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HARDWOOD RECORD 



Auuual lU, 1U1&. 



pluut>. Molii'ul iiK'ii Miy tlirrt- is rcuAuii tu bi'licvo tlio rliiini trui', 

 Uioii);li il liiis not Ikhmi fullv ostnl>liNli(><l. 



It is ri'iimrkitlilo tlint liiiiiinii l>cingti mhmii to be tlio only nnimnlH 

 affootoil by contnot with theso poisonouji pliint-H. The oil oxtractod 

 from llio onk, ivy, ami suniai* will rnuso dentil of rnlibits and anmc 

 other iininll animals, if injected under tlie skin or taken in tho 

 stomach. This has been proved by experiments; bnt there appears 

 to be no authentic case of tho lower nnimiilR Buflferint; from the 

 poison by simple contact in tho natural way. Cattle, sheep, goats, 

 horses, and hogs wade through thickets of the plants, browsing and 

 cropping grass, and doublloss unintentionally eating nuiny leaves and 

 stems, without injury. Rirds devour tho fruit in winter, and it forms 

 a not inioiisideralile part of their food, after ordinary sources have 

 failed. 



iDENTrnCATION 



Many persons who arc in constant dread of poisonous plants in 

 forests and open country are soared without cause. Staghorn sumac 

 and dwarf sumac may be mistaken for tho poison species, though 

 the former is entirely harmless. The leaves of the three kinds arc 

 much alike, and other differences arc not clearly enough marked to 

 make distinction easy for persons who are only superficially ac- 

 quainted with the sumacs. If the fruit is ripe, there will be no 

 difficulty in picking out the poison species. The fruit on it is set 

 like a thin bunch of grapes, usually hanging down, and is white, 

 almost like ivory; byt the fruit of the harmless sumacs is red when 

 ripe, and the bunches generally stand erect, and the drupes on the 

 clusters are much more crowded together. Unfortunately, at the 

 season when the fruit of poison sumac is ripe and white, there is less 

 danger of being injured than earlier in the season when tho foliage 

 is thick. One may be poisoned at any season by brushing against this 

 plant, and it is advantageous to be able to identify it at all times. 



The poison oak of the western country is not apt to be mistaken 



H ^im<«:&:>:>>imimitf)!iWtoi;i;!il!)i. 



fur aiiUliing else, nor anylhint; i'ls4- fur it, becaUHC its individunlity 

 is fairly distinct. 



The case is different with |niison ivy. It is mistaken fur a nund>or 

 of plants, es]iecially the Virginiii cree|icr or wucidbine {I'arthi nocimva 

 quiiufutfulia). Numeroui cnsi's uf poisoning every year are due to 

 such mistakes; yet if people wuuld simply bear in mind that poison 

 ivy has three leaves in a cluster and Virginia creefier has five, no 

 mistakes of that kind need l>e made. Other differences are easily 

 seen if the harndess and the poisonous plants are compared ; but 

 too numy persons depend on general similarity and do not notice 

 minor differences. However, the three and five leaf test is nearly 

 always sullicient, and it is easy to remember. When the plants are 

 not in leaf, the leaf scars may be used tu identify the harmless and 

 the dangerous species. 



Kemedies 



Several remedies or alleviates for this poison arc known. The 

 poison oil from the plants is rommnnicnted to the skin V>y contact. 

 If the hand, for instance, brushes against the plant and tho oil 

 adheres, it may be communicated to the face by a touch of the 

 hand. Cleansing with soap and water is usually sufficient to remove 

 the poison, if applied at once; but the viitini often does not know 

 that he has been laid liable until the blisters begin to rise on the 

 skin, and it is then too late for soap and water to have much effect. 

 The poison has then already entered the tissues. 



The remedy most commonly recommended at that stage is a wash 

 of sugar of lead ; but since this is more dangerous than poison ivy, 

 if swallowed, the remedy must lie used with caution. 



Many cases of poisoning are ilue to gathering the brilliant foilago 

 of these dangerous plants in autumn by persons ignorant of their 

 harmful character. The red and scarlet leaves make showy decora- 

 tions, and many an unsuspecting jierson learns to his sorrow that 

 danger may lurk under a showy exterior. 



•x5" Tanning and Dyeing Materials "^ 



The peel of black oak bark last year in the United States amounted 

 to about 12,000 tons and the amount for the current year is esti- 

 mated at 17,000 tons. More than half of this amount is handled by 

 one firm in Hanover, Pennsylvania. 



The prices of raw material have advanced more than 50 per cent 

 during the past year. There are two re.isons assigned for this. Ono 

 is that the bark peelers have learned through the papers of the 

 great shortage of dye stuff material and have raised the price of their 

 bark. The other is due to the fact that the cutting of hea\'y timber 

 has been curtailed owing to limited demand and low price, and as 

 black oak bark is only peeled when timber is cut for lumber or ties, 

 the bark extract manufacturers are obliged to pay high prices for 

 the bark or the timber owners will not operate their tracts. 



The aqueous extract of black oak bark after concentration under 

 different conditions of vacuum is used for the dyeing of cotton, silk, 

 wool and fur and for the making of wall paper lakes, printing 

 inks, boiler compounds, tanning in conjunction with dyeing, and 

 other technical purposes. There are several grades of the bark and 

 the value and nature of the extract depends to considerable extent 

 upon the type of bark and also the treatment of the extract during 

 manufacture. The concentrated dye is known as flavine. 



The importation of dyewoods has been greatly stimulated by the 

 scarcity of aniline colors and is over four times as great as in 

 normal times. The woods for the most part come from the West 

 Indies, Central and South America. With the raw markets closed 

 to Germany and materially curtailed in other European countries, 

 these woods are now to be had by the United States under very 

 favorable circumstances. Prices have risen, however, and old fustic, 

 for example, has about doubled in price. 



The leaves and leaf stems of our native smooth sumac (Ehiis 

 glabra) are Used to considerable extent for the tanning of light 

 colored leathers and for the so-called re-tanning and currying of 



the heavy leathers. The extract is also used for the mordanting of the 

 basic aniline dyes which require a preliminary tannin fixing bath, its 

 principal use being for the fixing of methyl and methylene green 

 in cotton. 



Native sumac is used as a substitute for the Sicilian sumac, but 

 is not considered as desirable as the latter, owing to the very much 

 darker color that is inherent in the American product, giving a stain 

 to the material on which the extract is used. The imported appears 

 on the market as Sicilian or stainless sumac, the American as refined 

 or Virginia sumac. In addition to the uses mentioned above both 

 of the extracts are used for topping off lakes, for cotton printing, 

 speck dyeing, and numerous variants of the same kind. 



Farm Wagon Standardization 



There is a movement, on foot among vehicle manufacturers to 

 standardize what are termed farm and mountain wagons. This is in 

 accordance with the general tendency to standardize i)roduction of all 

 kinds where it can be done. The proposed list calls for vehicles 

 light, medium, standard, and heavy. When put into operation this 

 will reduce the variety of wagon wheels to two combinations, 40-44 

 and 44-.50. The gear is to be so standardized that the new rear gear 

 will be interchangeable for either the high or low wheel and yet not 

 change the bed level. It is expected that the new plan will be put 

 in operation within six months. From the standpoint of the sawmill 

 man the change will be welcome as it will simplify the work of cutting 

 vehicle stock. 



The timber industry represents thirty-seven per cent of the annual 

 production of wealth in British Columbia. 



While a little concave in the level of a planer knive will make it 

 easier to whet, so that it may be used longer without regrinding, the 

 straight level generally does smoother work. 



