20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



September 10, 1921 



ity in a water-spray kiln with a tlicrmonieter, the Inilb of wliidi is the minimum relative humidity 70 per cent, etc. Before the dry- 

 I)ln<'eci in the baffle plates below the sprays. ing is started, however, the lumber should be "steamed" with 

 The moisture content of the wood, based on the weight of the saturated air at or slightly above the same temperature at which 

 wood when absolutelv dry, is first obtained, and then the wood d>-.vi"K ■« to '»'«"'• This preliminary treatment serves to heat the 

 is placed in the kiln 'and "subjected to the humiditv and tempera- lumber through and to soften up the outside enough to relieve any 

 ture given in columns 2 and 3 on the same horizontal line with the ""'t" condition which nu.y have occurred, especially in air-sea- 

 moisture content as determined for the wood to be dried. After a soned stock. 



moisture content of about 40 per cent has been reached during the The minimum and maximum number of days required to dry the 

 drying process, the temperature is increased and the relative wood to 5 per cent moisture, starting at different moisture con- 

 humidity decreased by a limited number of changes as the mois- tents, is given in columns 6 and 7. The time applies only to that 

 ture content decreases. For e.xami)le, if 4/4- to 6/4-inch northern part of the lumber actually subjected to the specified conditions, 

 white oak with a moisture content of 65 per cent is to be dried, ■>"'' ''' conditions are not uniform in all parts of the kiln and it 

 according to Forest Products Laboratory drying schedule (i, it '« desired to dry all of the lumber to a specified moisture per cent, 

 should be placed in a kiln having a maximum temperature of the 'ensth of time required will depend upon the rate of drying in 

 n5°F. and minimum relative humidity of 80 per cent; with 30 the coolest place in the kiln. The safest and most accurate way of 

 per cent moisture content, the maximum temiierature is 123°F. and determining the length of time to dry the wood is to use moisture 



content as a basis in regulating kiln conditions, because no two 



F. p. L. DRYING SCHEDULE 8 runs of wood can be depended upon to dry to the same moisture 



Applies to 4 4 to 6 4 inch Southern Red and White Oak having wide annual content at exactly the same rate. In drying air-scasoned stock one 



growth rings ^^ ^j^^p^_ ^^^^^ should be added to the number of days listed in 



' ■ — columns 6 and 7 of the schedules to compensate for the time 



aont'ut'of ' BumUltF ud t»mp.r»turt I drying tlca required for preliminary steaming and the establishment of drying 



tItIou? ■ '•"■•"» noliture oont«otd of : »p,rullimt« nai*er of coniuilons. 



•*••«•> of ' ltil-»a«4 : dva to Jry on«-taoh To dry oak over 1% inches thick, it is recommended that the 



In Jr Dt 1 riutlT* : -- b p«r ««at oontur*. humidities opposite the various moisture contents as given in sched- 



cf irg : hualjlt/ i Br/ i w.t : u*m : itertlog fromdiff.r- ujj.g 6 to 8 be used, but in each case reduce the temperature bv 



• •Ight I 1 buHi bulb ; point : mt moutur* oontentg „ , „ , , . „ , . , . . , . , 



1 , ; : I of it.» wod. ( uort«r nve degrees Fahrenheit for each inch increase in thickness over 



j I ' ! ! io*K«r^**** *'""'* ^^^ 1'/^, except that it is unnecessary to go below a minimum initial 



' Z T"S — T""; T— : 1 temperature of 100 degrees, provided conditions in the kiln are 



.J .J , . . , jiroperly maintained. 



76 I 1)6 I loft ■ 101 I 100 '• 4? • it Any casehardening that may occur during drying should be re- 



, , ^ , , . lieved bv "steaming" or "sweating" through raising the humid- 



*° 86 , 106 , 101 . 100 : 46 , 64 t t " ■ ^ i ^i j ■ , • f rr, ■ * ^ 



66 I 86 1 106 • 101 100 ! 44 i 68 ^ty to a point where the wood al)sorbs moisture. This treatment 



7Z '' " * " ■■ ■■ moistens and softens the w'ood fibers so that thev lose their "set" 



M 1 66 , 106 , 101 : 100 ! 4E i 61 j •, u ij v. • , .. ' ■ , , 



66 ; 86 ; 106 : 101 : 100 I 40 I 49 conditions, and it should be given whenever strong tension develops 



io ^ 86 'losVioI "^ "ioo'^'m ' 46 ^" '^''^ Center of a board, as shown by inward cupping when the 



46 , 86 J 106 J 101 : ioj : 66 : 46 stock is resawed. Such a final treatment should be given at or near 



^Q - 1 ^ "llo"'""io4""i""iog""^""M 1 40 the end of each run in order to relieve stresses and to balance the 



»6 I 80 : 110 I 104 : 10« : « i 8T moisture content. 



80 ! T6 I 116 1 lOT 1 106 \ tl ; »» Quarter-sawed stock dries a little faster at first than plain-sawed 



*' 1 TO 1 uo : 110 . lOT : 28 : «8 stock, but later on the latter dries considerablv faster than the 



... , ^ , , ., ., — .- .... 



80 1 60 I 126 : 110 I 107 i 18 i 68 former, .and the total time required for drying the quarter-sawed 



16 , 60 ! 130 : 10» . 106 1 18 : U ^^^^^ jg ^jj^y^ one-third longer than for the plain-sawed stock. 



10 I 40 ! 186 I 108 I 108 : 7 : 8 Quarter-sawed stock gives less trouble in drving than plain-sawed 



6 1 40 : 186 : 108 ! lOS : I * i i u ^ ^ xt i, ,"• 



Stock, however, because of less surface checking. 



{Continued from puijc IN) 



thnt it appears to me as supporting the effort we are making with Trade 

 Associations to bring about scientitic and accurate cost by members of 

 such associations. 



In one paragraph, '.unvovcr, you raise the question of the motives for the 

 estal)llshnieiit of such a system, while in another you don't. To be .spe- 

 cific, in iiaragraph three you say the Commission is strongly favoralile. 

 provlileil it is done si-ii'ntifically and accurately and "is not used for 

 ulterior motives in violation of law," while in paragraph six you say. "as 

 long as the principles of Cost Accounting are sound, etc., and provided the 

 results are not used directly or indirectly for ulterior purposes." 



These are not contradictory, if I understand what you meant. My 

 interpretation is that for a Trade Association to proceed to set up and 

 secure the use by its members of a scientitic and accurate plan of cost 

 accounting is not only legal and highly beneficial in your view, but the 

 use of this legal and highly beneficial information by the members of the 

 Trade Association or by the Association itself for purposes of price-fixing 

 is con<lemue<l by the Commission. 



THIKU LETTER. MK. CASKILL TO MK. McCULLOUOII : The sen- 

 tences which you quote from our letter of the twenty-Hfth do not seem 

 to us to be contradictory. 



Stated in .another way. the voiiccpiion of the Commission is that the 

 efforts of a trade association to educate the individual meniber in the 

 application of sound principles of cost accounting in his individual busi- 

 ness, are proper. But that any subsequent effort of the association to 

 reduce the Individual costs to an average or uniform cost basis and to 



procure the use of the group, is improper. The individual must fix his own 

 cost and his own margin. The group may not attempt to substitute a 

 group average or standard either of cost or margin for the iuilividuars 

 figures without being in peril of becoming an unlawful combiuation. 



•Applying this statement to your interpretation of our letter of the 

 twenty-fifth, it may be said that for a trade association to set up and 

 induce the use by its members of a scientific and accurate plan of cost 

 accounting is not only legal but highly beneficial to the individual mem- 

 bers of the association. The use of this legal and highly beneficial informa- 

 tion by each individual in establishing his own production cost and deter- 

 mining bis own margin, is entirely proper. If thereafter the association 

 at^-'nipts to induce its members to disregard their own varying figures 

 and use a common average or uniform figure of cost or margin or both, it 

 has departed from its proper position of instructor and may easily take on 

 the appearance of a price fixing combination in restraint of trade or in 

 suppression of competition. 



IIow far the association can lawfully go in acting as the merlium of 

 exchange of cost data among its members can only be determined after 

 the decision by the United States Supreme Court in pending action against 

 the American Column and Lumber Company et al, in which this question is 

 invidved. 



In such an expression as this, nothing is "condemned" by the Comnns- 

 sion. The Commission remlers judgment only after the trial of an issue 

 of fact upon a complaint, after hearing. Such letters as this are advisory 

 only, suggestions and nothing more, written in the hope that they may be 

 helpful. 



