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The Export of Oak Lumber 



.\loro tliiin forty ooiiiitrics, sihialcil in :l11 nf tlio five eoiiliiunits 

 into wliii'li the world is divided, roocive oak lumber from the United 

 States. In addition, tlie islands of Oceania draw supplies of this 

 wood from America. The amount sent away from this country last 

 year, to find markets in every climate of earth, was 2i;2,2()6,000 feet, 

 wortli $9,.'):?9,413. 



ICo classes of oak are recognized iu export statistics, as far as 

 species are concerned. The liroad divisions, white oak and red 

 oak, are not even made; nor is aci'inint taken of dimensions. The 

 bare fact is given that so much ii;ik hinibcr is exported to such a 

 j"ountry, and its value is shown. 



It is a matter of common knowledge, though not found iu statistics, 

 that most export lumber is white oak; but there are a number of 

 kinds. The most common white oaks in the export trade are the fol- 

 lowing: The common white Oak whicli grows in the wliole eastern 

 half of the United States; post oak, which occupies practically the 

 same range as the common white oak; bur oak, common in the 

 northern and central states as far west as Minnesota and Kansas, 

 but not abundant in the South; overcup oak, known in the South 

 as forked-leaf white oak; chestnut oak, found from New England 

 to Alabama ; oow oak, common and of good quality in the Middle 

 South. 



Probably most of the red oak that goes abroad is the common 

 northern red oak, and the abundant southern or Texas red oak, 

 though there are a dozen other species of red oak which are occa- 

 sionally cut for lumber, and some of it may find its way abroad 

 in small amounts. 



The following table gives the exports of oak lumber of all kinds, 

 but not oak logs or staves: 



ExroiiT OF Oak I.tmhkb. ItirJ 



Destination ^ • Feet B. M. Value 



Austria-Hungary 13,000 .$ 520 



Belgium 31.5-18,000 1,284,778' 



Denmark l.-tsi.ooo 63,318 



France 3.04.-), ooo 161,451 



Germany 8.s(^0,00o 368,261 



Italy so:;, 000 31,996 



Netherlands S.Diic.ooo 401,541 



Norway SOO.OOO 33,844 



Portugal 42,000 1,865 



Spain 1.338.000 52,740 



Sweden 3.30.000 13,79" 



England 87.136.000 3,675,693 



Scotland 8,432.000 375,910 



Ireland 1.5.-i2,000 59.433 



Bermuda 2.000 163 



British Honduras 1.000 30 



Canada 57,504,000 2,334.230 



Guatemala 11.000 1,192 



Honduras 4,000 159 



Nicaragua 34.000 1,220 



Panama 314.000 14,989 



Mexico 1,115,000 39,566 



Miguelon 4,000 145 



Newfoundland 36,000 1,625 



Danish West Indies 2.000 155 



Argentina 5.500.000 397.961 



Bolivia 10.000 1.284 



Brazil 45,000 3,025 



Chile 485,000 37,935 



Colombia 1,000 49 



Peru .. 202,000 14..'583 



Crugukv' ■.'.'. . .' 342,000 26.061 



Turkey in Asia 2.00(1 110 



Australia and Tasmania 1.097.000 90.438 



New Zealand ■ 197.000 17,075 



French Oceania 5.000 717 



British South Africa 297,00o 20.178 



Portuguese Africa 12.000 841 



Egypt 8.0OO 535 



IjEC.VriTfl.ATION 



Europe 1.55.036.000 6.525.147 



North America 59.027.000 2.393.474 



South America 6.585.000 480.898 



Asia '. ■■ 2,000 110 



Oceania 1,299,000 108.230 



Africa 317,000 21,554 



Total 222.206.000 ,'?9,529,413 



—26— 



Tile export of oak logs, rcjunii or liewcd, is not iucliuled in the 

 above figures. Approximately L',000,UOU feet of round oak logs leave 

 American ports yearly for distant lands, and a considerable, though 

 unknown, quantity of hewed oak timbers. It is probable that the 

 square timbers exceed the round logs. Of round logs in the export 

 trade, oak amounts to only about one-third as much as walnut. 



Little information is to be had concerning the uses to which oak 

 lumber is put in foreign countries. It is evident that the uses are 

 many, for tlie wood reaches so many ports that commodities must 

 differ greatly. It is known that furniture, house finish, parts of 

 m.aehinery, vehicles, railway cars, and ships take mucli of the oak. 

 Flooring is an important place filled by this wood in some countries ; 

 but its use as tongued and grooved flooring is not large. It is worked 

 itito jiarquet floors where woods of dark and light colors are cut to 

 geometrical forms to ju'/nUice patterns, borders, and the like. In sudi 

 work white oak is used to contrast with dark woods like mahogany 

 and teak. 



American oak naturally meets with many rivals among the oaks 

 of other countries; but the two most often in evidence are the Sibe- 

 rian or Japanese oak, and the European oak in England and on 

 the continent of Europe. The Japanese oak is successfully com- 

 peting in California, Washington, and Oregon with .American oaks, 

 because, on account of water transjiortation, it can be delivered 

 at a lower price. The European oak passes in trade by sever;il 

 names, among them being English oak and Austrian oak. 



This is the most stubborn rival that American oak encounters in 

 Europe. It is a wood of splendid quality and of fine figure, but it 

 is expensive, and so far as price is concerned, American oak can 

 beat it in most foreign markets. European oak, when brought to 

 America, costs from $1.50 to. $400 a thousand feet, and the cost of 

 similar grades in Europe are not much less. 



Fine American oak can be laid down in the principal markets of 

 Europe at half these figures, or less; and since it is the equal of the 

 native oak in all essential characteristics, it is natural that it should 

 crowd European oak from many places formerly held iby that wood. 

 Europe buys twice as much American oak lumber as all the rest 

 of the world, and Canada is the next bfist market. England and 

 Canada are the two best customers for this wood, and together they 

 buy sixty per cent of all the oak lumber exported from the United 

 States. 



Wood Imports and Exports for September 



The imports and exports of foiest products during September, 

 1913, are shown in the following lists which are abridged from sta- 

 tistics compiled by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. 



IjIroKTS 



Briar root and ivy. .$ 14.013 



Spanish cedar 1,082,000 feet 58,454 



Mahogany 7,339,000 feet 516,451 



\n other cabinet woods 138,827 



Round log's 9.393.000 feet 96,823 



Pulpwoods 127,076 cords 982,879 



Rattans and reeds 81,547 



Other unmanufactured woods 41,964 



Lumber 97,707,000 feet 1,872,049 



Lath 67,528.000 185,181 



Shingles 58,048,000 157.965 



All other lumber 156,367 



Chair cane or reed 56,836 



Furniture 82,847 



Wood pulp 1,951,646 



All other manufactured woods 336,947 



Total imports ,$6,690,796 



Exports 



Hewed and sawed timber 41,165,000 feet 824.575 



Lumber 213,654,000 feet 5,080,697 



Furniture 625,323 



Total exports ,$9,244,221 



