July 10, 1917 



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Cordwood As Fuel 



The government has publislied figures showing the consumption 

 of wood as fuel on farms in the United States. This is probably the 

 best estimate ^ver made along this line, but it claims to be no more 

 than an estimate. It is based on carefully prepared data. From the 

 nature of the case, it would not be practicable to take an actual census 

 of tlie wood used as fuel on farms. Families in rural districts, where 

 much of the wood is burned, do not measure or keep an account of 

 what they consume, particularly when it is cut on their own land 

 and costs no money. 



The estimate was made by selecting a large number of families, 

 scattered through eight states, fairly representative of the whole 

 country. Each family kept an accurate account of the wood burned 

 for domestic purposes in course of a year. By that means an average 

 was obtained of the consumption of wood for each person. It was 

 found to be two and four-tenths cords per capita in the families listed. 

 The states included were Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, 

 Wisconsin, Iowa, North Carolina, and Georgia. 



An effort was made to secure average families under average con- 

 ditions. Coal was used for fuel as well as wood, and more than half 

 the fuel was coal. 



The highest consumption of wood as fuel per person is in Georgia, 

 where each individual requires 3.3 cords, but the largest bill for cord- 

 wood fuel, per person, is in New York, $13.70 a year. The lowest 

 pro rata consumption is in Wisconsin, where each person uses 1.1 

 cords. The cheapest wood is in Pennsylvania, where it costs slightly 

 over three dollars a cord. The highest average cost is in Iowa at 

 over five dollars a cord. 



There seem to be some inconsistencies in the figures. For instance, 

 why should a family in the mild climate of Georgia burn more wood 

 than a family of equal size in the cold climate of Iowa or Pennsyl- 

 vania? No explanation is given, but doubtless a reason would be 

 found in the warmer houses, better furnaces, and more careful econ- 

 omy in tlie cold northern states. The open fireplace is still rather 

 common in the South, and it consums wood by wholesale, sending 

 most of the heat up the chimney. 



Farmers depend almost wholly upon their own laud for their fuel. 

 More than ninety-six per cent of it is cut on the premises and the 

 remainder is purchased, as shown by the statistics collected. 



There are 30,000,000 persons living on farms in the United States. 

 If the average is correct which shows that they consume 2.4 cords of 

 wood each as fuel yearly, it means the consumption of 72,000,000 

 cords, which, at the estimate of 600 board feet per cord, is equiva- 

 lent to 43,200,000,000 board feet a year. 



That exceeds the total lumber cut in the whole TTnited States. Add 

 to this the wood burned as fuel in towns anil cities and in industrial 

 plants, and doubtless the total would be more than doubled. 



It has been customary to think of the cut of lumber as by far the 

 greatest of the demands upon the forests; but it appears that fuel 

 exceeds lumber two to one. That fact will come as a surprise to most 

 people for the reason that cordwood is much less in evidence than 

 lumber. Trainloads of it are not so often seen in transit, because it 

 is not generally shipped far. Very large lumber yards are seen, but 

 not many large cordwood yards. Therefore, most people who think 

 of the uses which forests serve, give a high place to lumber, anil a 

 low rank, or none at all, to fuel; yet in quantity, fuel ranks highest. 



Fuel probably equals lumber in total value as well as in quantity. 

 The millyard value of lumber is about $500,000,000 a year. 



Lumber comes from the largest and best timber; fuel from the 

 small and poor. That is fortunate because it furnishes a market for 

 all kinds of timber. The output of fuel could be greatly increased 

 without drawing upon timber fit for lumber. If the waste in lumber 

 operations could be converted into fuel and sold it would bring a 

 large revenue. Most of this waste is in regions where there is little 

 demand for fuel. • 



The government bulletin under review distinguishes between the 

 values of different woods as fuel and takes coal (without specifying 

 the kind of coal) as the <.tT--^-i- ' of comparison. 



One cord of the following woods is equivalent in heat to one ton of 

 coal : Hickory, oak, beech, birch, hard maple, ash, elm, locust, longleaf 

 pine, cherry. 



A cord and a half of the following equal a ton of coal : Shortleaf 

 pine, western hemlock, red gum, Douglas fir, sycamore, soft maple. 



Two cords of the following equal one ton of coal: Cedar, redwood, 

 poplar, catalpa, Norway pine, cypress, basswood, spruce, white pine. 



Why Not Exploit Oak? 



A well-known southern hardwood manufacturer said recently 

 that the advertising of various woods, which have been put before 

 the public in the past few years, has not only succeeded in creating 

 a demand for them, but has taken some attention off the staples 

 like oak, which formerly occupie.d the center of the stage. 



"We all know what advertising has done for gum," he said, 

 "and I don't believe anybody will question the results obtained 

 for American walnut. Every furniture store seems to be display- 

 ing goods of that material. We lumbermen probably suppose that 

 the public knows all about oak, and certainly there is no doubt 

 about the adequacy of the supply nor the quality of the material; 

 yet the public is not particular!}' interested in it. 



"I think that a campaign in behalf of oak would be well worth 

 while, and I believe further that the problem which it would solve 

 would be entirely different from those which other campaigns have 

 dealt with; that is, it would be a matter of re-awakening a slug- 

 gish public interest by showing that oak is the standard ma- 

 terial, that it has served mankind for centuries, that it is the most 

 versatile and generally useful of all- woods, and that it ought to 

 be better appreciated. I am sure that advertising along this line 

 would result in a great stimulation of the demand for oak not 

 onlv for furniture, but for interior trim. ' ' 



Honduras Mahogany 



The exploitation and export of mahogany constitutes the principai 

 resource of British Honduras, which, together with Mexico, produces 

 the bulk of this valuable timUer that finds its way into the American 

 markets. For many years the supply of true mahogany in these 

 forests seemed inexhaustible, but authorities on the world's supply 

 of timber are now fearing a great diminution in the output from the 

 forests and on the market. Serious apprehensions are entertained, 

 even by those engaged in the mahogany industry, that the scarcity 

 of this timber may lead to the employment of a still greater number 

 of other woods in place of true mahogany, and to the displacement of 

 • Honduras from its position as one of the world 's principal sources of 

 supply of this timber. The African, Philippine, and Central and 

 South American woods which come into the American markets are 

 now largely being used in place of mahogany for various purposes 

 where the latter has hitherto been employed. 



While the imports of so-called mahogany to the United States have 

 risen in recent years to more than 40,000,000 feet anually, that of 

 true mahogany has fallen to not more than 12,000,000 or 15,000,000' 

 feet; the amount of true mahogany from British Honduras during 

 the last five or six years has averaged nearly 7,000,000 feet. The 

 Philippine mahoganies have made considerable progress in the Amer- 

 ican markets during the last two years. Approximately 2,000,000 

 feet of the best grades of Philippine kinds have been entered at the 

 port of New York during 1914. West Africa supplies annually 

 more than seven times this amount. As the supply of these ma- 

 hogany-like woods from other parts of the World increases, the ex- 

 ports of Honduras and Mexico will decrease. The probable future 

 falling off in the export of Honduras mahogany must naturally be 

 attributed also to other causes, as follows: 



1. The dimini.shing number of trees of large dimensions in the 

 forests of Honduras. 



2. The increasing cost of obtaining the timber, owin/; to the ne 

 cessity for penetrating the less accessible forests in search for timber- 



3. The increasing cost of labor, equipment and transportation. 



