, shows that the 

 total surplus June 30 was 70,740 cars, as against a surplus on July 15 

 of 76,280 cars. The total surplus on July 18, 1912, was 75,389 cars. 



The total shortage on June 30 was 7,036 cars, as against 6,875 cars 

 on July 13, and on July 18, 1912, the total shortage was 6.467 cars. 



From tliese figures it can be seen that trade throughout the country, 

 while pretty well sustained during the month of June, began to show the 

 effects of the summer dullness and other influences in the early part of 

 the present month. 



The Woods 



The above is the caption of a new book .just published by George 11. 

 Doran & Co., New York, N, Y., compiling the best of the many poems 

 written by Donglas Malloch of the staff of the American Lumberman, 

 Chicago. 



Mr. Malloch. whose reputation as the lumberman poet Is country-wide, 

 has a satisfying way of telling about the little happenings in the woods 

 and in everyday life. The book is nicely bound and printed on good 

 quality of stock, and will make an excellent addition to the library of any 

 lumberman. It retails at one dollar per copy. \ 



Liverpool Conditions in Early July 



It is reported from Liverpool under date of July 7 that no auction 

 sales were held during the two preceding months, but that fair quantities 

 of logs arrived from Africa on consignment, and should sell well when 

 offered. 



In speaking of American walnut the report states that logs have been 

 sufficient for the rather meager demand, even with only moderate arrivals. 

 The market at the time of the report was rather heavily stocked, and 

 sales, even at reduced prices, were difficult. There was a steady demand 

 for walnut planks and hoards and low grades principally. 

 Forest Service Purchases 80,000 Acres 



The examiners of the Forest Service have approved of the purchase of 

 nearly 80,000 acres of land at the headwaters of the James and Shenan- 

 doah rivers in Virginia. The commission has also approved of 5,420 



acres near the Natural Bridge. Va.. 10.4.^7 acres in the White Top 

 mountain region near the border line of Virginia, North Carolina and 

 Tennessee, and 20,087 acres at the head of the Monongahela river. 



The total of these tracts makes up the largest aggregate proposed 

 purchase passed upon at any one time by the commission. The total is 

 113,909 acres, and when purchased will bring the total of all national 

 forests in the East up to 713,415 acres. 



Forestry Students in Camp iu CatskiUs 

 About the middle of June twenty-tour sophomores and .luniors from 

 the New York State College of Forestry went into camp on the tract of 

 one hundred acres which was given to the university for forestry purposes, 

 and which adjoins Elka Park, near Tannersville, in the Catskllls. The 

 forest experiment station in the Catskills is located in an ideal place for 

 instructional work for students, as it lies at an elevation of 2,100 feet, 

 and through it runs a large stream known as the Koaring Kill. 



Immediately adjiicent to the camp is Spruce Top, running up to 3.500 

 feet, and within ssix miles is Hunters Mountain, a 4,023-foot elevation. 

 This mountainous condition is very desirable in carrying on practical 

 work in plane and topographical surveying. There are considerable quan- 

 tities of timber in the section, and the station itself is covered with old 

 hardwoods and evergreens which have not been touched by an axe during 

 the past twenty-five years. The timber of the sections allows of splendid 

 experiments in estimating, and during the summer the boys will estimate 

 and map a tract of about 2,500 acres. 



The studies made by the sophomore camp of students will be of distinct 

 value to the timber owners of the Catskills, as very accurate measure- 

 ments are being made of the growth of various species, and the college 

 will ]>e ready, as a result of these studies, to make very practical sugges- 

 tions as to the proper measurement of the various kinds of woodland 

 found in the Catskills, Each student is given a concrete problem in the 

 management of the timberland, and he acts as though he were sent out 

 by the state or government, makes his own field studies, and makes a 

 complete report. 



The Grinding of Spruce for Mechanical Pulp 



J. II. Thickens, chemical engineer in forest products of the Forest 

 Service, is the author of Forest .Service Bulletin No. 127 with the above 

 caption. The booklet is based upon information derived from experiments 

 at the government pulp plant at Wausau, Wis., and covers commercial 

 grinding practice, and then tells the purpose of various experiments 

 describing the apparatus, methods of operation and engineering, and the 

 various results of the experiments. Under the latter heading is shown 

 the influence on power consumption and rate of production, and also the 

 influence on yield and quality of a surface of stone. 



Other factors covered are pressure on grinder cylinders, peripheral 

 speed of stone, temperature and thickness of stock in the grinder pit, 

 physical condition of the wood, power consumption per unit of strength, 

 size of bolts and rate of growth, and efficiency of conversion. 



Altogether the booklet offers many new suggestions relative to 

 mechanical pulp ground from spruce. 



Change in Curriculiun Biltmore Forest School 



Dr. C. A. Schenck. head of the Biltmore Forest School, announces some 

 very important changes to take place in the curriculum of that school 

 becoming effective Oct. 1, 191.1. The school is now in camp in the timber 

 of the Cummer-Diggins Ompany. Cadillac, Mich., which concern has 

 provided the students with remarkably complete quarters. 



The Biltmore curriculum will comprise two full years of twenty-four 

 consecutive months, witli no vacations. One full year is spent in the 

 forests in the East in New Y'ork. North Carolina and Jlichlgan and in 

 the eastern camps of the school. The next full year is spent in the 

 forests of the West and ill the western camps. Juniors and seniors alike 

 are allotted each winter practical work in the woods at such logging 

 operations as are conducted under the management of graduates or in 

 connection with the graduates of the school. One winter is thus spent 

 in the West and the other in the East. 



The study session of the school itself begins at the end of winter and 

 ends at the beginning of winter. Furthermore, the participation in the 

 annual German tour through the German forests will bo denied to all 

 students and to all novices lacking sufficient knowledge of the American 

 forests. ^ 



Several auxiliary courses heretofore offered at Biltmore, including such 

 studies as geology, agriculture, law and economics, will be abandoned 

 so as to gain additional time for the course in engineering. 



The expense necessarily connected with the two-year course remains 

 what it was for the course of eighteen months and in addition the 

 students will have an opportunity of earning and saving money during 

 the winter months. 



The course for the last four years has included a trip of several months 

 duration to the forests of Germany, a stop of several weeks in the 

 Adirondacks, followed by a trip of a month or two through the mountain 

 regions of North Carolina. From there the students have gone every 

 year to Cadillac, Mich., where they have been encamped in the woods, 

 and from Cadillac they made a trip to several of the larger mill opera- 

 tions in the West and from there back to Germany. The new course will 

 unquestionably very much increase the value of the school in training 

 students for the practical work in forestry and lumbering to be done in 

 this country under present conditions. The theoretical side of the train- 



