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BY HU MAXWELL 

 SEVENTH ARTICLE 



Editor's Note 



The eastern and southern legions of Asia are old in history but new In the lumber trade, so far as Auiirieau 

 supplies are concerned, riouglas fir from the Pacific coast of the United States is now bc'inning to enter some of the 

 districts of India which ages ago shipped structural timbers 5,00U miles to the Euphrates valley to build cities 

 which became mined mounds centuries ago. Thus do the centers of lumber s'ipply change. America is now one 

 center, and Siberia is destined soon to become .America's rival in the regions of eastern and southern Asia. At the 

 present time the lumber exporters of the United States are securing a foothold. It is no more than that yet. but 

 the tJ'ade should greatly increase in the near future. Asia is populous: it lias valuable resources: its people have 

 been traders for thousands of years, and they are anxious to extend their export business. The time is opportune 

 and the occasion is favorable for pushing our trade in that field. The Panama Canal is open, and it should lead to 

 an increase of hardwood products in our business with Asia. The disturbance of former trade relations between 

 that region and Europe ought to increase opportunities for export of American lumber to the Orient. 



The countries of eastern Asia constitute a field for the sale of 

 American lumber, but it awaits development. At a few points here 

 and there a market has been found, and in certain centers the sales 

 have been satisfactory; but as a whole, and considering the extent, 

 resources, and population of the region, only the first steps have 

 been taken toward placing American forest products on a proper 

 footing there. 



The trade has been confined almost wholly to species which are 

 lumbered in California, Oregon and Washington, therefore, softwoods. 

 The eastern hardwoods have not yet entered, except in the form of 

 cooperage, furniture, or some other manufactured articles; and the 

 trade in these articles has not been large. 



At the present time there is no reason to expect much increase in 

 our exports of hardwood lumber to eastern Asia. That region 's hard- 

 wood resources are as large as ours, at least in variety, and apparently 

 in quantity also. It would seem that whatever field is open in eastern 

 and southern Asia for the sale of American hardwoods will take 

 finished products rather than rough lumber. 



The prospect is quite different and much more encouraging for 

 American softwoods. When they reach the shores of Asia they are 

 not compelled to compete with native softwoods on such a close 

 basis that all profit is squeezed out of the transaction. There are 

 softwoods in eastern Asia, but south of Siberia they are of a rather 

 poor kind; and, except small stuff, they are not plentiful. This can 

 be shown more fully by a brief discussion of the probable supply of 

 timber in the leading Asiatic regions where the American lumber 

 dealers are looking for trade. 



Siberia 



Siberia, as is well known, is a province of Russia. It is a vast 

 region with resources very similar to those of Canada, and its area 

 is even greater than that of Canada. It has 27,000 miles of navigable 

 rivers. One railroad crosses the country from east to west, and there 

 are branch lines of considerable length, but aside from these railroads 

 and the rivers, the country is without facilities for moving heavy 

 freight. The State of Illinois has more railroad mileage than all 

 of Siberia. It is apparent that the forest resources have not been 

 greatly developed under such conditions. Nearly all the natives are 

 of Mongolian or Chinese origin; but in recent years many Russians 

 have settled in the country, and a few people of other nationalities. 

 Practically all of Siberia, or as much of it as was considered worth 

 claiming, was at one time or another a part of the Chinese Emjjire. 



Its forest areas are enormous. They extend 4,000 miles, from the 

 Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. They run north until they 

 finally disappear in the cold country toward the Arctic ocean, just 

 as the case is in Canada. Southward, they overlap into China; but 

 in the southern portions there are treeless regions as well as forests; 

 while in other parts of southern and eastern Siberia the wheatfields 

 resemble those of Manitoba. The clearing of land for agricultural 

 purposes is in active progress, and forest fires are ruining large 

 areas of forest, exactly as has happened in the United States and 

 Canada. 



Siberia's Fokest Resources 



Apparently no official survey of Siberia 's forests has been pub- 

 lished ; but travelers have crossed the country in every direction, and 

 from their descriptions a general idea of the timber resources mav be 



had. Oik- of the books (''Sibpria ami the Great Siberian Railway") 

 gives a good suniniary in a single paragraph: 



"There are many localities where for tens or hundreds of miles in every 

 direction stand clean plantations of pine which, with their interlaced sum- 

 mits, hide the sky. The absolutely naked trunks, rising perfectly straight 

 to an enormous height, are so monotonous that a man who once chances 

 in such a part of the Siberian primeval forest, cannot find his way out 

 again." 



A partial list of the timber trees of Siberia is given below. Some 

 of these at the present time are so remote from means of transporta- 

 tion that they cannot reach market for years to come. In fact, 

 most of the timber of Siberia is in that situation. 



By consulting a map of the couutry, it is seen that nearly all the 

 largo rivers of Siberia flow away from the railroad; that is, the 

 railroad through the country crosses the headstreams of those rivers. 

 They cannot be utilized for floating logs to the railroad. If lum- 

 bermen should try to float logs or rafts on them, the farther they 

 floated, the greater distance they would be from market. Therefore, 

 the country's forests cannot be marketed at the present time by 

 using the rivers as means of transportation; but additional railroads 

 must be built, which, in time will be done. 



Among the timber trees of Siberia which are now of commercial 

 importance, or promise to be in the future, are a number of oaks. 

 The Japanese oak is one of them in the southeastern part of Siberia 

 and over the border in Manchuria. This oak is regularly sold in the 

 Pacific coast cities of the United States where it competes directly 

 with American oaks. It competes also with American oak in some 

 of the European markets, and, of course, it is so firmly established 

 in the markets of eastern Asia that oak from the United States has 

 little chance there. 



Japanese Oak 



Japanese oak is not a single species, but consists of at least 

 three. In most markets all pass as one. All are found on the main- 

 land of Asia, though probably all are not met with as far north as 

 Siberia. The supply seems to be ample. These oaks occur over a 

 region half as large as the United States, but are lumbered prin- 

 cipally in southeastern Siberia, Manchuria, Korea, and Japan. This 

 oak appears to be the most important hardwood of eastern Asia, 

 and American exporters will meet it in many markets. 



Siberia has three elms, Vlmus campesiris, pendiculaia, and montana. 

 It cannot be ascertained that any of this wood is now going to market 

 outside of Siberia. Supplies are said to be large. 



The country has at least four kinds of maple, but there is little 

 information concerning quality, but in some regions the trees reach 

 large size. 



Two species of ash occur, Fraxinus excelsior and manshurica. The 

 wood looks like the common white ash of the United States. 



There are large forests of birch. Trees are generally small and 

 are similar to the white birch of New England. 



Aspen or popple is abundant and is of the same quality as that 

 growing in New England and the Lake States. 



There are three species of basswood in Siberia, and they are said 

 to be of excellent quality and abundant. 



Two walnuts are native in the country. They closely resemble 

 Circassian walnut, but they are more valuable for the nuts they bear 

 than for the wood; consequently, little Siberia walnut lumber reaches 

 market. The two species are Juglans stenocarpa and manshurica. 



