28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



The processes by which the sap moves in a tree, and the forces 

 which cause it to do so, are subjects for controversy among botanists. 

 A[uch is known on the subject, but some things have not yet been 

 iDund out. In time of excessive drought the leaves on a tree may 

 wither though the trunk contains a large amount of water. The 

 trouble seems to be that the water in the wood has been slightly re- 

 duced in quantity, and the slight reduction is sufficient to upset the 

 function of the tree's circulating system, and the foliage dies of 

 thirst, almost in the immediate presence of water. 



The movement of the sap is seen, therefore, to be an exceedingly 

 delicate and nicely balanced process. The greatest botanists never 

 tire of investigating its mysteries and hidden forces; and the gen- 

 eral opinion of these investigators is that a far-reaching discovery 

 is waiting for some one to make it known. Where is the pump in 

 the hair-like root of a tree that will start the water up a trunk a 

 hundred feet tall, and hold the tiny colimin of liquid and urge it up- 



ward against a pressure three-fold greater than the earth's atmos- 

 pheret What sort of apparatus is it within the interiors of the 

 hollow cells and fibers from the bottom to the top of the trunk, which 

 keeps the water going up after the roots gave it a start? What 

 power have the microscopic orifices in the leaves that they are able 

 to draw water up against a force of gravity so great that the strong- 

 est suction pump on earth cannot overcome it? When the water has 

 arrived at the topmost leaf, what mysterious machine reverses the 

 direction of movement and starts the manufactured food back down 

 the twigs, limbs and trunk, working with gravity now instead of 

 against it as before? 



These are some of the questions more easily asked than answered. 

 Some may dispute one point, some another; theory is pitted against 

 theory; but the undisputed fact remains that the sap of a tree cir- 

 culates by means and under the influence of forces not yet fully 

 understood. 



' l^ ;aa^ligmat'SJi^;jC:^t^l^■HM>mi^M^^ 



^ "You Cant Teach Us Anything'''' 



How many times do you hear that said? Just picture the man 

 whp says it ; the man who has grown gray in experience ; the ma4 

 who has won his way to success by sheer force and energy. Yet, 

 that is just what most men wUl say who read this, and they wUI 

 probably add, ' ' It can 't be applied in the lumber business. ' ' 



In considering the progress of the lumber business in the last 

 few years it is safe to say that with but very few exceptions no 

 big ideas with a really broad bearing on the development of the 

 industry have been offered. Lumbermen themselves will admit the 

 truth of this statement. Lumbermen as a whole seem to be more 

 satisfied with present methods and less ambitions as to the develop- 

 ment of the industry to its fullest efficiency than the members of any 

 other large body of business men. The difficulty is that the oppor- 

 tunities otfered have been too alluring and the necessity for the 

 employment of advanced ideas has not been felt. The trade is 

 showing some evidence of the realization that the lumber business 

 of the future vrill not be the lumber business of the past and that 

 the education of the future lumberman will not be along the old 

 ' ' rule-of -thumb ' ' lines but will be the result of the incorporation 

 of the best points in other lines of industry with the sound practical 

 knowledge of the lumberman himself. This trait of seeking outside 

 for information and knowledge has never been strongly evident 

 among members of the lumber trade. A good illustration is seen 

 in the attitude of those attending lumber conventions. Generally 

 speaking there is a preference for talking with fellow lumbermen 

 with the hope of trading a couple of cars rather than to give close 

 attention at all sessions in order to secure ideas that will result in 

 the sale of many cars. 



If you will think about it, and view the situation from an impar- 

 tial standpoint, you will find that some of the things that are needed 

 are: first, a country- wide advertising campaign; second, standardiza- 

 tion of grading (one set of rules instead of two) ; third, we need 

 some industrial and efficiency engineers in the lumber business and 

 these most of all, for when the efficiency idea is introduced, and 

 applied, the other things have to follow in order to keep up with it. 

 Honestly, now, do you think that lumber is manufactured at the 

 lowest possible cost today? The answer is no! Can the capacity of 

 a sawmill be increased without additional cost per thousand feet? 

 Yes! "But," you say, "these methods must take additional 

 machinery, and how can you say, with increased capacity I will 

 have a lower cost?" There is the meat and substance of it. Now 

 right here, we are going into economics, and from that, lead back to 

 the above statement. 



Capital (not money, for that is only a medium of exchange) is 

 represented by machinery and materials of production. Now, pro- 

 duction is either direct or capitalistic. Prof. Meade of the Wharton 

 School of Finance illustrates this very nicely with a simple illustra- 

 tion: "A man requires drinking water. The spring is some dis- 



tance from his home, but there are several ways in which he may 

 supply his daily wants. First, he may go to the spring each time he 

 is thirsty, and drink out of his hollowed hands. This is the most 

 direct way; but it is inconvenient, for he has to go to the spring 

 every time he is thirsty. And it is insufficient, for he can never 

 coOect and store any great quantity, such as he requires for various 

 purjjoses. Now he may take a log of wood, and make a paU to carry 

 his day's supply. This is capitalistic production, but indirect for 

 he has to make the pail. However, the result is greater and a 

 saving of time. Then there is the third way, in which he fells 

 a number of trees, splits and hollows them, lays them end for end, 

 and so constructs a tunnel, which brings a full head of water to 

 his cottage. Here, obviously, between the expenditure of labor 

 and the obtaining of the water, we have a very round-about way, 

 but the result is ever so much greater. The man need no longer 

 take his way from the house to the well, but a constant supply of 

 water is at his door. This is what is called highly capitalistic pro- 

 duction, although it is but a simple illustration. In the second 

 instance, it would be called production on a small scale, and in 

 the latter instance it would be called large-scale production. 



With hardly any exception, lumber production today is compara- 

 tively on a small scale. No — don't take exception to that last 

 statement. It isn't the amount of feet per day that a man produces 

 in his mill— it is the amount he can produce if he applies the 

 economies of production. Most lumber production is practically on 

 a direct or small-scale production basis. Large-scale production 

 is indirect. The more indirect, however, the greater can be made 

 the efficiency, because of the increased number of operations and 

 the resultant greater division of labor, and thus, in the end, with 

 each man specializing (doing one thing and naturally becoming 

 proficient and working with greater dexterity), the greater will be 

 the output. 



Getting back to the original question : You can increase your out- 

 put by going in for large-scale production and applying efficiency. 

 Usually more capital will be needed (machinery), which will result, 

 as we have said before, in the greater division and specialization of 

 labor, better routing, re-designing of sawmill machinery, but in- 

 creased output at practically the same operating cost means a lower 

 cost per thousand and a lower overhead cost per thousand — see it 

 now? You understand, of course, that all of the above relates to the 

 hardwood industry. A mighty good example of efficiency can be 

 seen in Louisiana, in a big yellow pine mill there which you prob- 

 ably all know. 



With the increased efficiency, and the larger output, the more the 

 waste, but — here is one of the big losses — what are you going to do 

 about this waste? Is this ever-increasing item to be left alone, or 

 is it to be thought out? At the present day it seems, in view of the 

 conditions that exist, if it is left to the lumberman, it will never be 



