u; 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



iliBiurtrr iiliKhtIv ovrr tea iwi; liul ii|n>nri'iillv tliiit iiioUHiirv wan 

 takrn quite tipar the trruiiiul. The imiinl |Miiiit of inciiMiri'nipnt of a 

 U««'« tniiik )!• four niiil ii linlf fiH't from tho i;roun<l. At tlitit |Miiiit 

 thU trunk hax n ilimnrtor ulwut <>i)ual to tlip lipi|;ht of tlip man Htiiuil- 

 ing br, nix fr<*t |K'rhu|>«. There ii record of nn oiik tree in Hownnl 

 county, Mo., timt wii» nine fe««t in Jinnieter, two fivt from the groiiiiil, 

 nnil of one in wi-oti-rn New York of chjuiiI >tite. 



The 1 W is wventyfour ttvl hiyli, nnil Iiiim n hori/.on 



till »j)rt - of one hundretl nml four ft-et. The height is 



niodemte, but the .•'proail of lirnnrliex i» nl>out the limit for white 

 onk, though the iHiuthern live oak ami the valley oitk of C'aliforniii 

 have wilier upreails. 



A tree like that in the illustration is practically worthless for luiu- 

 licr, and so rough arc tlie V>ninches and trunk that the cost of cutting 

 them into cordwood leaves little profit. In Kngland oak trunks of that 

 form are converted into short luniU-r. The tri-e is cut even with the 

 ground, or lieneath the surface, and n log from six to twelve feet is 

 obtaijie<l. The wood of such trees is often finely figured. Its value 

 makes up, in part, for the small output. 



The Tendency of Business 



FORTfNATKLV Till; TJMi; UAb CUMi; wlicii the tendency of 

 business may be observed from signs more substantial than the 

 proverbial straws that drift with the wind. The complete figures on 

 our exports for last February have now been compiled, and the re- 

 markable fact apjiears that we sold to foreign markets during the 

 month commodities valued $100,000,000 higher in any other February 

 in this country 's history. 



That means a great deal. Much of it was war material. Some per- 

 .sons have conscientious scruples against selling munitions of war to 

 l>elligerents ; but no voice has yet been raised against the tide of gold 

 which is coming to us from Europe. The balance of trade for Feb- 

 ruary was in our favor to the extent of .$173,604,36(i. Some of this 

 balance has been covered by European and other foreign loans jjliiccd 

 in this country; but, in the long run, the balance of trade must be 

 paid in gold. This inflow of gold has already stimulated business 

 in this country. We are not buying as much from foreign markets as 

 usnal; and the money which ordinarily would have been spent abroad 

 is being spent in this country. The balance has been largely in our 

 f.ivor for three months and is steadily increasing. 



To that fact more than to any other is due the business improve- 

 ment along many lines. The large profits in grain are well known. 

 The cotton situation in the South has so greatly imj.rovcd that the 

 people there have recovered their confidence and are showing it in a 

 substantial way by purchasing largely from the North. Orders have 

 increased largely for shoes, and the effect is already felt in Xew 

 England. The copper mines, which were in a bad way, are now 

 barely able to meet the demand. The furniture trade is responding 

 to the improved situation. Tourists who have been spending $2.50,- 

 000,000 a year in Europe are already turning their attention to their 

 own country. This money will be spent in travel in the United States, 

 or will be invested. Tourist travel is already heavy, especially in the 

 direction of the Pacific coast. 



The grain crop of last year has been practically sold out, and in 

 expectation of another year of high prices, an unprecedented acreage 

 will be harvested this year. The money markets of New York are said 

 to be "swimming in gold." England, France, Russia, Germany, and 

 Argentina have all recently floated large loans in New Y'ork. The 

 abundance of money there is the most important sign of increase in 

 all lines of business; for the foreign countries that borrow from us 

 do not take the actual cash away, but leave it on deposit here to pay 

 for purchases made in this country. This money, therefore, quickly 

 finds its way to manufacturing centers where it is spent for labor and 

 material, and this contributes to general prosperity. 



American business men have been patient and conservative during a 

 ]ieriod of depression which was not due to the European war. The 

 tide has now turned ; and, though the sailing is still far from good 

 in most lines, the improvement is so marked in many important par- 

 ticulars that general prosperity is believed to be at hand. 



It is unfortunate that lumber is one of the slowest lines to move 

 under the influence of the business revival, but its turn is coming. 



ll n one ui till' iiiti>'li-» which tin- wnr hurl in iiiiiiiy wnyii, and lirl|K'i) 

 in none. It i» iHiiiiid to rcHpond tu Uie general revival, and n little 

 later, when the war endu, there will unqueAtioniibly come the licat luni- 

 IxT I'Xi'ort triidc in the hidtory of this rouiitry. 



Carless Shipping Not Good Judgment 



Al-AHCiK MANTKAt TrKKK <»K WAtiONS nnd farm P<|uipniont 

 recently submitted to a innn who in an authority in con 

 nection with harilwood nuitterN and cluMdy in touch with hardwood 

 o|H>ratorH in vnrinuit partH of the country, noine Mimplcn of lumlx'r 

 received for use in the const ruction of wiigons, which were in ex- 

 ceedingly ]ioor condition in that they were checked, stnined, war|ied 

 and generally so reduceil in quality as to In- jiracticnlly uiiclesH. Ac- 

 companying these samples was a detailed letter in n-hirh it suggested 

 that while the tendency to ship stock of this kind was in no way 

 general and in fact was really an exception, it would hardly sei'ni 

 a matter of good judgment on the part of the sliiiijK'rs to adopt such 

 a jiolicy in view of present conditions when the average buyer is 

 more than ever |iarti('ular in his inspection of re<'eipt8. 



In fact, the letter suggested that were the tendency to Itecomc at all 

 general it would seem almost necessary to make some further ar- 

 rangement making specifications for stock going into wagon manu- 

 facture more rigid in order that requirements might lie met siH-ciflcnlly 

 and without the necessity of going into argument ami |>rotest. 



It is scarcely conceivable that any intt-lligent manufacturer would 

 today exercise anything but the greatest of care in making shipments 

 as to hold a customer today is equivalent to a great ileal of effort in 

 lining up new trade. Today a price market governs largely and no 

 man can tell when he is going to be underbid by a competitor, or 

 when his choice, pet customers will take wings and fly to parts un- 

 known. Hence it would seem the part of ordinary good judgment to 

 exercise every reasonable care in seeing that instructions arc ad- 

 hered to to the dot in order that unfortimatc instances of this char- 

 acter might not arise. 



It is not the purpose of Hardwood Uecokd to suggest in any way 

 or in any sense that the condition is anything but occasional, as the 

 complaint as above stated specifically says that it is but occjisional, 

 but it is to he regretted that there is even one manufacturer who 

 would be willing to jeopardize his best interests in this way. Perhaps 

 the rest should not worry particularly about what some other man 

 with less business judgment than they might 1)C doing to lose his 

 trade but at the same time it is rather a reflection upon the trade 

 as a whole and should not be countenanced by the more conscientious 

 and progressive shippers. 



Refining the Product 



Till'; ULTIMATK OH.IKI'T ol every liin.l.ir manufacturer is to 

 get as much actual money out of each log as he possibly can. 

 A lot of logs will make an average percentage of each grade of 

 lumber in the rough, these grades being described by certain rules 

 generally in effect. It very frequently happens that the actual 

 value of the clear lumber in a board which is off-grade on account of 

 knots in extreme ends or edges, will be greater, multiplying the 

 price of the clear stock by the feetage in clear stock, than the 

 board as it comes from the sawmill. 



This condition has led to a desired movement among hardwood 

 manufacturers of recent years tending toward refining grades of 

 lumber on the loading docks, in order that the fullest possible worth 

 may be gotten out in actual money. This can be accomplished with 

 an ordinary rip saw of the self-feeding type, and a good swing 

 cut-off saw. These are very easily connected up when properly- 

 located 80 that a minimum amount of power will be necessary to 

 drive them. 



There are various reasons why the fullest manufacture is not prac- 

 tical in the sawmill itself. No saw-mill operative has time to com- 

 plete the study of all boards as they must be kept constantly on 

 the move and give way to the others. Also the entire board can 

 ordinarily not be seen as in putting it through the edger or trimmer 

 the operator of these machines is usually constantly on one end, and 

 as the boards are on a level with his hips, he cannot see the worm 

 holes or other imperfections in the middle or the farther ends. 



