April 10. 191 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



Modern Hardwood Operations 



nut & Veneer r, i 

 (luite extensiyily 

 tious. wlilch wii' > ii' in 1. 

 iiaiiie of that t-ouci-iu uutil T'l-' w h ii 

 IViiroil. .Turden & McCowen Iu( oiKaii 

 ized. The first operation w i-> .it 

 Helena. Ark., where the plunt h is been 

 increasing up to the point fulh ilUi- 

 trated in the acconipan\ inj; photo 

 graphs. This plant is loiatui within 

 car-haul distance of timber opeiation^ 

 of the company in Arkansas The tini 

 lier holdings comprise some GOOD .kk-. 

 of the very best of Arkansas timber 

 land, in addition to which the romp<in\ 

 buys on the open market about as min\ 

 logs each year as it takes from its m\ n 

 holdings. This brings the annual pro 

 duction and sales to from tw(l\e to 

 tifteen million feet, made up laigelj of 

 oak, gum and ash, half of which goes 

 into rotary veneers. 



Aliout a year ago Penrod Juiihn \ 

 McCowen. Inc., entered into an < \ti n 

 sive and important purchase of mm 

 high grade stumpage in the St Fxancis 

 basin, having in mind not onU the 

 domestic market but the dCAelopimnt 

 of Its export trade, which before th.' 

 war was one of the principle fcatiii-.s 



of this organization. In fact, the com- 

 pany maintains an office on Grace- 

 church street, London, England. This 

 timber stands on what is generally con- 

 ceded about the best farming soil in 

 Arkansas. The tract is some twenty- 

 five miles from Memphis and forty 

 miles from Helena. It runs about one- 

 third oak, one-third gum, the remainder 

 being ash, cypress, hickory and elm. 



The logging is all handled by rail- 

 road, the main line leading out from 

 the town of Penjur, running about two 

 miles through the heart of the timber. 

 Two leaders leave the main line at 

 the camp and extend about a mile each 

 way. The logging is all done by steam 

 equipment, a two-line Russell skidder 

 being used to haul the logs a distance 

 of from 550 to 600 feet one each side 

 of the tram track. As rapidly as the 

 leader areas are logged, the leaders are 

 taken up and moved on to connect with 

 the main line at more advanced points. 

 The logs are loaded with a Clyde loader 

 capable of handling about thirty cars 

 a day. the loaded and empty cars heing 

 handled with a Shay locomotive. Eigh- 

 ty to one hundred men make up the 

 log crew and are kept constantly in 



