HARDWOOD RECORD 



29 



comfrey, giugor. nmrshmellow roots, aniseed, aconite (as poison as 

 strychnine), Indian turnip, belladonna root, coffee, wormwood, ergot, 

 tobacco and more than thirty other things of similar kind. It eats 

 the deadliest poison with impunity. It is sometimes called the 

 "drugstore beetle," because of its habit of going there to satisfy 

 its appetite. 



It can readily be understood that insects like these will not spare 

 wood. There are known to be more than 150 species of these "seed" 

 beetles, and a prominent entomologist ventured the guess that fifty 

 remain unknown for every one we know. They look so much alike 

 and work in places so hidden from sight, and are so hard to locate 

 (except by the destruction they cause) that comparatively little is 

 known of them. When a floor beam suddenly breaks, or a pile of 

 staves, or a lot of empty barrels is found to be in a damaged state, 

 or a storehouse of wagon stock becomes wormy, then some idea is 

 gained of what it costs to satisfy the maw of the ptinids, which the 

 ancient Greeks very appropriately named "destroyers." 



A well-known source of damage to seasoned wood- is what is popu- 

 larly known as ' ' the powder post beetle, ' ' or simply ' ' powder post. ' ' 

 This name is due to the fine dust that sifts from the affected wood. 

 It is like sawdust only much finer — more like the dust produced by 

 sand belts where wood is polished. The trouble is usually not serious, 

 except where wood has been stored a considerable time. 



The origin of this trouble is often misunderstood, and is attributed 

 to "dry rot." Under certain circumstances so-called "dry rot" 

 may produce an effort quite similar; but, strictly speaking, there 

 is no such thing as dry rot ; that is, if wood is dry and stays( dry, it 

 will not rot. The instances where rotting seems to occur are mis- 

 leading. The wood which decays is either not dry or dampness reaches 

 it in some way. Most timber damaged by powder post is dry. Some 

 of it has been air drying for months or years, and it contains too 

 little moisture to cause decay. The damage in such cases is done 

 by insects, and they are generally spoken of collectively as powder 

 post beetles. 



The name answers ordinary purposes very well, but upon close 

 examination it is misleading unless explained. It does not define any- 

 particular family, genus, species or variety of insects, but refers to 

 sll sorts and kinds of small larva that work in dry wood. Some 

 of those described in preceding paragraphs are included, particularly 

 those of the ptinid family, such as ' ' seeds, " " death watches ' ' and 

 the like. About the only condition to be observed in applying the 

 term "powder post beetles" to them is that they must be small 

 insects, must work in dry wood and must produce fine, dust-like 

 powder. They need not be beetles and still be powder post insects, 

 the way the term is popularly used. They might be wood bees, for 

 some of these bore holes and e.ject very fine powder; but the term is 

 not generally applied to wood bees. In most instances the work is done 

 by the larva of very small beetles. The holes they make are often 

 so minute that they escape notice until a very careful examination 

 is made. Their presence in wood is first revealed by the powder 

 that sifts out of the holes. 



Damage from this cause is sometimes very serious. Valuable 

 wood may be totally ruined. The worst of it is that before the 

 presence of the insects has been discovered the interior of the wood 

 is infected and no known remedy can be applied to save the infected 

 stuff, except at prohibitive cost. The wood might be put in a kiln 

 and heated hot enough to kill all insects within; but that is gen- 

 erally impracticable. The usual procedure is to cull out the affected 

 pieces, use what is good, and remove the rest from the unaffected 



BtOfk. 



•Jak stock is not the worst sufferer from these insects. Hickory 

 fares much worse. The insects bore the wood to obtain food. They 

 do net want the wood itself, but the starch and other food products 

 in it; therefore they prefer to attack the kinds of wood richest in 

 these foods. They like sapwood, because it contains starch and 

 sugar, but heartwood has little. This explains why powder post 

 beetles prefer hickory to oak: hickory products are chiefly sapwood, 

 oak products are largely heartwood. A pile of oak staves, therefore, 

 is much safer from attack by the powder post insects than a pile of 

 hickory handles or wagon axles. Liability to attack does not depend 



wholly on the presence of sapwood, for damage to heartwood products 

 is frequently serious. Much depends on the kinds of wood. Some 

 escape where others are ruined. 



The preference which boring insects show for sapwood and their 

 dislike for heartwood are well illustrated in southern Texas, where 

 such woods as mesquite, huisache, ebony and cat's claw are cut. 

 These trees have thin sapwood, and where products are stored it is 

 not unusual to find the sapwood literally eaten up and the heart- 

 wood untouched. 



Dealers in forest products that are liable to be injured by small 

 boring insects are more concerned in finding out what can be done 

 to lessen the loss than in discovering the names of the insects that 

 cause the injury. As stated above, not much can be done after the 

 insects get in the wood. The remedy should be sought before the 

 attack becomes serious. An effective and not expensive mode of 

 procedure is to sprinkle kerosene over the wood. If the beetles are 

 not already at work inside the pieces, the oil will tend to drive them 

 away. That an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure 

 is as true in this case as in any other. When symptoms of attack 

 begin to appear, the quicker the stock can be worked up the better. 

 Insects already inside the pieces may continue their work, but 

 articles fully manufactured, particularly if oiled or painted, will 

 not further deteriorate on account of the powder post insects. 



Wood Exports and Imports for August 



The August imports of forest products from various countries are 

 given in the following list, abridged from statistics compiled by the 

 United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce: 



Quaniily Value 



Briar root and iv.v $ 21,241 



Cedar, feet 2.101,000 113,171 



Mahogan.v, feet 4.927,000 337,208 



Other cabinet woods, feet 142,088 



Round logs, feet 20,44G,00n 221,581 



Pulpwood, cords 132,127 925,760 



Rattan and reeds 142,620 



Lumber, feet 94,923,000 1,789,790 



Laths 60,905,000 171,629 



Shingles 50,062,000 134,520 



Chair and cane roeds 49,063 



Furniture 68,377 



Woodpulp. pounds 63,884,176 921,2^5 



Total imports $5,477,915 



The exports from the United States for the same period are 

 shown below: 



Quantitii Value 



Round logs, feet 11,397,000 $ 184,688 



Firewood 4,822 



Hewed timber, feet 3,946,000 102,097 



Sawed timber, feet 45,438,000 957,845 



Other timber, feet 2.607.000 47.423 



Lumber, feet 240,755,000 5,758.226 



.Toist and scantling, feet 1,045,000 20,112 



Railroad ties 434.190 231.907 



Shingles 6,698,000 14,604 



Box shocks 1,129,110 100,341 



Barrel shocks 93,415 200,292 



Staves 7.261.419 533.942 



Heading 17.199 



Other cooperage 305,165 



Doors, sash and blinds 93,134 



Furniture 599,933 



Empty barrels .32,242 



Incubators and brooders 3,984 



Trimmings, etc 63.900 



. Woodenware 47.301 



Wood pulp, pounds 1.496,484 31.457 



Other wood manufactures 648.!),37 



Total exports $10,090,000 



Have a sign on your mill to tell the passers by what it is and 

 who is running it. This is an inexpensive form of publicity that 

 has been too long neglected. 



Why is it that the man who is always on time and seldom 

 misses a day from work is the one who does the least grumbling 

 about the slavery of businesst 



