May 25. 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



35 



American Woods in Palestine 



The wbeat fields and orange groves of Palestine are being supplied 

 with American agricultural machinery. Water for irrigating the orchards is 

 ,no longer raised liy foot-power pumps, but by improved machinery. Plows, 

 harrows and reapers are made in America, and the. scratch plow and the 

 flail which came down from the days of Sanchuniathon are disappearing be- 

 fore the march of modern ideas. American ash, oak and hickory are the chief 

 woods making the agricultural implements. When Palestine shall be 

 freed from the Turks, as a result of the present war, markets for Amer- 

 ican products may be expected to increase greatly in that region. 



The Wooden Car's Record 



Some interesting figures on steel and wooden cars were quoted recently 

 before the Western Railway Club, Chicago, by William Queenan, assistant 

 superintendent of the Burlington railway shops. He gave records of 1,000 

 cars of each type built in 1903. During the last fiscal year 167 of the 

 wooden cars were in the shops, and 3.32 of the steel, and the average cost 

 per car of the steel car repairs was 36 per cent higher than of the wooden 

 or composite cars. The average number of the cars repaired shows fewer 

 repairs were needed by the composite cars and that the number in service 

 therefore was larger. 



Planning for the Future 



B. P. Kirkland, professor of forestry in the University of Washington, 

 contributed a paper to the January, 1917, issue of American Forestry in 

 which he discusses the "continuous forest production of privately owned 

 timberlands as a solution of the economic difficulties of the lumber indus- 

 try." He sums up the fifty-page article as follows : 



Regardless of the public interests, we may be sure that control will come. 

 Unlike some of our other industries, the choice is still open between effective 

 democratic organization first or an autocratic organization controlled by 

 banking interests and eventually by highly centralized concerns. The demo- 

 cratic organization will permit existing moderate sized units to combine 

 for those things where national cooperation is essential and to operate 

 independently in regard to these things which have to do with individual 

 productive efiiciency and self reliance — under banking control individual 

 development will be forced into prescribed channels in all lines. Which 

 course shall we choose? 



Specializing in Aeroplane Stock 



The extent of the aeroplane business is shown by the fact that mills are 

 beginning to specialize in stock tor these machines. The Sitka spruce 

 operators on the Pacific coast are preparing to make the most of the situ- 

 ation. The great size attained by the trunks of that tree, and the high 

 percentage of absolutely clear stock, render it peculiarly adapted to aero- 

 plane construction. It is essential that the material be without defect of 

 any kind. The inspection of the wood that goes into aeroplanes is the 

 most rigid of all industries in the world. The timber which is being cut 

 for this purpose on the Pacific coast sometimes runs as high as 10,000 feet 

 per log of twenty-four feet length. The red spruce of West Virginia is in 

 every way equal to the Sitka spruce of the west, except in size of the trees. 

 The material cut from the eastern tree must be more rigidly inspected. 



Building Lumber Scarce in Sweden 



Swedish lumber exporters are growing rich by selling abroad at war 

 prices ; but a peculiar and unpleasant situation has developed at home. 

 No building is going on there, because home people cannot afford to buy 

 lumber at prices paid by foreign buyers. The housing problem has become 

 acute in consequence, and the complaint is heard, and apparently not 

 without reason, that the exporters are selling the roofs from over their 

 countrymen's heads. 



From Forest to Farm 



Most of the Indians who once roamed the wilds of this country chose 

 extermination in preference to civilized life ; but late reports show that 

 the remnants of the red race in northern Wisconsin are not so short 

 sighted. They have generally sold the timber on their lands and have 

 realized good prices for it, and they have turned from the forests and 

 the fishing streams to the wheat field and the stock farm. Many of them 

 have become successful agriculturists and cattle raisers, and the rest are 

 inclined to follow their example. The forest has no further use for them 

 or they for the forest, except in common with their white neighbors. 



Big Carloads of Lumber 



Considerable rivalry has developed of late among shippers of lumber 

 to see who can send out the biggest carload. The contest is still open 

 and no prize has been offered to the winner. No car that carries less 

 than fifty thousand feet can win, because several have already exceeded 

 that quantity. The contest is open to all in the United States without 

 regard to the kind of lumber shipped or how far. This marks quite an 

 increase over the carloads thirty odd years ago when the fact was widely 

 published that a teamster with twelve horses and a train of three wagons, 

 in California, hauled more lumber at one load than any railroad car 

 could take. His load was 16,000 feet of sugar pine, a wood of about 

 the same weight as eastern w'hite pine, and he hauled it forty miles. 



The English Change Flooring Measure 



A slow and steady change in the method of measuring flooring is taking 

 place in England. Formerly floors and flooring materials were measured 

 by the square, which is 100 square feet. The man who bought flooring 

 lumber paid so much a square for it. It is now becoming a common prac- 

 tice there to measure flooring by the superficial foot, as we do In this 

 country. It has taken a long time to bring about the change, because 

 the British lumber dealer is slow to turn from old customs and try new. 



Timber Resources Compared 



The greater part of the world's timber resources are in the United 

 States. Canada and Russia. The total stand in Canada is placed at 800,- 

 000,000,000 feet, that of the United States at 2,800,000,000,000, and that 

 of Russia is generally believed to he still greater, but no authority can be 

 found for quoting precise figures on Russia's forest resources. The acre- 

 age of timber in that country is fairly well known, but information Is 

 lacking as to the average stand per acre. The forests of Canada and the 

 United States have been systematically -ruised and the stand is known 

 within an approximate degree of certainty. About five-sixth of the total 

 in this country and Canada consists of softwoods. The Russian supply 

 is believed to contain a higher percentage of hardwoods. 



Cotton for Explosives 



A lot of cotton goes up in smoke during the present war. In January, 

 February, and March of this year ammunition makers in the United 

 States used 167,306 bales of cotton of 500 pounds each, in the production 

 of high explosives. A common way of stating it is that a bale of cotton is 

 consumed every time a big gun is fired. It depends upon the size of the 

 gun, but even smaller guns use up a considerable supply, when fired at the 

 rate of 12,000,000 shells in two days, as was done recently in one corner 

 of the battle now going on in France. The consumption of cotton in that 

 way helps to explain the high cost of paper, for 30,000,000 pounds of 

 cotton a month would make a lot of good paper. 



Hardwood 'News Notes 



-< MISCELLANEOUS >-- 



The Newcomb Mantel & Furniture Company has been incorporated at 

 Jackson, Tenn., by A. D. Balrd, J. S. Wright, John Godley, Jr., and 

 John W. Gates. Capital, $25,000. 



The E. J. PtitEner Company's planing mill at Stevens Point, Wis., burned 

 recently, the loss being estimated at $20,000. 



George A. Glerum, William Latta and Fred Davy have organized the 

 Evart Manufacturing Company to manufacture whifiletrees at Evart, 

 Mich. Its capital is $30,000. 



The death is announced of J. L. Dickleman, president of the Dlckelman 

 Manufacturing & Lumber Company, Forest, O. 



At Jefferson City, Mo., the J. M. Hays Wood Products Company has 

 been incorporated and will manufacture saddle trees. 



The Asheville Lumber Company, Asheville, N. C, is liquidating. 



S. B. Meisenholder has been appointed receiver for the Eureka Bend- 

 ing Wheel Works, York, Pa. 



At Lufkin, Tex., the Lufkin Veneer Company has been incorporated. 



Among shipbuilding concerns recently incorporated are the Rolph 

 Shipbuilding Company, San Francisco, Cal., and the Raymond Shipbuild- 

 ing Company, Raymond, Wash., the Ward Shipbuilding Company, Kenne- 

 bunkport. Me., with a capital of $25,000. 



A. E. Cartier & Sons Company, Ludington, Mich., has sold out to George 

 Abair. 



Caflisch. Ailing & Mauer have succeeded the firm of Caflisch, Spicker, 

 .\lling & Co.. Union City, Pa. 



The Rockwell Manufacturing Company, Camden, Ark., has been awarded 

 contracts for rebuilding its recently burned screen door plant, and funds 

 have been raised by the Camden Public Service Bureau to guarantee 

 better water protection. 



On May 13 fire destroyed the plant of the Overstreet Crate Company, 

 near Orlando, Fla,, the loss being estimated at from $150,000 to $200,000, 

 with insurance reported as aggregating $50,000. 



The working hours of the employes of the Parkersburg Chair Company, 

 Parkersburg, W. Va., have been reduced from ten to nine hours a day, 

 with wages remaining the same as on the longer schedule. 



The Standard Lumber Company has recently commenced business in 

 the manufacturing and wholesaling of hardwood lumber at Bluefield, 

 W. Va. 



The Riel-Kadel Lumber Company has been reorganized at Memphis, 

 Tenn. 



-< CHICAGO >- 



H. C. Smith of the Langlade Lumber Company, Antigo, Wis., dropped 

 in this week to see what lumber is worth. The -company's new planing 

 mill will be completed about June 1 ; its sawmill is running full tilt, and 

 from 40,000.000 to 60,000,000 feet annually will probably be produced at 

 the plant. Its enlarged timber holdings in Wisconsin put the company in 

 the A class and when it starts full tilt, it will have some interesting sales 

 suggestions to the trade. 



W. E. Vogelsang and John F. Fontaine of the Turtle Lake Lumber Com- 

 pany, Grand Rapids, Mich., spent several days in Chicago this week. 



A. S. Bliss of the Payson Smith Lumber Company, Minneapolis, Minn., 

 took a well-earned vacation during the past couple of weeks, being unable, 

 though, to entirely divorce himself from business considerations. Mr. 

 Bliss passed through Chicago a couple of weeks ago on his way to Nash- 

 ville, his former home. There he intended cruising around among the 



