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HARDWOOD RECORD 



present a troiiical aiiiiearant-e; tlie jiiiies fi'iiii tliiii stands with little 

 undergrowth exeept grass an.l saw palnielli); while the hamniock 

 forests are thick, somewhat tangled with liniliy and leaning trees, and 

 usually the leaf canopy is very dense. Many of the hanlwoods oc 

 ourring hi such forests are evergreen or so nearly evergreen that the 

 Ijranches are practically always covered with leaves. Often the 

 foliage hangs full twelve months, and the old falls as the new ap- 

 pears. Some of the oaks which shed their leaves in autnnin further 

 north, here retain them the whole year. 



The Florida hardwood forests are not generally so valuable as 

 those of northern states or other southern states. The -trees are of 

 inferior size and usually of poor form. Many exceptions to that rule 

 should be noted, particularly in tluit i>ortion of Florida adjacent to 

 Georgia, where deej) red soil prevails. Further south anumg the 

 hummocks the type of forest is fairly well represented in the cover 

 illustration. Some trunks are shai)ely, but the majority lack the 

 svnunetry and also the size which jircvail among the hardwoods of 

 the Mississippi valley, the Appalachian region and the Ijake States. 

 However, Florida is richer in hardwood species than any other 

 state. Nearly two lumdred kinds of trees, large and small, grow 

 there. Most of them never liud their way to sawnulls, because of 

 snuiU size, poor form, and scarcity. Species from the tropics have 

 numerous representatives in the southern part of Florida. Some of 

 the islands nearly touch the torrid zone. A little mahogany still 

 grows there, though the commercial stand was depleted sixty or 

 seventy years ago. Tlie oak, which is most in evidence and which is 

 shown in the accompanying illustration, is the common live oak of 

 the southern states. It sometimes attains large trunk diameter, but 

 usually only when it grows in open ground. Some of the wood is 

 of excellent quality, but the tree has never appealed to lumbermen. 

 Its trunk is too short, or if long it is apt to be crooked. Besides, 

 the Florida live oaks are victims of numerous tree diseases which 

 render the trunks unfit for use. 



The hiunmock land, if not too rocky, is fine for orchards and truck 

 gardens, and much of it is being cleared for that purpose. A well 

 wooded hummock is a place gf great beauty and interest and some 

 have been converted into pleasure resorts. Such, in fact, is the 

 [iresent use of that shown in the cover picture. 



Importance of the Exposition 



AS If^ A FT] A' PUT IX AX ,\:N'X0UXCE.\IENT gotten out by 

 the Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of the United States, 

 "the importance of the Forest Products Exposition to be held at 

 the Coliseum, Chicago, April 30 to May 9, and at the Grand Central 

 Ptilace, Xew York City, May 21 to 30, presents the great shop window 

 of the industry to every lumber dealer, manufacturer, distributor 

 and specialist, for trade, educational and attractive reasons. ' ' 



An attempt has been made elsewhere in this issue of Hardwood 

 Recokd to analyze the subject as it pertains directly to the lumber- 

 men's most vital interests, and as it should be viewed I>y most of 

 the lumber and kindred trades. 



There is a real gratifying enthusiasm exhibited both in the taking 

 of space and in plans for the exhibits to be sho\vn. It is unques- 

 tionably a fact, judging from present indications and suggestions 

 as to developments as offered by the manager of the show, that it 

 is going to be one of the most educational and one of the 

 most eminently successful and enthusiastically attended exposi- 

 tions ever attempted. It is needless to urge its importance to 

 the lumber industry in all of its phases, but Hardwood Record 

 takes this opportunity of urging every member of the trade 

 to do his utmost to stimulate attendance from out-to-town interests 

 at either the Chicago or New York shows. It will be well worth the 

 time and attention of any home-builder of the country regardless 

 of the ehariicter of the structure which he is contemplating or owns, 

 or whether he is merely a cliff-dweller in the modern city flat. 



In short, the exposition will offer many wholesome out-of-door 

 features which will appeal to everybody. It will be so radically 

 different from the cutand-dried expositions which have been featured 

 by advocates of substitutes for so long that it will be like a breeze 

 from i he pine woods. Lumbermen must not forget to do their part 1 



Conditional Endorsement of Freight Rate 

 Advance 



T,li; li,\l;l)\VO()D MAXUFACTUKEKS" A«S0C1AT10X of the 

 I'iiil^d .States has put itself on record as being open-minded 

 in the question of the ]jropo8ed 5 per cent horizontal advance of 

 freight rates in the official classification territory. Seemingly fiom 

 the announcement, which has just been given out by this association 

 through Secretary W. H. Weller, it suggests that jjossiblc good effects 

 will accrue, ujion granting to the lailroads this requested increase in 

 revenues, through increased purchases which will imdoubtedly result. 



Following is a copy of a telegram recently sent to the Inter.state 

 Commerce Commission by the association: 



"At its meeting here (Cincinnati) today (March 4), it is the 

 unanimous consensus of the executive board of the Hardwood Manu- 

 facturers' Association that freight rates on lumber are proportionately 

 higher than oc any other commodity. We realize, iiowever, that it 

 is necessary for the railroads to liave a reasonable advaut'o in their 

 rates at this time, and therefore favor the same providing that a 

 readjustment a: ill be made later, placing lumber on a fair basis as 

 conipaied with other commodities." 



The Hardwood Manufacturers' Association advances the logic of 

 simply advancing general rates on all commodities in order to tide 

 over the present decided stringency which seems to have been shown 

 in railroad revenues, and the feasibility of adjusting the general 

 proportion between rates on various commodities alter the general 

 advance is made rather than holding up such advance merely in 

 anticipation of the possibility of making such adjustment beforehand. 



It is significant that various other lumber associations throughout 

 the country have taken the same attitude on this question. 



Important But Not Final 



THE IJIFOKTANCE PLACED UPOX A KECEXT DECISiOX of 

 the Supreme Court of the state of .Mississippi in a controversy 

 which has been going on in that court for the past four years, 

 betneen the Edward Hines Lumber Company and the state, has not 

 been unduly expressed in reports on that decision. 



Briefly, this controversy had to do with the. state law specifically 

 forbidding corporations operating within the state to acquire and 

 own more tJiau a specified amount of jiroperty. It seems that the 

 Edwaid Hinos Lumber Company aequued considerably more than 

 was lawful under the state law, and the commonwealth brought pro- 

 ceedings to confiscate the property of this company in excess of 

 the amount lawful under the state law. The company, of course, 

 fought the ease to the utmost as property valued at millions of 

 dollars was at stake. 



The decision handed down specifies that according to the provisions 

 of the law, the penalty to be imposed for violation of it is the for- 

 feiture of the company's charter in the state and the confiscation 

 of the excess property. The opinion contends, however, that inasmuch 

 as these two penalties are specified as being applicable together, it 

 is not legal to ai)ply one without the other. Hence, as the company 

 does not operate under a Mississippi charter, it would be impossible 

 to nullify a charter granted by another state. Therefore the Edward 

 Hines Lumber Company has won at least the first battle in this 

 controversy. 



It appears, however, that the f uestion will be somewhat strung out 

 on account of the suggestion offered by the court to the effect that 

 steps should be taken to amend the law making it possible to 

 confiscate excess property independently of the condition of the 

 charter. 



Casualty Insurance for Lumbermen 



ANEW INSURANCE COMPANT is preparing to begin business 

 in this country. It will write casualty risks for lumbermen, 

 as is implied by its name — Lumber Mutual ■ Casi;alty Insurance Com- 

 pany. The preliminary steps in organization were taken in New York 

 City in March, and temporary officers were chosen, while the by-laws 

 and other features of the plan were prepared for submission to the 

 Xcw York Insurance Department for approval. 



