26 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



the sticks will be placed regularly uear the ends; but simetimes 

 courses of very larjie boards are mixed with short ones, and the ends 

 are left unsupported. 



Twisted aud warped lumber may result from insufficient covering 

 ii.r the jiiles. The top courses in that case are exposed to weather 

 ;iiid tliey warp because the upper Sides are frequently wet. 



Lumber may sutt'er injury from causes other than twisting on 

 account of bad piling. Storms may drive rain water between the 

 courses and it may lodge there long enough to produce warping 

 or dishing of boards. To give a chance for drainage, the pile is 

 usual]}- given a pitch lengthwise. The rain sheds ofif, as far as the 

 roof is concerned, but that which gets between the courses may be 

 hindered by the cross sticks from draining away, and it will stand 

 in puddles against the sticks until it evaporates. 



Better drainage of storm water may be secured by giving the 

 pile a pitch sidewise. The sticks will not then form a dam to hold 

 the water from flowing away, but it will flow down grade along the 

 sticks and escape, leaving the lumber free from standing water be- 

 tween the courses in a few minutes after the rain ceases. Better 

 circulation of air is likewise secured by the side pitch of the jiile. 

 The spaces between the sticks will form flues, as it were, to draw 

 the air through the pile. 



The piling of lumber is an art with many details. Some mills 

 have mastered it, but others have not yet wholly succeeded. The 

 better the piling is, the straighter and more nearly perfect the sea- 

 soned lumber will be. Everything does not depend on the piling, but 

 a great deal does; and it is one of the details of manufacture which 

 no millman can afford to neglect. Unfortunately some do neglect 



it, aud the crooked lumlior tuu oftiii .seen in the market is one of 

 the results. Of course, some woods are so inclined to warp and 

 twist that it is next to impossible to prevent distortion; but there 

 is no wood which will not l)e benefited by careful jiiling while it is 

 undergoing the process of seasoning. 



Some years ago the Forest Service made a report on the wrong 

 methods of lumber jjiling, from which the following paragraph is 

 quoted: 



"Often the lumber was also very irregularly piled, and any con- 

 venient waste, such as edgings with the wane on, or short strips, was 

 used for cross sticks. Where a strip reached only part way across 

 the pile, another strip, which might be from half an inch to an inch 

 thicker than the adjoining one, would be used. The use of strips 

 of varying thickness in the same course caused the piles to become 

 unwieldy aud twisted. When the piles assumed this form an 

 attempt to correct the error would be made by putting in an extra 

 strip on top of the first one. In many cases the strips were not 

 placed in a perpendicular line — that is, each one directly over the 

 one in the next lower course. The result was similar to that ob- 

 tained by holding one end of a board in a vise and applying a weight 

 at the other end. Again, careless pilers would run the strips per- 

 pendicularly for some distance, and then discontinue this course and 

 begin another foot or two to the side of the original one. In other 

 cases the foundations were insecure and one corner of the pile 

 would sag, thus causing a diagonal twist of the whole pile. The 

 piles were made high and wide, and different lengths were put in 

 the same pile, which increased the natural tendency of the wood to 

 narp and twist. " ' 



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Office Furniture Abroad 



United States consuls in several foreign countries have made 

 reports to this government regarding trade in American furniture. 

 August E. Ingram, stationed at Bradford, England, says that Amer- 

 ican office furniture is increasing in popularity there, in spite of 

 the conservative nature of the business people. It is believed that 

 a centrally located store or agency there would be a profitable enter- 

 prise and Bradford is suggested as the best place for it. 



John L. Griffith, at London, is not so enthusiastic. He says the 

 trade in American desks there is less than it was fifteen or twenty 

 years ago, and that it has decreased considerably within the past 

 five years. 



At present American desks are imported in two ways — fully fin- 

 ished ready for the market and in knockdown and unfinished condition. 

 The latter methoil is preferred by importers generally, especially 

 those who manufacture desks of their own, for the reason that the 

 initial cost to them is not so great, and they are able to finish the 

 article in their own shops and place their uames upon it, so that 

 when it is sold to the consumer it apears to be a British-made desk. 



If the other method is adopted by an American manufacturer, it 

 is much better for him to establish a branch office and depot, in 

 London for example, than to engage the services of a merchant or 

 agent, who would probably represent other lines and would be 

 inclined to push those which commanded a more ready sale and 

 produced the best returns. 



Some well-known American firms have already established branch 

 offices in London and are doing a satisfactory business. However, 

 owing to the present keen competition in the trade and to the natural 

 reluctance of the British public to adopt quickly a new article, it is 

 believed that a manufacturer who is not known in the English mar- 

 ket would have to be prepared to engage in an extensive advertising 

 campaign and to wait a considerable time for satisfactory returns. 



There is a demand for high-class office desks, but it is rather lim- 

 ited. It appears that the class of desk which is the most popular in 

 England sells at about 5 guineas (.$25.55). 



Writing from Algiers, Africa, Consul Dean B. Mason says that 

 the demand for American office furniture has increased considerably 



in Algeria during the last two years, largely owing to the enterprise 

 of an Algerian firm that has advertised extensively and pushed sales 

 at Algiers and at other localities through its agents. 



The most important sales have been of roll- top desks, which, in order 

 to avoid undue expense for freight and duty, are imported knocked 

 down and unvarnished. It is estimated that there is a saving of 

 from thirty to thirty-five per cent in importing desks in this manner. 



The desirability of importing American roll-top desks was dis- 

 cussed with one of the leading dealers in high-class furniture of Algiers 

 who stated that he has purchased a few American desks, set up and 

 ready for sale, through a Paris agency, but that the price asked was 

 so high and his profits so small that there was no object in pushing 

 their sale. It was admitted that it would be profitable to keep a 

 stock in supply and to push the sale of American desks if they could 

 be secured under favorable conditions in the United States. 



The dealer in question would like to secure information as to the 

 cost of American roll-to]) desks knocked down and unvarnished. 

 On account of the duty it is desired thit copper parts and parts 

 that are molded should be packed separately. Information as to 

 the cost of shipment of ten desks from New York to Algiers is also 

 desired. 



Instances have been cited where purchases have not been made 

 owing to the fact that it was not possible to secure prompt informa- 

 tion as to the cost of goods delivered at the dock at Algiers. 



This dealer would also like to secure information as to the cost of 

 filing cabinets, bookcases, turning chaii-s, and other office furniture 

 delivered at the dock at Algiers, knocked down, and unvarnished. 



The demand for filing cabinets is of comparatively recent growth. 

 A few important firms are using filing cabinets at present, and it is 

 likely that their use will become more general in the near future. 



The type of cabinet which has sold most readily is fifty-five inches 

 high, fifteen inches wide, and twenty-five inches deep, and is made of 

 wood and iron. The price paid for such .^ cabinet is $23.10. 



E. A. Wakefield, consul at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, says 

 that the hot, humid climate is very trying on wooden furniture unless 

 made of the most thoroughly seasoned wood. 



