34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



May 25, 1917 



it apparent that the Dutch oven furnace and return tubular boiler are the 

 most popular combinations, and that the automatic feed of sawdust and 

 hog chips is almost universal. In most of the regions from which reports 

 have been received, trouble from lack of steam does not seem to have 

 arisen, but manufacturers of cottonwood and gum have complained of 

 difficulty in securing sufficient steam even when using all the available 

 waste. It has been stated, also, that cypress and redwood mills some- 

 times encounter similar difficulties. 



Beating the Submarine 

 More than one case is on record of lumber laden ships which refused to 

 sink when torpedoed. The submarine is powerless to send them to the 

 bottom. A recent instance was in the case of the steamer Jupiter, a vessel 

 of 2,124 tons. It crossed the North Sea with a cargo of lumber, but was 

 attacked oft the east coast of Scotland -by a torpedo boat which did all in 

 Its power to send it to the bottom, hut without success. The lumber kept 

 the ship afloat and it was sul)Sfiiu*'ntly towd to pni-t. Us cari;!! and ttn' dam- 

 aged vessel saved. 



Our Stave Experts 



The London Timber Trades Journal says in its issue of March 2-1 : 

 The volume of staves moving towards this country from America during 

 the year has been very great indeed. This has been rendered possible by a 

 very healthy demand on this side for stout staves tor spokes, and also tor 

 other sizes for cooperage work. Fortunately for this particular form of 

 wood goods, the shape and size lends itself very readily for stowage pur- 

 poses, so that where freight could not be obtained for lumber and planks, 

 it was easily secured to help to properly stow cotton and other goods. 

 Prices in this as in other woods have simply bounded forward, and the 

 figures when the year opened had been left far liehinil loni; bofori' the 

 close of 1916. 



Plank Roads in War 

 One of the large demands for lumber in the European war zones is for 

 material used in building plank roads across swamps, sand ridges, and 

 other soft soils. Planks two or three inches thick are preferred, and when 

 sawed lumber cannot be had, round poles and small logs may be substi- 

 tuted. The latter constitutes a corduroy road. Little American lumber 

 has been put to that use in Europe, because cheaper material has been 

 obtainable. During our Civil War long stretches of plank road were built 

 in the South, chiefly in Virginia : and after the war closed much of the 

 lumber was pulled out of the mud and sand and used by farmers in build- 

 ing houses, barns, and fences. 



Hickory Holding Its Own 



It has been stated that hickory is holding its own and is growing as 

 fast as it is being cut. This information is encouraging, because it is one 

 of the most important of our trees. It has been called the indispensable 

 wood, for the reason that it has no substitute for some purposes. The 

 tree is tenacious of life. If its long lap-root once makes its way deep intt» 

 the soil, the tree is iixed for good, unless unusually bad luck overtakes it. 

 It thrives well in open ground, and is much in evidence in cutover tracts 

 of hardwood where nuts, which squirrels have buried, germinate and .grow 

 rapidly. It is in lands such as these that the new supidy will be found. 

 The open ground tree is known as second growth, and being tough and 

 white, it is regarded as better than the slow-growth forest hickory. It 

 may be expected that the quality of the hickory of the future will be in no 

 way inferior to that of the past. 



Women Timber Cutters 



Near Buckwell, England, a contract for cutting mining timbers has been 

 let to a company of women who are gtdng aliout the work in a business-like 

 way. They will live in camps near the work. .V large part of the cutting 

 will be done with cross-cut saws. The contract was let at the Woman's 

 Department of the National Service, and the outcome will be watched 

 with interest, tor the work is looked upon as an experiment. 

 Wood Pavement Outlasts Granite 



At Poplarborough, England, they have given severe tests of the com- 

 parative wearing qualities of wooden and granite pavement on streets 

 where the traffic by heavy, iron-tired trucks is severe. \ committee which 

 has investigated the matter has reported- that the granite pavement has 

 suffered more than the wood, and creosoted wooden blocks have been 

 recommended where traffic is extraordinarily heavy. 

 Educating the Woodworkers 



The Y. M. C. A. of Grand Rapids, Mich., has phinued sunii'thing new in 

 Its line of work in that city. It has arranged for an educational class for 

 the benefit of members employed in the various' woodworking factories in 

 the city. Instructors will be provided and classes held to cover subjects 

 such as cutting, sawing, piling, and air-drying. There can he no question 

 that good will result from such a course of lectures, for which practice 

 and experience are good teachers. Many an efficient short cut can be 

 provided by capable instruction. 



Wooden Barrel Coming Back 



The wooden oil barrel is coming hack. As a matter of fact, it never 

 was wholly absent, but for a time it was crowded uncomfortably by the 

 steel barrel. High cost of steel has had its etTeet in boosting the wooden 

 barrel until it is rapidly regaining the ground lost to its competitor. The 

 wooden oil barrel now costs about two <lollars and tlie steel barrel from 

 eight to twelve. The difference in cost far outweighs any difference in 

 actual service, and it may be expected that the wooden container will 

 make a hard drive on Its metal competitor. The oil barrel is usually of 

 oak and is of a little lower grade than the whiskey barrel. 



Another Substitute Appears 



Wooden paving blocks are so satisfactory and so cheap that it is the 

 last place one would look for substitutes ; yet, the prediction has been 

 made that glass will be a competitor of wood before many years. This 

 prophecy is based on experiments in Lyons. France, where glass paving 

 blocks have been pronounced economical and otherwise satisfactory. It 

 is quite probable that a glass block will outlast wood, and in the long 

 run may he as cheap : but one of wood's highest recommendations is its 

 noiselessness, and it is not probable that glass can be a competitor in that 

 respect. 



Parting with Historic Furniture 



It is claimed by those who should be informed on the matter that 

 London and Paris are in the unfortunate position of being forced to 

 exchange the luxury of death for the luxury of refinement. .\lraost 

 daily nowadays furniture sales are being held in those cities, when the 

 fine furniture of pinched noblemen and others in possession of old, historic 

 homes is being put on the block and sold to Americans with more money 

 than good furniture, and at these sales are being sold much of the best 

 furniture that remains in England and Western Europe, such furniture 

 as only the great masters of England and France made. And the money 

 from those sales — it is being spent for death dealing shells. Thus is 

 Europe paying tor its murdering shells with its old furniture and decora- 

 tions of tlie highest refinement. It is estimated that in the last five 

 months more than .fl2,000.000 worth of historic furniture has been 

 "traded" for a like equivalent in engines of destruction, w"ith beautiful 

 homes in .\merica being the great gainers. 



Movement for Better Homes 



Minnesota can see no reason why the people of that state should not be 

 assisted in planning neat aud artistic homes that can be built at moderate 

 expense, from .112,500 to $3,000. A movement of that kind is calculated to 

 discourage the box house consisting of four plain walls, roof and floor. Ac- 

 cordingly, the Minnesota State Art Commission, which is a department of 

 the state government, has issued a booklet of house plans which is sold for 

 four cents. The plans have been worked out by architects and aim to give 

 as much as possible iu the way of attractiveness, comfort aud convenience 

 in the way of liomes of moderate cost. The movement has proved popular 

 and bi<ls fair to bring a great impr<ivement in the style and appearance of 

 country and sid)\irban homes. The commission's address is 504 Essex build- 

 ing, Minneapolis. Minn. 



Purchases of Forest Lands 

 The gi»\ernnient hail completed the purchase of 700,97-1 acres of forest 

 land in the .-Vppalacbain region up to .Tune '.W. 1016, tinder the Weeks law. 

 This land extends In is<>lated tracts from Maine to South Carolina. 'The 

 purchase of additional tracts is contemplated, anil in many instances the 

 l)rocess of clearing title, or acting on reports is far ailvanced. The follow- 

 ing summary gives the status of the business in the several states: 



Reports in Department 

 ol Justice. 



Purehases Pureliaactt For For con- 



authorized completed opinion demnaiion 



(estimated.) (actual (actual (actual 



Utale and area. surrey). survey). survey) 



.Acres. .Acres. Acres. Acres. 



Georgia : • 



Georgia 02,09.-1 :n .449.90 06.70 27,345.38 



Savannah . :!5,827 11,345.80 403.72 20,064.32 



Maine : 



White Mountain . . . 24,825 



New Hampshire : 



White Mountain... 270,849 195,215.87 38,961.35 



North Carolina : 



Boone 30,386 



Mount Mitchell 70,050 34,817.60 228.57 11,382.87 



Nantahala 39,903 31,711.41 114.54 1,041.17 



Pisgah 86,700 49,703.75 



Savannah 39,839 10.879.18 13.51 14,798.07 



South Carolina : 



Savannah 25,508 17,066. 5& 



Tennessee : 



Cherokee 135,970 72,467.09 25,551.09 9,281.20 



Smokey Mountain. . 117,113 



White Top 57,000 39.167.82 118.49 10,098.58 



Unaka 49,949 38.70 21,302.44 



Virginia : 



Massanutten 00,792 23,211.80 8,803.11 13,941.99 



Natural Bridge.... 84,071 32,264.96 20,590.52 415.73 



Potomac 62,334 37,587.59 3,197.59 8,481.42 



Shenandoah 124,569 84,377.87 18,421.18 



West Virginia : 



Monongahela 52,010 22,809.74 540.06 18,706.73 



Potomac 16,319 10,644.80 569.80 1,160.75 



Shenandoah 13,318.45 



Total 1,464,715 



700,974.50 



60.242.40 



232,475.77 



High Cost of Harness 



A harness manufacturer has contributed some figures ou the cost of 

 harness. The chief item is the leather of which the harness is made. 

 He places the cost of leather that goes into a good set of harness at Oft 

 pounds, worth 70 cents a pound, total $46.20. Trimmings add six dollars 

 and labor six. This puts the total cost of the set at $58.20. That makes 

 no allowance for overheatl expense or for the profit which the manu- 

 facturer must have if he expects to succeed in business. 



