HARDWOOD RECORD 



35 



Ifiulto liiiililing, .Sail I'iuikUco. Oil.. Ki-b. 16. — Killli.r I]Aiti>wiH>i> 

 Kecoiio : A friond, K. I'lra. residinc at Samurlnda, Koetfl. Dutch East 

 Bornoo. adrisrs mc- tUat In- Is dPallng In Molarc anil Ipil (PlilUpplnc 

 Damps for certain hardwoods), and also In Bangkiral (a Borneo Iron- 

 wood i. and that ho would like to make connection with American firms 

 deslrliiK to inirchase these woods or possibly wishing to Interest them- 

 selves in certain timber concessions that Mr. Pies has on the east coast 

 of Borneo, accessible to deep-water transportation facilities. 



If this would Interest yourselves or any of your readers, it might be 

 well to refer diiectly lo Mr. I'les at the above address. I beg to re- 

 •n»in. BEBXAnii Bie.senfeld, Consultinf; Engineer. 



B 671 — Seeks Efficiency Engineer 



Dayton, O., Feb. 19. — Kditor II.tiiinviKH) Kkcoiid : Do you know of a 

 flrst-class exi>erlcnce<l efficiency enclnoer who siM-clallzes in hardwood 

 lumber? We want to get In touch with the best firm in this line in the 

 country by correspondence at once. 



The above communication is from a foremost blaek walnut pro- 

 ducer. Anyone interested in this inquiry can have the address on 

 application. — Edicor. 



B 672 — Wants Thick Dry Plain Oak 

 Waukesha. Wis., Keh. I'l. ICiliti.i- It audwood Becoei) : We are seek- 

 ing several carloads of :J»>j and :;" plain-sawed white oak to be bone dry. 

 suitable to immediately cut into work. Can you advise us where we 



can secure this stock? Company. 



The above inquiry is from an agricultural implement manufacturing 

 house, and while a possible source of supply for this requirement has 

 been supplied, any others interested in the inquiry can have the 

 address ou applicatiou. — Editok. 



B 673 — Merchantable Timber 



I'hiladelphia, I'a., I'eb. 19. — Editor ILvrdwood Kecoku : Would it be 

 possible tor you to give us some deflnition of what you consider "mer- 

 chantable timber?" We are having a controversy over what is "mer- 

 chantable" in standing timber, and it you can give us any light on 

 the subject we will very much appreciate it. 



The above correspondent has been advised that "merchantable tim- 

 ber," as is anything which is defined as "merchantable," is tim- 

 ber which is salable. 



It is a iliflicult thing to draw a strict line defining ' ' merchant- 

 able stock" as timber of some sizes in some species is merchant- 

 able, whereas the same sized trees in another species would most 

 ■decidedly not l)e merchantable. For instance, in spruce the timber 

 is merchantable of a very small diameter, as it is used for pulp- 

 wood. Conditions as to soundness, availability, utility, etc., must also 

 ■be considered. 



Merchantable timber is less readily defined each year, as there 

 is the constantly increasing difficulty of finding first-class stock in 

 good sizes. Furthermore, increasing values make poor grades of 

 timber merchantable. 



As suggested above, this definition is purely governed by individual 

 •circumstances, and it is not possible to draw a strict line at any one 

 point. — Editor. 



B 674 — Small Poplar Dimension to Market 



Macon. Ga.. Ki-b. l^^.- Kditi.r IIauhw.h.i. Hi;r..iMi: We are looking for 

 ■a user of small poplar dimcn:^L^u stock. I'an you suggest a use for it ? 

 Do not manufacturers of small wooden pails use poplar in their inan\i- 

 facture ? 



Would appreciate any information you can give us on this subject. 



• — CoiirA.Nv. 



This inquirer has been advised that he is right in supposing that 

 wooden pail manufacturers use poplar, but that of course they require 

 clear stock. However, it is very likely that clear cuttings could be 

 marketed in this way. 



A list of manufacturers of wooilen pails has been compiled and 

 forwarded to our Georgian correspendent. — Editor. 



B 675 — Spurious Mahogany 

 Under the above title an editorial was carried in last issue Hard- 

 wood Record protesting against inferior tropical woods of various 

 kinds being marketed under the general name of "mahogany," when 

 as a matter of fact they are not true mahogany, and buyers are mis- 

 led. Tlie article in question drew forth a protest from the Indiana 

 Quartered Oak Company of New York, which is a purveyor of Philip- 

 pine wood which it markets under the title of "Philippine ma- 

 hogany." To this protest the following reply was made: 



We have your favor February 16. Please bear In mind that when the 

 •editorial in question in our issue February 10 was written, It was 



without the knowledge that you bandied mahogany or any tropical woods. 

 Hence, you will .see that there was nothing personal intended. 



The editorial was Inspired by a deluge of specimens of spurious ma- 

 hogany which are being received at this office every few days, which 

 l)ear no resemblance whatever to true mahogany. Hence, mahogany 

 buyers are protesting against it. 



We are obliged to reiterate what was said in the article that there is 

 no evidence at hand that any true mahogany grows in the Philippine 

 Islands. We have in this office a complete list of Philippine woods, and 

 specimens of all the leading varieties, and even the Philippine Forest 

 Service makes no claim that true mahogany grows on the Islands. 



The specimens of wood which you send may be Just as valuable lu 

 physical characteristics as true mahogany, but we are .simply protesting 

 against woods that arc not mahogany being marketed under that name, 

 just as we do when Californlan white pine is marketed as Michigan white 

 pine. 



If .vou wish to have your protest and our reply thereto published in 

 Hardwood Record, and will authorize it, we will be glad to give the 

 matter room in our columns. — Editok. 



In response to this letter the Indiana Quartered Oak Company sub- 

 mits the following letter, for which it requests publication in con- 

 nection with the foregoing: 



New York, Feb. 20. — Editor Hardwood Record : In .vour issue of 

 February 10, under the caption of "Spurious Mahogan.v," you mention 

 "Philippine Mahogany" as one of the chief offenders under this head. 

 -Vs the sales agents in the East of the largest manufacturers of this 

 wood (which we have been importing for about five years), we feel 

 enough interest in the matter to try to correct, in the minds of .vour 

 readers, what seems to us your mistaken point of view. We speak only 

 for ourseires, and iu regard to Philippine wood. 



We sell this as "Philippine mahogany" and never omit the word 

 "Philippine." It seems to us one has the same right to do this as all 

 dealers have, when they sell most "African." You state (and we gladly 

 admit your knowledge), that "there are only two or three genuine 

 varieties of mahogany in the •fltty-seven" shipped from Africa." Ought 

 not, therefore, mahogany dealers to sell the other "varieties" under 

 some other name? 



If we should offer our wood under the local names of "I.auan. Tan- 

 guile and .Vlmon," we would be kept busy showing customers and freight 

 agents how to spell them, .is we fully explain, our wood is not a true 

 mahogany (and by the way .vou omit in your list any mention of the 

 West Indian wood which the writer considers the true mahogany, but 

 which nowadays i-uns small and short and is sold as "Cuban.") 



It is almost impossible to distinguish some Philippine wood from 

 some ".African." .\ large user of our wood told the writer recently that 

 "his foreman said he wished the Philippine wood had never come in the 

 shop, as some of his oldest and best cabinet makers had gotten it into 

 the work along with African as they could not tell the difference" and 

 added, "/ can tell the difference by the amount of our lumber bills." 



Another customer had to get the writer to point out our wood from 

 -Vfrican, used in a large and costly motor boat. 



The gist of the matter is this: Our wood should be (and isi sold on 

 its merits, and for convenience, a trade name of "Philippine mahogany" 

 is adopted, as is the case with most "African :" so with "satin walnut" 

 or "hazel" for red gum. "bay poplar" for tupclo ; "mountain oak" for 

 any old oak, "Oregon pine" for Douglas Hr; with this notable difference, 

 viz. : the domestic woods have plain English names, whereas if we sent 

 out our salesmen to sell "Tanguile." or "Balacbachan," our customers 

 would think it was a new cigar or a drink. "The rose will smell as sweet 

 by any other name." Our IMiilippine wood has been used by the same 

 old customers for years, and they come back and don"t care tchat we 

 call it. 



You make one error we think, in saying "It would lie just as feasible 

 to utilize some of our native woods, such as birch and gum, and stain 

 them to imitate the genuine mahogany." We recently sold Philippine 

 mahogany to the largest piano concern in the United States. They said 

 "red birch has got so high and so poor we are going to use your wood. 

 It costs no more considering the quality and little waste." How about 

 this, in connection with your "stained birch" suggestion? Most tropical 

 woods have the peculiarity of growth like "genuine mahogany," in that 

 when quarter-sawn they show a "stripe." "ribbon" or "roe." Also, the 

 best of the "near mahoganies" (like ours) "stay put," and work easily 

 and run wide and long. Birch and gum do not. 



The writer is an amateur cabinet maker of a quarter of a century 

 and knows what he is talking about. There is no mahogany like West 

 Indian to work, carve, polish or darken with age, but this wood has 

 almost gone the way of the "cork pine." 



For some purposes (not considering the less price) Philippine "ma- 

 hogany" Is better than "African" (we are speaking of .\frlcan which Is 

 not botanically mahogany), because it is more even colored and shows 

 more figure and "life" (when quartered I and is straighter grain. 



NVar mahoganies are not hurting real mahogany any more than poplar 

 hurt while nine or gum hurt poplar, or tupelo has hurt other gum. It 

 is merely the natural trend of events, resulting from the sure and in- 

 creasing disappearance of the timber of the world. In ten years from 

 now South America will be bringing In here a subAtltiite for "Philippine 

 mahogan.v," and you will probably And us writing indignant letters to 



