HARDWOOD RECORD 



34I 



similar to logwooil, altlunigli it is vahiablo 

 ns piiHUicing an oxtiact for tanning rather 

 than a coloring matter. It is found all along 

 the shores of the tropical countries. It takes 

 root in the mud or silt and forms dense for- 

 " ests even to the verge of the water, and below 

 high water mark. The seeds germinate even 

 while attached to the branches. The roots 

 take uonrisliment from the brackish water 

 which oozos through the earth below the sur- 

 face, as it usually grows in close proximity 

 to the sea. The fruit has a ruddy brown shell 

 and a delicate white pulp within, which is 

 sweet and edible — in fact, it is considered a 

 delicacy by some. The bark is a powerful 

 astringent. Mangrove is usually felled diir 

 ing the autumn mouths, the pieces or sticks 

 being cut about four feet long or about like 

 cordwood. It is always left in the round and 

 ranges from two to six inches in diameter. 

 The bark does not slip or peal off like tan 

 bark, in large flitches, but adheres tightly to 

 the wood and is hewn or chipped off with a 

 hand ax by the natives, who work patiently 

 at the laborious task for a very small remu- 

 neration. It is then dried and sacked and is 

 ready for shipment. Urazil wood is so namcil 



from the word brazil, meaning a live coal or 

 glowing fire, and, as its name implies, is of a 

 bright or fiery red color. It is said that King 

 Kmanuel of Portugal gave this name to the 

 great country in South America, Brazil, on ac- 

 count of its forests containing such vast quan- 

 tities of this wood. It grows in other trop- 

 ical countries, however, besides Brazil, and is 

 used in manufactures for dyeing red. 



.\nother dyewood is fustic, a shrub rather 

 than a tree, which produces a beautiful yellow 

 or orange color. It is used very largely in 

 producing the khaki shades upon cotton and 

 woolen fabrics. It is not of value in its wild 

 state, like the other dye woods, but has been 

 developed by cultivation and is being pro- 

 duced in this way in the i.sland of .lamaica ' 

 and other places. The price of dye woods, 

 especially logwood, has increased and there 

 is more, both of the raw material and the ex- 

 tract, being produced now than ever before. 

 The capital invested in these enterprises is 

 uuich greater than any one would think who 

 has not investigated or studied the matter, 

 and notwithstanding the introduction of ani- 

 line and coal tar colors, these old dye woods 

 are still a growing factor in the trade. 



— J. V. HAltlLTOX. 



Wood Dishes. 



There is always a very lively demand for 

 various descriptions of wooden dishes. The 

 bakeries buy a great many wooden plates 

 every season for pies. Butter manufactur- 

 ers and distributers consume thousands of 

 dozens of wooden dishes annually. 



While wood of tough, elastic and firm fiber 

 should be chosen for the manufacture of 

 hardwood dishes, we often find that some 

 very inferior woods are used. Tn fact, some 

 of the so-called hardwood dishes are made 

 from cheap grades of softwoods and finished 

 and polished like hardwoods. White woods, 

 beech, maple, etc., are used extensively. 

 Maple is preferred, but this wood cannot be 



obtained in every community readily and 

 other varieties are often used. The object 

 is to get a firm dish, free from any odor of 

 the wood. Numerous samples of wooden 

 dishes shaped from various woods are made, 

 but are not marketable except for special 

 purposes, due to the odors of the wood ad- 

 hering to the fiber, regardless of baths to 

 remove it. The wooden dish intended for 

 butter, lard or other article of food, must, 

 of course, be devoid of any taint. Neither 

 can there be any substance in the wood which 

 might discolor foods. 



There is much to be considered in the se- 

 lection and assorting of the wood to be 



7?^e. 



^'?'S 



used and in the making of the dishes. Many 

 dishes are placed aside as "seconds," even 

 though made from the right wood, if they 

 show knots or adhering pitchy substances, 

 rendering the dishes unfit for placing among 

 the choice or first selection. The seconds sell 

 at reduced prices and are used for packing 

 materials that are not affected by odors. 



Wooden dishes are being used for many 

 purjioses aside from that of packing for coni- 

 niorcial ends. They may be seen in use in 

 the " luirry-up lunch rooms," where the thin, 

 cheap plates are used once and thrown away. 

 People making auto trips buy lunches put 

 up with wooden dishes for use en route. 

 Tourists do the same. 



As to the manufacture of hardwood dishes, 

 after the wood is selected it is cut into con- 

 venient shapes for handling. There are two 

 essential divisions of the work, one of which 

 involves a cutting-out operation to make the 

 form of the dish, and tho other involves » 

 pressing or squeezing operation, by which 

 the form of the dish is compressed into 

 shape. Then there is the veneer dish, fast- 

 ened together at the corners with wire 

 staples. The logs for the making of the 

 cut dishes are taken to the mill and blocked 

 off into flitches, either in the form shown in 

 Fig. 1 or in Fig. 2. Or the dishes are cut 

 out one by one from the solid block, with 

 cutting blades, so that they are separated 

 singly, as in Fig. 3. The blocks from the 

 processes in Figs. 1 and 2 are intended for 

 the turning of substantial wood dishes for 

 table purposes. The thin butter and pie 

 plates are made from veneer in quick time, 

 or turned out from the solid piece with spe- 

 cial machinery. 



When the blocks are furnished as in the 

 first views, an opportunity is given workmen 

 to produce some artistic dishes for table 

 purposes. In recent years there has been 

 a large call from wealthy people who desire 

 to fit out rustic rooms in country residences 

 where the furniture is made of rough lumber 

 with the bark left on. Such an equipment 

 usually includes some artistically engraved 

 hardwood dishes, which are purchased plain, 

 as a rule, and are turned over to the wood 

 engraver to ornament. 



.Vutomatic cutting machines are of course 

 doing away with much of the hanchwork for- 

 merly required. These niacliines can turn 

 out good plates at high speed. There is a 

 gripping contrivance on the carriage and this 

 device holds the block and feeds it. The 

 knives cut the disks from the face of the 

 block, one after the other, something after 

 the order shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 5 are 

 shown different types of dishes required by 

 the present market. 'Ihere are many special 

 designs needed every season, according to the 

 requirements of the packers and the house- 

 wives who use wooden dishes. 



Frequently the automatic machinery has 

 to be dispensed with in order to fill certain 

 orders for urns of the style shown in Figs. 

 5 and 6. Manufacturers of certain goods 

 may desire a special type in which to pack 

 goods for the market. They are always look- 



