HARDWOOD RECORD 



or U already autborlzod to settle the frelgUt wltb his agent, then to the 

 shipbroker's office. Here It Is necessary that the money should be actually 

 produced, the law attaching much Importance to the production under the 

 quaint Idea that "the sight of it may tempt the creditor to yield." The 

 creditor may. however, dispense with the production ; but as the point 

 as to whether the conversation amounted to a waiver of production or not 

 is generally afterwards a cause of dispute, it is better not to leave such 

 a question open. Furthermore, the tender must be unconditional, and to 

 make a tender accompanied by a demand for a receipt in full is to in- 

 validate the tender. In one case a debtor said, "If you will give me a 

 stamped receipt. I will pay you the money, ' and he pulled out the 

 money as he spoke. The tender was, however, held bad for the condition. 

 VMiere a tender has been made and it is refused it should be noted that 

 it does not operate as a discharge of the debt, and the debtor must still 

 remain ready and willing to pay the debt. The effect of the tender Is to 

 put the pLiintitr in any subsequent proceedings in the wrong. "He is ex- 

 posed." says a notable legal writer, "as the litigious oppressor, while the 

 defendant stands forth as the virtuous citizen, who has all along been 

 ready and anxious to discharge his liabilities." 

 Old Wooden Water Pipes 

 For yi ars past old wooden water pipes have been dug up in various 

 parts of Loudon. They date from a period long before the employment 

 of iron for such pipes. The logs were bored, and preceded the modern 

 stove pipes. They are in various states of preservation, and it is pro- 

 posed to place samples in the British Museum. Some of them have come 

 down from the eighteenth century. It appears that they have not been 

 in active service for many years. 



Looking Backward 

 On general principles then is not much to be gained by looking back, 

 but it is sometimes encouraging because it enables us to see how far we 

 have come. One of the earliest reports of the exports of forest products 

 from this country was that compiled in 1S06 by Albert Gallatin, at that 

 time secretary of the treasury. The whole report did not exceed a dozen 

 lines, and three of the items, constituting nearly half of the whole an- 

 nual exports, are not now listed as products of the forest. These items 

 were ginseng, ashes, and skins and furs. The complete list of exports 

 for that year was as follows. 



Oak bark and other dyes $ 42,000 



Ginseng 139,000 



Xaval stores 409,000 



Skins and furs 841,000 



Ashes 935.000 



Lumber, boards, staves, shingles, hoops, poles, hewed 



timber, and masts 2,495,000 



Total $4,861,000 



Ginseng is still an important article of export, and it has yielded a 

 large income from the first up to the present. It has always gone to 

 <;iilna. The largest supplies have come from the mountain region between 

 New York and Georgia. 



Skins and furs are still exported, but not as forest products. Ashes 

 have practically disappeared from the export trade. They were formerly 

 valuable for soap making, but now the demand comes from manufacturers 

 of fertilizers. The export of lumber has grown steadily from that time 

 till this, with occasional variations. The annual export of naval stores 

 is thirty times as much now as in 1806. 



Red Gum in Syria 



Red gum from Memphis. Tenn.. and other southern markets, is finding 

 its way slowly but somewhat surely into the cities of Asiatic Turkey, 

 where it is in demand for furniture making. Five months or more are 

 required for the delivery of the lumber after it is shipped. That is be- 

 ' ause direct transportation is not to be had. Some of the lumber first 

 u'oes to Egypt where it passes through the hands of a middleman l>efore 

 it is forwarded to its destination, and other has a still more circuitous 

 route, and first makes the journey to Bremen or Hamburg, and from there 

 is transshipped to its destination. 



The demand for furniture lumber in the cities of Syria is not large 

 but Is growing. Imports of ready made furniture are small. The na- 

 tives prefer to have the manufacturing done at home. Skilled workmen 

 are paid 8 ',2 cents a day in the furniture factories or shops. The climate 

 is dry and roads are very rough. Furniture will not stand many or dis- 

 tant moves. The principal demand for it is in the cities among the 

 better class of people. In remote country districts the small quantities 

 f furniture in use are made of native woods, but in the coast cities 

 I'-alers are anxious to use American woods. 



Little Pianos Preferred 



A trade report states that American pianos find an unfavorable market 

 in India, because they are built too large and high to make them popular 

 with local customers who belong chiefly to European migratory classes. 

 The main requisite for pianos in India is easy portability. Most of the 

 purchasers are officials connected with the Indian military and civil 

 service and members of the foreign mercantile community, very few of 

 whom have Intentions of permanently residing in the country. Such per- 

 sons are frequently obliged to shift their residence in accordance with 

 instructions they may receive almost any time. Naturally, therefore, 

 they prefer pianos which can be moved about without undue expense 



. _43 



or damage and which could also meet with a ready sale in case of leaving 

 the country altogether. Such persons consider pianos not as Investments 

 as they often do in other countries, but only as temporary means of 

 amusement. The pianos desired are the cheapest makes possible con- 

 sistent with good tone, and no pianos arc wanted which are more than 

 four feet high. 



Tupelo Flooring 



Another bit of evidence to prove the merit of tupelo for durable floor- 

 ing in exacting situations is contained In a recent letter from Place 

 Bros., dealers in wholesale lumber, in Boston. ITiey say : "You may be 

 interested to learn that this floor has not changed shape since it was laid 

 three years ago; that It has withstood the wear In a retail lumber yard 

 oflSce ; that it takes a nice polish and appears satisfactory. The entire 

 floor was absolutely clear of knots and stain." 



Soap from Horse Chestnuts 



The soupy nature of the kernel of the horse chestnut has led investi- 

 gators to search for a way to utilize It in removing dirt and grease from 

 textil'S. Several methods of extracting this soapy substance have been 

 patented. The kernel is said to contain about 6.6 per cent of a pale 

 yellow oil similar to almond oil. After this has been extracted the residue, 

 treated with diluted alcohol, yields an extract containing about flfteeii 

 per cent esculic acid, a saponaceous substance that has excellent lathering 

 and cleaning properties. Profitable uses have also been found for other 

 parts of the horse chestnut. The shell is rich in tannin, and may be 

 used in preparing an extract for tanning leather. The material left after 

 the oil and soap have been removed can be made into a white starch. 

 When treated with cold water to remove the bitter taste it is suitable for 

 food. 



American Saws in Australia 



Some of the Australian woods are nearly as Lard as bone and where 

 such timbers are handled, it is useless to equip a sawmill with any 

 saws except the best. Little appears to have been said in this country 

 on the subject of breaking into the Australian market, but American 

 manufacturers have not been idle, as may be judged by a protest lately 

 made in England that the saw market of Australia is being captured by 

 Americans. The lOnglish naturally feel that the Australian market ought 

 to belong to the home country : but the only way to bold a market Is 

 to give better goods or lower prices than competitors. When the Ameri- 

 cans not only furnish better saws than ail rivals, but at lower prices 

 also, it becomes a hard game to beat. 



A London paper comments on the situation, and offers the following 

 advice to English saw makers : 



"With all due deference to the makers of American saws. Sheffield pro- 

 ductions can well hold their own. There is, however, one thing that we 

 should like to impress upon members of the trade in Sheffield — that the 

 Americans generally are very progressive as regards finding business : they 

 know the benefits of advertising, and that sales of goods on their merits, 

 though steady, are not so quick as when pushed by the catchy advertise- 

 ment and the energetic man of the road. The words Sheffield steel have 

 a true ring about them. .Tnd are known the world over, but it does not 

 necessarily follow that the world will run to Sheffield : the town must 

 sustain its reputation by advertising and by continuing to send its ambas- 

 sadors of commerce throughout the world." 



Utilizing Sanding Dust 



It would seem that the fine sanding dust resulting from the manufac- 

 ture of handles, wagon stock, etc., should find some profitable use. Users 

 of wood flour say it is not suitable for their purposes, as it is too hard 

 and coarse. Manufacturers of dynamite and of linoleum use considerable 

 quantities of wood flour but to meet their requirements the flour must be 

 extremely fin(S (200 mesh) and madi' from a light, absorbent wood, such 

 as spruce or pine. 



Wood flour for use in making marblelzed fiber, however, need not com- 

 ply with such exacting standards, and it is possible that the sanding 

 dust of hardwoods might be used for this purpose. Manufacturers of 

 such products claim that they have tried wood flour made in this coun- 

 try and find It unsultcd to their needs. There Is reason to believe that 

 they obtained an especially low-grade prcKluct and it seems that no valid 

 reason exists why we should have to import this material. 



One use for hickory sanding dust Is for polishing jewelry, but, of 

 course, the amount consumed is very small. Another use that offers good 

 opportunities is in making floor cleaner. Fine sawdust as well as wood 

 flour Is used in making this product. 



Harvesting Ties in the Ozarks 



The St. Louis Globe Pomocrat in a r.ccnt issue contains a rather Inter- 

 esting story of the evolution of the tie In the Oznrk mountains. This 

 well-written article describes the process of cutting out the ties of both 

 the sawed and hewn variety from the rugge<i mountain country In the 

 Ozarks. According to the report, the buyers and Inspectors estimate that 

 Missouri will market 4.000,000 or 5.000,000 ties this year. The Ozark 

 ties are of black oak. while oak and pine, and are coming by river and by 

 wagon from the various towns along the Ozark mountains. The drive 

 is Just ending at Van Buren. Mo., which brought out about 150.000 tics 

 from the head-waters of the Current river. With those the town of Van 

 Buren will ship about 500,000 ties for use on the Frisco and Iron 

 Mountain railroad this year. 



