floMwoMRecoM 



Copyright, Thb Habdwood Compant, 1917 



Published in the Interest of the American Hardwood Forests, the Products thereof, and Logging. Saw 

 Mill and Woodworking Machinery, on the 10th and 25th of each Month, by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



Edgar H. Defebaugh, President 

 Edwin W. Meeker, Managing Editor 

 Hu Maxwell, Technical Editor 



S;v n'h Floor Ellsworth Buildrng 



537 So. Dearborn Street, CHICAGO 



Telephones: Harrison 8086-8087-80OT 



Vol. XLIII. 



CHICAGO, AUGUST 25, 1917 



No. 9 



iy;«t»)tTOlM^tKW>&MJiWtailtltt iroi tm^^^ 



Review and Outlook 



THE hardwood market has beeu fiudiug its new war aligument 

 during the past few weeks, during which period great industrial 

 and eeonomie changes have been in the making, and is now beginning 

 to feel a more definite trend influenced by war necessities. The active 

 work of the Southern Hardwood Emergency Bureau, which is lining up 

 the producing facilities of the country and enlisting them for the gov- 

 ernment cause, is tending to stabilize the situation considerably as its 

 investigations and work reveal the true necessities and the true possi- 

 bilities of extending markets in government uses. 



The total of consumption directly and indirectly for war purposes 

 is proving to be of such vast proportions that it will have an even 

 more definite efEect upon the future movements in hardwood than had 

 been anticipated. There is continued assurance that mill production 

 will be strained to the limit to keep up with demand, and there is no 

 possibility whatsoever of accumulations of stocks. This is more and 

 more evident constantly and developments for the past few weeks 

 add additional certainty of this outcome. 



In the first place southern mills are finding even greater trouble 

 in getting logs to the mills and the number of southern mills shut 

 down because of inadequate log supply is being augmented every week. 

 In fact the situation has become quite serious without much prospect 

 of amelioration. The plans worked out by the emergency bureau 

 in connection with the government show that much of the regular run 

 of stock will be diverted into government needs and as much of this 

 stuff will be shipped green or partially dry, yard room will be consid- 

 erably relieved of any strain due to piling up incident to car shortage, 

 as government shipments will of course have precedence. 



In the other direction considerable sunshine is introduced into tlie 

 situation by the rapidity with which needs directly or indirectly con- 

 nected witli the war department are replacing needs incident to nor- 

 mal industry. Emphasis has been given of late to receding building 

 requirements, and it is quite probable that this Jias been too greatly 

 emphasized as while high prices and uncertain conditions necessarily 

 retard speculative residential building, there is a very wide expansion 

 in industrial and miscellaneous building, and it is altogether likely 

 that future months will see great activity in farm construction, much 

 more than has ever before taken place. In short, with the resources 

 of the nation concentrated on the one object, increased production in 

 food, commodities and supplies of all kinds, it must necessarily follow 

 that facilities incident to this production must be increased in propor- 

 tion. With steel practically out of consideration for structural work 

 at present, (and reinforced concrete construction is concurrently hit 

 by high price of steel), wood will be called upon to serve a vastly 

 extended use during the remaining period of the war and for some 

 time thereafter. 



Thus as far as the lumber business is concerned, the national read- 

 justment gives the definite assurance that it wiU redound to the benefit 

 of the lumber business and that in the very near future alignment of 

 trade, commerce and industry will be so definitely worked out that 

 future developments may be foreseen with accuracy. 



T 



Are Chestnut Forests Doomed? 



HE UNWELCOME FACT MUST BE FACED that the chestnut 

 forests are in grave peril from the blight that has now spread to 

 nineteen states which embrace nearly the whole range of this valuable 

 tree. Large sums of money have been spent and the services of tree 

 specialists have been used without stint; and stOl no adequate means 

 of combating the disease has been found. Apparently it is beyond con- 

 trol. If local success in the fight has encouraged the hope that a 

 remedy is on the point of discovery, the hope has faded as failures 

 multiply. The extirpation of a tree species from an area of nearly half 

 a million square miles must be classed as an event of first importance. 

 If it happens, as now seems proljable, it will stand without a precedent 

 in physical geography since historic times began. 



Even while the destruction of chestnut timber goes on in spite of 

 human efforts to hinder, a blight has attacked white pine, and there 

 is reason to fear that the history of the destruction of chestnut is 

 about to be lepeated in the case of white pine. In both instances, the 

 death of the timber is due to vegetable growths — funguses — which 

 insinuate themselves beneath the bark and do their deadlt work there. 

 The similarity to tuberculosis that attacks human beings is very strik- 

 ing. In both cases, vegetable growth causes the disease. 



Steps are being taken to plant new kinds of chestnut to take the 

 place of our dying forests; but the steps thus far are weak and few 

 compared to the need. Experiments seem to prove that a chestnut 

 which grows in China and Japan resists the blight. Many thousands 

 of these trees are grow-ing in this coimtry; but they are small and 

 most of them are being used for observation and experimental pur- 

 poses by the government. This chestnut's chief value in its native 

 home is due to the nuts it produces. It is a prolific bearer, and the 

 nuts are as large as those of the Italian chestnut. But the Japanese 

 tree grows large enough to be valuable as lumber. Trunks attain a 

 height of one hundred feet. 



The indication that this foreign chestnut will be immune to attacks 

 which kill our native tree gives hope ; nevertheless, the task of planting 

 an area of several hundred thousand square mUes to take the place of 

 former and present chestnut forests, is well nigh hopeless. A thou- 

 sand years would not be time enough to do it, at any speed in tree 

 planting ever yet reached in this country. 



