HARDWOOD RECORD 



15 



merchantable under each of these headings which come so close to 

 the line of demarcation that it is difficult without some means of 

 positive identification to know in which class they should be put. 



So-called scientific methods of identification have been worked out 

 b}' wood technologists, but in the main these have been of no par- 

 ticular value to the man handling woods as a business. 



Samuel J. Record, professor in Yale Forestry School, has made a 

 thorough study of this question, and after repeated and rigid tests 

 announces a means of simple but absolutely reliable identification 

 which can be easily followed by the most humble inspector without 

 any other equipment than a sharp jack-knife and a small hand lens. 

 This lens can be secured at any optical store for from fifty cents to 

 $1.50. It is necessary that the knife be sharp in order that in 

 cutting off a thin sUce of wood at the end of the board the fibres 

 and pores are not unduly nicked. 



The test consists in cutting off a portion of the rough surface at 

 the end of the wood, which need not be more than half an inch 

 square, preferably choosing a section which shows a ring of growth 

 of considerable width. Any lumberman can distinguish between the 

 springwood and the summerwood* in the oak. It is readily distin- 

 guished with the naked eye. Looking at this section then it can 

 be seen that there are light colored patches or lines running some- 

 what irregularly across it, some appearing like tiny flames. It is these 

 lines which should be closely examined with the magnifier. Examine 

 closely the pores in the summerwood, not the large pores in the 

 springwood. If these summerwood pores are distinct and if you can 

 see into them readily and can count them readily, you are looking 

 at a piece of wood from one of the red or black oaks. If, on the 

 other hand, the small pores are indistinct, if you cannot see into 

 them and if there are so many that it is impossible to count them, 

 then if the cut is a smooth one it is a piece of white oak. 



Surely tliis is a simple and logical enough test to meet the require- 

 ments of any man. The beauty of it is that it has been thoroughly 

 tested out and verified by more complicated and severe methods which 

 go into the more scientific end of wood identification. 



Hardwood Record has published more complete description of the 

 whole question on another page of this issue, which should prove in- 

 teresting reading to any one who is particularly interested in the 

 ■question of wood identification. 



A Lesson from the Edison Fire 



IT WOULD BE FOOLISH TO SAY the tremendous conflagration 

 which wiped out the Edison plant at "West Orange, N. J., would not 

 -have occurred if the buildings had been of mill construction. The 

 highly inflammable character of the contents of all the buildings 

 simply nullified the effect of whatever rightful claims the designers 

 ■of concrete construction had as to their fireproof qualities. This fire 

 should not be taken as a proof that wood is better than concrete for 

 fireproofing, as to the man who is capable of any intelligent thought 

 ■such claims in this particular case would be too ridiculous to be 

 worthy of consideration. 



On the other hand, it is conclusive proof that the concrete advo- 

 cates are claiming far too much for their materials as a fire preven- 

 ter. Edison himself has been one of the most ardent boosters for 

 concrete construction and the complete destruction of his model 

 plant must be a severe blow not only to his finances, but to his pride. 



No matter what type of construction is usfed, whether it is some 

 form of material now in use or some invention that will be developed 

 in the future, the fire hazard will always be witli us. Statistics have 

 shown without room for controversy that this hazard is more depend- 

 ent upon the human element by far than it is upon the type of con- 

 struction. There are few manufacturing institutions which do not 

 carry in their plants highly inflammable materials which if fully 

 ignited will overcome the most stubborn resistance of any retardent 

 material. It is simply a question of proper regulation and care to 

 prevent any incipient flame which might if uncontrolled lead to 

 total destruction. 



The concrete people have waged an excellent fight and have suc- 

 ceeded remarkably in establishing a broad field for their products. 

 Lumbermen have in the past, and before this invasion of wood substi- 

 tutes became an established fact, gone upon the assumption that 



wood, as always in the past, is a necessary article of consumption 

 and will find a market regardless of the activity of manufacturers 

 of competitive materials. As the realization is forced upon them that 

 those competitors are actively gaining a foothold they have been 

 more indignant than genuinely alarmed over the situation. However, 

 this condition of mind has rapidly been changing in the last year or 

 so, and the result is that lumbermen now appreciate the necessity 

 for putting their commodity upon the same basis of scientific manu- 

 facture and merchandising as does the manufacturer of competitive 

 materials. This realization is going to result in the manufacture 

 and merchandizing of lumber in such shape that it will be just as 

 completely applicable to exacting requirements as is concrete. The 

 builder of a concrete structure knows that a certain beam or a cer- 

 tain column must be designed to a certain size and form for a par- 

 ticular purpose. The user of wooden beams, because of the inactivity 

 of lumbermen in informing themselves as to the provisions of building 

 specifications and because of their laxity in actual manufacture, have 

 considered timber as not dependable for scientific designing. 



When this issue is met squarely by lumber interests there wUl fol- 

 low, or probably there will be established in conjunction with these 

 changes for the better, researches aimed not at tearing down the 

 merchandizing structure built by the concrete advertisers, but aimed 

 rather at establishing the good qualities of wood and its adaptability 

 under all conditions where it can be used. The lumberman will turn 

 his attention to the fullest development of those fields in which lum- 

 ber is. unquestionably preeminent in its utility, and will not foolishly 

 buck opposition where some other material is perhaps better. XJntU 

 that condition comes to pass the fight against the wood stubstitutes 

 will be carried on on an unfavorable basis. 



Such catastrophies as the Edison fire do not prove that wood is a 

 better building material than concrete or steel, nor do they prove that 

 concrete or steel is a better building material than wood. They do 

 prove, however, that no material under such rigid tests can possibly 

 endure. 



Making Good the Waste 



EXPORT FIGURES are beginning to tell the story of waste in the 

 European war. Of course no figures tell the whole story, but 

 since the waste in certain articles is made up by exports from the 

 United States, the figures give a hint of the destruction in certain 

 directions. Horses, wagons and automobiles may be taken as ex- 

 amples. They wear out rapidly in war and as fast as the old becomes 

 useless, new must be provided if the campaigns are to go on. In 

 times of peace supplies are needed in moderate quantities only; but 

 as soon as armies are set in motion the waste begins. 



In October, 1914, there were shipped from the United States to 

 Englancl three times as many automobiles as in the corresponding 

 month last year, and five times as many went to France. England's 

 purchases of horses in this country during that month, compared with 

 the preceding October, increased thirteen fold. The purchases of 

 wagons for the same period for export to Europe increased one hun- 

 dred and forty-one fold. 



It is believed that the largest shipments of these war materials did 

 not begin until after October, and it is probable that export figures 

 will continue to increase for some months. The life of a horse is 

 usually short in an active campaign. The automobile goes fast and 

 far, but it does not go long. A wagon which is good for years of 

 service on the farm or in ordinary road trafiic will last only weeks 

 or at most only a few months in war. The roads along which the 

 armies advance and retreat are strewn with wrecks. 



That waste must be made good constantly or the army will soon 

 be placed hors de combat. The supplies which go from America are 

 in addition to those which the countries directly concerned can sup- 

 ply for themselves. The value of a wagon or an automobile depends 

 largely upon the wood used in its construction. America has the 

 best wood in the world for vehicles. It has the whole supply of 

 hickory, since this incomparable wood grows in no other country. 

 American oak may not be better than the oak of Europe, but it is 

 more abundant and much cheaper. Oak and hickory are the chief 

 vehicle woods, but hard maple, beech and yellow poplar are valuable 

 for certain parts of vehicles. 



