^ 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



'riiou}?h tlie living tree resists attack, not much ciui lio il.-iimoil t'(ir 

 tlie wood after the tree dies. It is only nioderate in its resistiuicc 

 to decay. 



The fiK"rc .-nid tlic t.\\tiir<' of red ;.'Uiii have iiiadi' it tlie most 

 satisfactory siibstituto in the world for Circassian walnut, ilncli 

 has been said on the subject and much remains to be said. Per- 

 lia|is the most pointed thin;; that ouj»ht to lie said is that the 

 time should speedily come when red {.'um will stand on its own 

 merits and will uot pass as a substituti' for anything;; but that 

 time has not yet come, and it is ajipropriate to spe.-ik (d' this 

 wood as it is used at present. 



(Circassian walnut, for which figured gum is so often a substi- 

 tute, is an Asiatic wood (Jurilans rcpia). Its original home, as its 

 name indicates, was Cireassia, a region of western Caucasus, now 

 in<lnded in the Russian government of Knban and Chernomorsk, 

 lyinj; between the Blaek sea and Kuban river. In a circular by 

 Suilworth and Mell, of the United States Forest Service, issued 

 .lanuary 2o, 1913, it is stated that Circassian walnut's range 

 extends ea.stward to northern India and northern Burma. It has 

 lii-cii widely twtended by ]daiiting, which began in Europe before 

 till' Christian era, ami may lia\e been as early in India and China. 

 This is the tree which bears the nuts of commerce known as 

 Knglish, French and Italian walnuts. They all come from the 

 same tree, though it is known by different names. 



The Circassian walnut wood that reaches this country comes 

 from Cireassia, and to a less e.xtent from northern India. The 

 ]danted trees of Europe furnish wood of a lower grade, and little 

 of it reaches the United States, and when it is sold to European 

 manufacturers it is not called Circassian, but English, French, 

 Italian, or Austrian walnut. 



There is not enough Circassian walnut to meet the demand, 

 even at the high price asked for it. It is brought at great expense 

 from the mountains where it grows. When it reaches seaports 

 or railroad stations it sells by the ton at prices averaging about 

 $1G0 a thousand feet, log scale. Freight and middle men's profits 

 add nuu'h to this before it gets to the consumer. 



The quantity reaching the United States is not definitely known, 

 because it is imported simply as "cabinet wood" and is not re- 

 ported separately; but ' the Forest Service has published such 

 statistics of manufacture as have been compiled, from which it is 

 estimated that approximately 2,000,000 feet of Circassian walnut 

 reach the Ignited States yearly. 



A tour of observation among large furniture stores in any 

 American city will show much Circassian walnut, or what pretends 

 to be, in evidence. It is the same in New York, New Orleans, 

 Chicago, and all over the country. A little figuring will show 

 that 2,000,000 feet a year is totally inadequate to make all the 

 "Circassian" furniture that is being sold. In addition to furni- 

 ture, large quantities are demanded for interior house and office 

 finish, fixtures for stores, banks, saloons and offices, church fit- 

 tings, and musical instruments. To make all of these commodi- 

 ties, the 2,000,000, feet of Circassian walnut a year must suffice, or 

 substitutes must be used. 



There can be only one conclusion: nundi that passes as Cir- 

 cassian walnut is something else, and that "something else" is 

 in most cases red gum. 



The imitation is so exact in figure and color that it will tax 

 the knowledge of most people to tell the true from the false. 

 This applies not only to the ordinary purchaser who buys a bu- 

 reau or finish for an office, but it applies in many cases to the 

 <lealer. Sudworth and Mell say in the circular already referred 

 to: "Although it is easy for expert buyers to recognize true Cir- 

 cassian walnut logs, it is often difficult to distinguish the wood 

 from some of its substitutes when they have been skilfully stained 

 and finished. Chief among the woods w-hich resemble Circassian 

 walnut in general appearance is the so-called satin walnut, tassel 

 wood, or red gum of the United States, the wood of which has 

 been sold as Circassian walnut, both for furniture and for interior 

 finish. The wood from butt logs of red gum is often handsomely 

 veined and mottled, and is strikingly similar in general appear- 

 ance to Circassian walnut." 



K.xiuMts have worked out keys and explanations to assist in 

 detecting red gum when used as an imitation of Circassian wal- 

 nut. The keys are adequate in the hands of an expert who un- 

 derstands the structure of woods and can use a microscope; but 

 to any one else the keys are of little use because too diflicult for 

 ordinary use. The arrangement and size of the pores of the twO' 

 woods are much alike. They are so nearly the same that it is 

 doubtful if that tost .alone can be relied on to distinguish one 

 wood fiiini the other. The color alone is equally unreliable as a 

 means of identification, after the finisher has been at work. There 

 is a difference in luster — sometimes the difference is in favor of 

 the walnut and sometimes of the gum. The only feature in which 

 the walnut is always superior to the gum, as far as figure is cou- 

 cerneil, is \fi the burls and the crotch wood. No imitation, except 

 the work of the brush, can make gum look like walnut in that 

 particular. 



The two woods are thus brought together in a wide and useful 

 field. The one has been a prince among eastern woods for two 

 thousand years; the other was, until recentl}', a mere plebeian 

 among western woods; but now they have come into competition 

 that was not made possible by the eastern wood descending from 

 its high place, but by the western wood rising to the level of its 

 princely rival. 



Memphis Logging Conditions Not Promising 



There has been favorable weather throughout the greater por- 

 tion of the Memphis territory during the past fortnight and 

 good progress is rejiorted with logging work. There are complaints 

 that the amount of timber prepared for shipment in the delta 

 proper along the entire line of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley 

 road has been smaller than usual. This raises the question as 

 to whether or not there will be an adequate supply of logs for 

 the winter because the proportion of log receipts at Memphis 

 coming from the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley line is unusually 

 heavy. Every effort is being made to take advantage of present 

 favorable conditions and to prepare as much timber as possible 

 for later use. AVhether or not these efforts will be successful de- 

 pends largely upon the character of weather for the next few 

 weeks. Winter is already at hand and doubt is expressed as to 

 whether or not it will be possible to make much further headway. 



Owing to the very heavy movement of cotton to Memphis over 

 the Illinois Central and Yazoo & Mississippi Valley lines, as well 

 as over the other roads entering this city, receipts of timber by 

 rail have been somewhat smaller than during October. This de- 

 velopment was to be expected, however, as the maximum move- 

 ment of cotton always precludes prompt handling of other traffic, 

 including lumber and logs. It is fortunate for lumber interests 

 that, with the lull in rail receipts, there has been a rather de- 

 cided increase in the amount of timber brought to this city b.y 

 water. The stage of the Mississippi and its tributaries has been 

 decidedly more satisfactory during the past fortnight and a great 

 deal of timber heretofore unavailable has been brought out. It 

 has likewise been fortunate that the big movement of logs to 

 Memphis during October left the mills well supplied for the pres- 

 ent, with the result that there has been practically no stoppage 

 of manufacturing operations here as a result of the decrease in 

 timber receipts. 



Car Statistics 



The regular report of the American Railway Association on car 

 surpluses and shortages shows that on December 1, 1913, the total 

 surplus was 67,466 cars, as against the surplus of 46,0.59 on November 

 1.5. The sur-,Jus on November 30, 1912, was 26,135. 



The total shortage on December 1 of this year was 10,212. as against 

 the total shortage on November 15 of 23,407. The shortage on 

 November 30, 1912, was 62,536. From these figures it can readily be 

 seen that combined with greater attention to the matter of taking 

 care of shipments, the slackening up in trade is being felt by the 

 railroads. 



