August 25, 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



ness, helped their father run a mill and yard, and actually handled 

 lumber themselves. They laid the foundation for their success in the 

 practical knowledge acquired of the trade in the only way it is pos- 

 sible to acquire it — by experience. 



On the other hand, there are plenty of cases where a horny-handed, 

 hard-fisted, soft-headed lumberman, who wants his son to dodge the 

 hard work, has tried to teach him the business so that he could run it 

 from behind a mahogany desk and without getting his hands dirty. 

 But it can't be done. The only way to learn the business so that it 

 will be really mastered is to get right up against it, seeing the logs 

 sawed into boards, helping to do the work, and coming in personal 

 contact with every phase of the proposition. 



Card Index the Big Orders 



A well-known lumberman has a clever system of handling orders, 

 especially those which involve shipments of more than one car. As 

 this concern not only manufactures considerable stock, but jobs the 

 product of other mills, the system is of assistance in making clear just 

 what condition the order is in at a particular time. 



A card index is utilized in the operation of the plan, the card being 

 ruled off to show on one side the complete details of the order, the 

 dates on which the different shipments are to be made, and the quan- 

 tity, grade and price of each item of lumber to be handled in connec- 

 tion with it. On this side also is space for indicating the settlements 

 which are made by the customer. 



On the other side of the card is shown the date of shipment of 



each car, whether from the company's own mill or some other. The 

 time the order was sent to the mill is noted, and when advice is given 

 that the shipment has been sent, this is indicated as well, so that the 

 customer can be informed of the probable date of the arrival of 

 the car. 



The lumberman uses this card system constantly, going through it 

 almost daily, especially in times like these, to see what he is still 

 short on, and what items he wUl have to go into the market for. He 

 also sees at once whether each customer is receiving a reasonable 

 quantity of lumber to apply on the orders, so as to keep these aJive. 

 By watching the situation developed on the cards, which are easy to 

 keep up to date, he has found his work simplified, and his correspond- 

 ence much less diiEcult to handle. 



The cards are interesting from another standpoint as well, because 

 they are used to indicate the final results of the order from the stand- 

 point of net profits. After all of the shipments have been made and 

 settlement taken, there is no question about the results of the business. 

 Of course, there is no allowance made here for overhead, which has 

 to be deducted before net profits can be established, but the card 

 makes it possible to determine the results of each transaction much 

 more rapidly than in any other way. 



The card index is not intended to be a bookkeeping sj'stem, nor to 

 take the place of the correspondence files; but it is for desk use, and 

 to simplify the work of the sales manager in keeping tab on the busi- 

 ness handled by the concern. It undoubtedly saves time and makes 

 for a smoother running ofiice. 



V a^reiJATOasttmiWii^miJith^MiTO^ 



The public schools of Milwaukee are teaching lumbering and for- 

 estry. No attempt is being made to give instruction in technical for- 

 estry or in lumbering as a business. These things will come later in 

 the life of the student, if occasion calls. The present purpose goes 

 no farther than to make pupils acquainted with some of the important 

 forest trees of Wisconsin ; to give some idea of the appearance and 

 qualities of the different woods; a little information regarding the 

 uses of the wood and of other products derived from the tree; a 

 general idea regarding the cutting, hauling and sawing of logs, and 

 of the processes of making and using lumber. 



The plan was formulated by Huron H. Smith, curator of botany 

 in the public museum of Milwaukee. This museum specializes on 

 Wisconsin 's resources and history. It forms a part of the state 's 

 educational system, and is very pojudar with the people and is liberally 

 supported. The teaching of the rudiments of lumbering and forestry 

 is but a jjart of the museum's work .along educational lines. The 

 forests are the state's greatest resource, next to farms, and most of 

 the people are in contact with the forests, as in lumbering, paper 

 making, tanning, excelsior cutting, wood distillation, or some others. 



The state has about seventy native tree species; but only the most 

 important are selected for study. These are Norway pine, hemlock, 

 spruce, cedar, tamarack, birch, maple, basswood, white and red oak, 

 elm, Cottonwood, walnut, hickory, and ash. Small specimens of these 

 woods have been prepared, fifty sets for the fifty schools of Mil- 

 waukee. Specimens of chestnut, oak bark and hemlock bark, valuable 

 for tanning, are included with the specimens, and also a small sample 

 of a built-up veneer panel. 



Supplementing these specimens are photographs showing logging 

 and sawmilling scenes, and industrial maps of the state showing 

 where the chief kinds of timbers grow and where are located the 

 largest miUs. Pictures of the leaves and fruits of the fifteen woods 

 included in the specimens, are given. 



After the pupils have studied the specimens and the pictiu-es, and 

 have obtained as much from them as they can, the plan provides a 

 lecturer from the museum who wiU further instruct the pupils on the 

 subject of trees, wood, and the purposes for which they are used. 



This wiU constitute a beginning which in many instances will inspire 

 the pupil to further study and investigate along simOar lines. 



The plan is working well in Milwaukee, and it might be tried with 

 good results in other parts of the country. To make the acquaintance 

 of even fifteen important timber trees, and their wood, is an accom- 

 plishment worth a good deal. Many a person has gone through life 

 without knowing even that much about the country's forest resources. 



A good file cleaner is a handy thing, but it is not an advantag* 

 when it leads a man into using an old file when he ought to have a 

 new one. 



When stock going through a molder or a rip saw crowds away 

 from the fence, it is not a sign that there is lack of afBnity between 

 the stock and the fence or that each is charged with electricity 

 that causes a repellent force. It is a plain case of a screw loose in 

 the alignment. 



' ' Frost cracks ' ' in timber are supposed to be due to practically 

 the same cause as seasoning cracks — the contraction of the wood 

 under sudden changes. In seasoning, it cracks, usually, from shrink- 

 age induced by sudden dryness; under sudden, severe low tempera- 

 ture, it cracks from shrinking induced by freezing. 



It is poor policj' to leave any machine running, even for a few 

 minutes. Not only must the wear and tear of belts and the use of 

 oil be taken into account, but the very possible danger of some one 

 getting hurt. A stranger, or even a mill hand, coming past a ma- 

 chine running, and seeing no one attending it, is Uable to get caught 

 by some belt or gear, and if only his clothes are torn, he is in 

 danger of receiving other injuries in consequence. Every machine 

 should have its belt shifting arrangements so fixed that with ease, 

 and without trouble, the driving belt can be run off. The length 

 of time a man may leave a machine is not debatable. If it is to be 

 left any appreciable length of time, it should be shut down. 



