42 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



atus. 'J'licy hiivo all boi'U li-ii'il. Thiw have hcen discardi'd. TU.' 

 "Battleship Skidder" has wmi its place by sheer merit and the placlnt; 

 of au order by Kraneis Heldler for .fSO.UOu lor a linplii'alc. of ibose lie 

 had used Icir Ibree years, speaks voliinics, 



Chicaso Wireless Station Contemplated 

 The Navy Department conlemplali's the ereetion of a powerful wireless 

 station at North Cbieaso to match Ihat at Arlington. Va., which is one of 

 the most powerful in the world. Its principal tower is 600 feet high, and 

 Its range under favorable conditions extends to the Pacific ocean and an 

 equal distance in all olher directions. It is understood that the contrail 

 has not yet been let for the Chicago station, but announcement that It is 

 In [■onteniplaiicin w,-is made in Ihe ("unsular and Trade Kepurt of Oct. :;. 



Press Comment on American Forest Trees 



■"rimber," published in London. Kn^i.nid. niakis the I'cillnwini; revii'W 

 of American forest trees : 



Some months ago we mentioned Ibat a liook on .\mirii:in I'.insi Irees 

 was in process of preparation. This work, w'bleb iJinxrs tn dr n \. rv valua- 

 ble addition lo our library, was written by II. II Ciii-.n, il ilii.ir of 



Uardwoou Ukimuii. and edited by Hu Ma.xwell. tlic ui.nl m ili/:ii i.m •Xpert. 



The matter lonlained in rbe work has fnkni up . .iiivjiici;i|,i,. time of 

 both the author and editor lor nioie than .1 .|u;ni. !■ ni a centur.\'. and has 

 been i.ssued more as a labor of Iovl- than wiili .nn . \]iritation that It will 

 constitute a source of pmiit. 'III. work is a- niaii . aud of such a prac- 

 tical nature that it will answ.T ivny ■luesiimi wuiih asking concerning 

 any type of American fori'si n. 1 jrowih, or the resultant lumber product. 



The material on which iln \.ilniii. is based appeared in II.ardwoop 

 Record, of Cbieago. in a sni.- oi ,111 i. Irs beginning in I'.iO.j and ending 



in mi:! .and des.riiili\ t ili. i..i.~i ir^-.s of tbis conniiv. More than ■ 



one hiHiili.-.i l.'.'i.lin.,- s|„., i..- v.iv Hhlu.l^-d in lie. srii..., ,oiis| ituting the 



principal sour, IS oi III I h,i Ihe liiiir.i siaii- llh' |,rrsrnr volume 



iui'ludcs all 111, s|,.a irs . I, 's, i i i „ •, ) in flir scri.'s ,ii alii, lis. wiih a large 

 number of 1. ss inipoiiani uv, s add. d. i;ver.\ ii -iuii ui Ui. country is rep- 

 resented : no valuable tree is omitted, and the lists and descriptions are as 

 complete as they can be made in the limited space of a single volume, 

 and the work Is pi'actieal. simple, plain, and to the point. Trees as they 

 grow In the forest, and woorl as ii appc-ars at the mill and factory, are 

 described and di.seussid. riioi,,-i,i|iiis and drawings of trunk and foliage 

 are made lo tell as much ot in, ^i,>i\ as possible ,and the blocks are 

 nearly all from photoirrapbs mad, ~p, , lally for that purpose. Statistics 

 are not given a iilai-c for it was n,, pan of the plan to show the product 

 and the oniimi ,,i Hi, (,aiiiir\ s inills and forests, but rather to describe 

 the soiiri ,~ ,,i 111,,-,, |,i,nlti, 1- III, M,, - itiomselves. and indicate the fitness 



of the \ari,,iis u 1- i,,i iiiaii\ ii-,~ file promiifcent physical properties 



are descriU'd in laoiiiem, as m,,, as po.ssible from technical terms, and ,yet 

 with accuracy and cloam, ~~ 1 1, s, liptions Intended to aid in identification 

 of trees are given wiih -imiiliiiy and clearness, and brevity carefully 

 studied. The differeni iiaiii,s .,1 lommerclal trees In the various localities 

 where they are known, .■iilirr as standing timber or as lumber in the yard 

 and factory, are included in ilie d.scriptions as an assistance in identifica- 

 tion. The natural ran;;.- of tlie for.st trees, aud the regions where they 

 abound in commercial c|iiantil'es, are oulliued according to the latest and 

 best authorities. Kstimates of present and future supply are offered, 

 where such exist that seem to be authoritative. The trees have .<een given 

 the common and the botanical names recognized as oflicial by the United 

 States Forest .Service. This lessens misunderstanding and confusion in the 

 discussion <if species whose common names are not the same in different 

 regions, and whose botanical iiam.-s are not agreed upon among scientific 

 men who mention or descrilie theiu. 



The forests of tlie I'nited .states contain more than five hundred kinds 

 of trees, ranging in size from the California sequoias, which attain di- 

 ameters of twenty feet or more and heights exceeding two hundred, down 

 to Indefinite but ver.v small dimensions. The separating line lietween trees 

 and shrubs is not determined by size alone. In a general way. shrubs ma.v 

 be considen-cl sinaller tbao tic's. Imt a .seedling tree, no matter how small, 

 is not properiy .alb'il a slinili II is customary, not only among botanists, 

 but also ainooL' [h is,.iis who d<i not usually recognize exact scientific terms 

 and distinctions, to aiipiv th,- iiaiiie tree to all woody plants which pro- 

 duce naturally in their baliit.it me main, erect stem, bearing a definite 

 crown, no matter what size 1 hey may attain. 



The commercial timbers of ib,, tnit.d States are divided Into two 

 classes, hardwoods and softwoods. Thi' division is for convenience, and is 

 sanctioned by custom, but it is not based on the actual hardness and soft- 

 ness of the different woods. The division has, however, a scientific basis 

 founded on the mechanical structures of the two classes of woods, and 

 there is little disagreement among either those who use forest products 

 or mannfaclure them, or those who investigate the actual structure of the 

 woods them.selves, as to which belong in the hardwood and which In the 

 softwood class. 



The book, which is thoroughly well bound in dark green leather and 

 cloth, is offered at $6 net, prepaid, and is well worth the money. Copies 

 may be obtained by applying to II.mu.wuoh Kkiord. Chicago. 1". S. A. 



Peanut Hulls and Sawdust 



Lumbermen Interested In saving all mill waste that is possible, have 

 pushed sawdust wherever there seemed to be a chance of finding a mar- 

 ket for it One use was found in tin plate mills where sawdust is em- 

 ployed in cleaning the product. Now comes a Virginia peanut grower 

 with a preparation made of ground peanut hulls, and claims that he has 

 something better than sawdust for cleaning tin plate. Rran is sometimes 

 employed ffir tills purpose. 



Shrinkage In Hardwoods 



It is well known that some woods shrink much more than others while 

 seasonini;. Few show less effect of shrinkage than mahogany, few show 

 more of it than eucalyptus. Down in Louisiana some practical men have 

 been investigating the behavior of woods of that region and the con- 

 clusion seems to l)e that chinquapin oak (locally known as pin oak) 

 shrinks less thtin any other when used as axles for log wagons. Team- 

 sters frequently cut a green stick, hew it In shape, put the Irons on It, 

 and supply a broken axle. It never shrinks sufficiently to loosen the 

 Irons, according to the testimony of teamsters. Osage orange or bodark 

 is known as a wood that shrinks and swells very little. Wagon felloes 

 made of it stand so well that tires never become loose, no matter how 



liot aud dry the climate may be. However, it cannot be said of any 

 known wood that it will not shrink and swell. All that can be claimed 

 is that some obt-y such changes in a much less or a much greater degree 

 than others. 



Sawmills in Holland 



The densely populated agricultural country of Holland is not a reglonl 

 where many sawmills or large lumber yards would be expected, yet accord- 

 ing to a late report by an American consul at Scheveningen there are 

 about ;i80 active sawmills In Holland, many of which have large lumber 

 yards. The motive power Is steam in most Instances, but not in all. 

 One lumber center which has twenty-five sawmills has six which are 

 operated by wind power, and nineteen by steau). Five thousand persons 

 in that country are employed by sawmills. 



In 183."i there were only 417.071 acres of forest in Holland, but the 

 area had increased In 1910 to G42,96.j acres. All sandy soils, not worth 

 mucli for pasture ;ind field crops, are being gradually planted to com- 

 mercial timber. In spite of its small wooded area, Holland Is actually 

 exporting rather large quantities of its own timber to Belgium and Ger- 

 many for use in the mines, 'in 1911 the country exported 1,469,603 tons 

 of limber, equivalent lo approximately 730.000.000 feet, but it was not 

 all grown In Holland. 



The Dutch are natural lumbermen. They were once the greatest timber 

 merchants in Europe. When they established the Manhattan colony (New 

 York) one of the first public enterprises was to build a wind mill to saw 

 lumber. 



Turkey to Build Houses 



Turkey is undertaking an important enterprise which may mean a 

 market for American lumber : but whether it does or not. It Is a move- 

 ment which will be watched with interest. The Balkan war drove many 

 thousand Turks from their farms in Macedonia and other European 

 provinces of the Turkish empire, and they fled into Asia Minor. Many 

 of them carried nothing with them, and are homeless and destitute. 

 Such things have often occurred in war. but generally the unfortunate 

 refugees have been left to shift for themselves. The Turks are about to 

 give a lesson In civilization which will be worth learning. 



Large areas of vacant land suitable for farming l>elong to the Turkish 

 government. The refugees will be settled on these lands, and 40.000 . 

 houses will be built for them by the government. They will also be 

 supplied with jigricultural tools and oxen to enable them to begin life 

 over again. 



The current reports that the Balkan allies depopulated large areas 

 of conquered territory seems to have pretty good foundation in fact. 

 Turkey would not build forty thousand houses unless they were needed. 



Back to Wooden Sh:ps 



Steel is getting Its bumps no less than wood, and the latest knock comes 

 from some of the shipowners of Australia. Along the coast south of 

 Sidney, where vessels are liable to receive rough usage on account of the 

 condition cf some of the harbors, the owners are seriously considering 

 going back to wooden vessels, and two have already been ordered. The 

 elasticity of wood enal)les ships of that material to stand rough usage 

 which will soon put a steel vessel out of commission. Wood may not be 

 so strong as steel, but in certain situations it will stand more. 



A peculiar situation has come to light in connection with the contract 

 for building the wooden ships in Australia. It has developed that tim- 

 ber suitable for ships is scarce in that couutr.v and hard to get. This will 

 come as a surprise to most people, because it has generally been sup- 

 posed that If Australia had plenty of wood for any purpose, it was for 

 shipbuilding. A great deal has been written about the various elms, 

 mahoganies, teaks, eucaly-its, and numerous other hardwoods of that 

 country: but it seems that when enough Is wanted to lay Sown the keels 

 of a couple of ship,s, there is trouble in finding It. The Australian ship- 

 builders can take comfort in the knowledge that the t'nited States has 

 large amounts of the highest-class ship timber on earth and will gladly 

 furnish all Ihat may be needed. 



What Is Legal Tender? 



The London Timber Trades Journal lays down some simple rules as to 

 what constitutes legal tender, and the same rules will apply, with slight 

 modification, in this country, because the common law here Is about the 

 same as in England. 



When a merchant. In attempting to settle an account for freight, as 

 to the exact amount of which there Is a dispute, has his check refused 

 and returned to him, or when the relations between the parties are such 

 that it is possible that a cheek. If sent, will be thus ignominlously treated, 

 the merchant should lose no time In making a formal tender of the 

 amount which he admits to be due. If the tender is not made, and the 

 shipowner brings an action for balance of freight, the merchant will. 

 In respect of the sum admitted due. have to pay the costs ot any suit 

 the shipowner day take. As to the form of the tender, and the manner 

 In which it shall be ac?onipli.shed, strict rules prevail. In the first place, 

 the payment must be of the whole debt. A tender may, of course, be 

 made of a larger sum of money than the amount ot the debt, but the 

 debtor must not demand change. In the second place the payment must 

 be in legal tendei. In each case the money must, of course, be in the 

 current coin of the realm. Having made up tlie requisite sum in this 

 manner, so that it will not be necessary to ask for change, and prefer- 

 ably accompanied by a witness, he will proceed to the .shipowner's office. 



