March 25. 1918 



The census of vehicle manufacture in the United States during 

 the year 1914 has been compiled and published by the government. 

 The figures do not include automobiles. 



The information should prove ti/nely on account of the extraor- 

 dinary demand for wagons for war purposes and the difficulty that 

 seems to develop in meeting the demand for more than a quarter 

 of a million of them. The statistics shown below represent peace 

 times, and doubtless they would need to be completely revised 

 before they would apply to present conditions. 



During 1914 the total output of vehicles was 1,177,41.5. It is 

 assumed that all of these were for horses. Five years before that, 

 the total was 1,584,571, from which it is seen that the decrease 

 in number from 1909 to 1914 amounted to more than 25 per cent. 



By classifying the vehicles manufactured in 1914 it is found that 

 there were 550,401 carriages, 572,409 wagons, 1,284 public con- 

 veyances, and 53,321 sleds and sleighs, and the total number of 

 establishments making vehicles was 5,286. The decrease in the 

 number of establishments from 1909 to 1914 was 327. The value 

 of the output in the latter year was $136,039,612, and in 1909 it 

 was $164,420,558, a decline in five years of more than seventeen 

 per cent in value. 



Three states, Arizona, Idaho and Nevada, did not report the 

 manufacture of vehicles of any description in 1914, while the 

 leading states in such manufacture were, in the order named, 

 Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. These states manu- 

 factured 58 per cent of all the horse vehicles made in the country. 



The census gives no data concerning the kinds and amounts of 

 wood consumed in the manufacture of vehicles, but the cost of 

 materials of all kinds is placed at $65,718,795 in 1914; $81,951,288 

 in 1909; $77,527,911 in 1904; and $66,711,919 in 1899. It appears 

 that less material was used in 1914 than in 1899. 



The height of development of the carriage and wagon industry 

 was attained in 1904, and since then there has been a steady 

 decline. It decreased 11.2 per cent in number and 6.1 per cent in 

 value from 1904 to 1909 and 25.9 per cent in number and 23.4 

 per cent in value from 1909 to 1914. Family and pleasure carriages 

 decreased in output 42.6 per cent during the decade and 11.6 per 

 cent during the five-year period 1904-1909 and 35 per cent from 

 1909 to 1914. The number of wagons manufactured has decreased 

 steadily from census to census, the loss for the decade being 17.1 

 per cent, while the output of public conveyances decreased 55 per 

 cent and sleighs and sleds, 59.2 per cent during the same period. 



The Forest Service has published Bulletin 605, "Lumber Used 

 in the Manufacture of "Wooden Products," by J. C. Nellis. It is 

 the final version of the investigations of wood-using industries by 

 states that was commenced seven years ago. Preliminary figures 

 were published by the government four years ago, and Hardwood 

 Recokd gave a summary of the statistics at that time; therefore, 

 the present bulletin does not deal with a new subject, but the old 

 statistics have been revised and have been corrected in a number 

 of particulars. 



Fifty-three industries which work in wood are separately listed, 

 and the kinds of wood used by each are given, together with the 

 quantity of each wood. The total consumption of wood in the 

 United States yearly by the fifty-three industries is stated to be 

 24,576,556,564 feet. This is approximately sixty per cent of the 

 annual lumber production of 40,000,000,000 feet. It thus appears 

 that about three-fifths of the lumber sawed in the country goes to 

 factories to be further manufactured, while two-fifths is used in 

 its rough form. 



Sixty-five kinds of woods are used in quantities ranging from a 

 yearly total of 8,610,685,624 feet for yellow pine, down to 28,189 

 feet for Turkish boxwood, the yellow pine being highest in quantity 

 and boxwood lowest. As the term yellow pine is used in this bul- 

 letin, it means southern yellow pine only, and does not include 



western yellow pine. 



The wood which stands second largest in use is white pine; but 

 that means eastern white pine and the western, but not the sugar 

 pine of California, though it is also a white pine that contributes 

 more than 50,000,000 feet a year to the lumber supply. 



All of the oaks are included under a single head, and the fac- 

 tories get 1,983,584,491 feet of it a year. The maples are grouped 

 in the same way, and likewise the spruces and hickories, and sev- 

 eral other woods. 



If the different groups of woods, which have been treated as 

 one, had been separated into species, as white oak, red oak, chest- 

 nut oak, cow oak, etc., the total number found to be in use in the 

 United States would probably exceed two hundred. 



The bulletin does not give the use of woods by states but by 

 industries onlv. 



How to Cut Hickory 



A hand book could be written on the subject of how to cut 

 hickory — that is what to make it into and to what uses certain 

 sizes can best be turned. A Eecobd correspondent was reminded of 

 this recently when the operator of a portable mill inquired where 

 he might sell some hickory lumber. When asked why he did not 

 reduce his hickory to specific dimensions so as to put it in shape to 

 be more valuable as well as more easily marketable, he replied that 

 he had tried that but had not been able to get the thing to work 

 out right. Some smaller dimensions, which he thought might 

 be worked into axles, were wanted in different lengths but he had 

 become confused with it all and figured the simplest plan for him 

 was to reduce his hickory logs to flitches and planks, and market 

 them in that form. 



Hickory as a rule is either made to specific dimensions or is re- 

 worked to these dimensions at the consuming point. It is not a 

 wood which is utilized in the form of standard lumber sizes, but 

 is put to specific uses calling for a wide variety of dimensions. 



Moreover somewhere along the line the hickory must be reduced 

 to the specified dimensions. That is fortunate in a wa}', but it 

 makes a problem and gives occasion for the need of a book on the 

 subject of hickory. It is fortunate that we have many varying 

 needs for hickory, for we have many varying lengths in the timber 

 and it is only by confining many lengths and sizes that we can 

 get a fair percentage of utilization and reduce the waste. 



The trouble with the average man who has a little hickory to 

 get out is that he knows of only a few sizes and shapes in which 

 he can sell hickory. Furthermore if he did know of more shapes 

 and sizes in which it can be utilized, he would not know where 

 to market them. Taking it altogether here seems to be a splendid 

 opportunity for hickory consumers to get out a hand book on hick- 

 ory, giving an outline of the purposes or uses to which it may be 

 put, and a list of dimensions for various uses, together with some 

 suggestions of the comparative quantity required and possible 

 markets for the different sizes. 



The Forest Service occasionally gives a review of the hickory 

 products and the possible percentage entering different branches, 

 but they are necessarily briefs and while they give a general idea, 

 they are not specific nor do they go into detail enough to satisfy 

 the needs. What is needed is a complete hand book on hickory to 

 the end that we may utilize to the best advantage the supply of 

 the country. Hickory is one of the most valuable woods and is 

 30 scarce that practical steps should be taken to conserve it, to 

 prevent waste and to realize the full measure of value from its 

 products. 



As compared to hand work, the mortising machine is one of the 

 gfreatost labor-savers that has been invented. Also, it has done its 

 share to make elaborately-framed woodwork available at reasonable 

 prices. 



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