HARDWOOD RECORD 



JS 



protliK'ts ami particularly for the better hardwoocls are [iriilinlily aa 

 good in New York as in any other state in the Union on aCL'ount of 

 the dense population, varied wood consuming industries and special 

 manufacturing interests. For instance, the Brooklyn Cooperage Com- 

 pany of Tupper Lake makes practically all of the sugar barrels used 

 in the Xew York and Philadelphia trade. There is also an almost 

 countless number of small slack cooperage plants located all over 

 the state to supply barrels, especially for fruit shipping. Western New 

 York still maintains its high position as a producer of apples and 

 the large quantities of barrels used in this industry bring from forty 

 to forty-five cents apiece. 



In the future, it is estimated that the hardwoods will more than 

 ever hold their present important position in the lumber production 

 of the .\dirondack region. The hardwoods replace themselves so 

 readily by sjirouting and by scattering their seeds over both cut- 

 over ami burned areas that they gradually occupy areas formerly 

 covered by the white pine, spruce and hemlock. 



For several years around 1860 Xew Y'ork was a leader in lumber 

 production. At the present time it is the twenty-third state on the 

 list; but in spite of this wide discrepancy statistics show that the 

 present value of lumber produced is approximately the same as 

 that of 1860. Moreover, New York used to supply a large portion of 

 the wood consumed within the state. Now it sends from $15,000,000 

 to $20,000,000 out of the state for forest products every year. The 

 New Y'ork Central Eailroad alone spends between $3,000,000 and 

 $3,500,000 a year for ties, which could easily be produced within the 

 borders of the state. It is very fortunate that New Y'ork has taken 

 the leadership in forestry work, having a total forest reserve area 

 of over 1,600,000 acres of which 1,400,000 are in the Adirondacks. 

 There are over 19,000,000 seedlings in eight state nurseries in which 

 yellow poplar, red oak, black locust, honey locust and a variety of 

 hardwoods are being raised and set out over the state in addition to 

 the white pine, Norway pine, Scotch pine and Norway spruce. 



A great deal of splendid work has also been done along the line 

 nf fire protection. The Adirondacks have suffered from fire as severely 

 :is any other region in the country. The hardwoods have suffered 

 from these flagrant fires as well as the conifers, as the two are always 

 found in mixture and there are now forty-nine fire towers connected 

 up by telephone, maintained and operated by the state conservation 

 commission. This fire protection service, along with the reforestation, 

 has the hearty co-operation of the lumbermen of the state. Already 

 about 3,5U0 acres have been planted up to new growing timber. 



The reforestation and fire protection policies of the state have 

 been strongly endorsed by the Empire State Forest Products Associa- 

 tion, composed of all the lumbermen and "paper pulp interests of the 

 state. This organization is also very active in favor of repealing 

 the state laws which prevent the cutting and utilization of any 

 timber on the big state reserves. Even mature or decaying, or even 

 fire-killed timber, cannot be lawfully utilized, according to an old 

 constitutional provision. It has been estimated that a revenue of 

 from .$1,000,000 to $1,500,000 could be annually secured from the 

 present state reserve area without impairing its productivity and 

 value for future forestry purposes. These reserves contain some of 

 the finest hardwoods and coniferous timber in the Adirondacks 

 and it is expected that they will be handled for the production and 

 utilization of timber in the same way that the big federal national 

 forests are being managed in the West. They would also furnish 

 material for the mills which, .sooner or later, will have to go out of 

 business from lack of logs. 



It is in the closer and more intensive utilization of the products of 

 the forest, however, that the lumbermen arc mostly interested, and 

 as successful examples of complete utilization may be found with the 

 Adirondack hardwoods as in any other forest region in the country. 

 Moreover, conditions are very favorable to specializing in hardwood 

 products and to the utilization of practically all the slabs, trim- 

 mings, edgings and even sawdust, which in many operations are con 

 veyed to the burner. These conditions are as follows: 



1. Proximity to the most densely populated section of the country. 



2. Good transportation facilities. 



Ti. Kxicllent nuirkets for all kinds of products. 



i;__-Developnient of varied wood-using industries to utilize other- 

 wise waste products, such as wood alcohol, furniture, cooperage, shoe 

 last, novelty, broom handle, dowel, vehicle and handle stock plants. 



The recent co-operative study of the wood-using industries of New 

 York carried on by the New York State College of Forestry at 

 Syracuse and the Unitcu States Forest Service has developed some 

 very interesting facts, among which are that New York is the greatest 

 wood consuming state in the Union and it is a leader in the box board, 

 excelsior, wood pulp, music instrument, gunstock, furniture and 

 shipbuilding industries. During the year 1!)12 the investigation 

 showed that over 1,750,000,000 board feet were consumed in the 

 wood-using industries of the state. These eagerly center around the 

 Adirondack region, the lumber centers of HufTalo, the Tonawamias, 

 New Y'ork City and Jamestown, which is a great furniture and veneer 

 point. Connected with several of the Adirondack hardwood mills 

 are many specialized industries, such as shoe last, handle, whip stock, 

 bobbin, furniture round and novelty mills, which depend largely on 

 the otherwise waste products of beech, hard maple, birch, basswood 

 and red cherry for their raw material. Very little sawdust goes to 

 waste, for it finds a ready market for packing purposes, stal)le bed- 

 ding, storing of ice, especially in the big ice houses along the upper 

 Hudson river, mattings, etc. N. C. B. 



Baltimore Exports Gain 



The curtailment of lumber exports through Baltimore, which had 

 become very pronounced for several months, seems to have been 

 checked, and for the first time since the beginning of summer the 

 month of September showed an increase in shipments as compared 

 with the corresponding month of last year. The gain, taking mere 

 totals for September last over September, 1912, was somewhat more 

 than 100 per cent, but account must be taken of the fact that a 

 considerable part of the increase is on the score of West Virginia 

 spruce shipments to South America, which are occasional and make 

 up nearly three-quarters of the increase. There was a falling off 

 in the forwardings of hickory and oak logs, the classification "all 

 other logs" also exhibiting a blank. A slight reduction in the ship- 

 ments of oak lumber is likewise to be noted, while poplar and "all 

 other ' ' lumber made a material gain. The general tendency appeared 

 to be in the direction of an expansion of the exports, and it is thought 

 that the low ebb of the foreign movement has been passed. The 

 comparative figures are as follows: 



liil.t 1912 



I-.'Ct Feet 



ij\iantit.v. Viiliic. Quantity. Value. 



«,000 $200 



1'.-|.000 ^-.i.fitC, Tu.OOO 3.727 



20.000 620 



30.000 850 



Hickory 



Logs, Hickory 



Logs, Walnut 



Logs. Oak 



Logs, All Others 



Lumber. Oak 1.5U3.000 02.097 1 ,.i86,000 .52.397 



Lumber, Poplar :m.000 l.-.,8-41 133,000 5.707 



Lumber, .Ml Others 2.39.000 10.300 9S.O0O 4.203 



Shocks, All Others 1 .•'i7fi 1.514 1.990 2.025 



Staves 2l.:ir.3 1.930 7.103 475 



All other manufactures of lumber :i.fi00 4.5.59 



Furniture -■•'^■'" -•"''* 



Trimmings '-^l-* ^ ■'"' 



.Vll other manufactures of wood .30.61(1 24.048 



The total of all exports for September last is $211,140, against 

 not more than $104,823 for September, 1912, but, as has been ex- 

 plained, not less than $71,328 of this is on account of spruce lumber, 

 which is shipped only occasionally and of which several shipments 

 may happen to fall within one month, thus materially swelling the 

 total of exports without making the increase of real signifi.iime in 

 sofar as the export business generally is concerned. 



About the best way to keep from being a slave to your business 

 is to be master of it. 



Even a "hot air" brand of jpoliteness is better than none. 



.\ reputation for furnishing good lumber is worth a lot more in 

 the market than a reputation for furnishing cheap lumber. 



Sometimes a furniture manufacturer hopes to save money by 

 seeking a lower grade lumber for his work when the true route to 

 economy is really by way of th.' upi>er grades at higher prices. 



