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HARDWOOD RECORD 



HardWood Record fdail Bag. 



[In this department it is proposed to reply 

 to such inquiries as reach this office from the 

 Hardwood Record clientage as will be o£ enough 

 general interest to wan-ant publication. Every 

 patron of the paper ! s invited to use this de- 

 partment to the fullest extent, and an attempt 

 will be made to answer queries pertaining to all 

 matters of interest to the hardwood trade, in 

 a succinct and intelligent manner. 1 



Hardwood Used for Pipes. 



Louisville, Ky . Jan. 26.- Editor Hardwood 

 Record: The interesting article under the above 

 head appearing in the Hardwood Record of 

 January 1u did nol furnish quite enough specific 

 light on the subject of the possibilities of Ameri- 

 can substitutes for what is known as French 

 briar in pipe making. The price of pipes may 

 advance, but there is nothing to indicate that tin- 

 supply of what is termed French briar is any- 

 thing like exhausted, because to the initiated it 

 is well known that quite a lot Of this product 

 has been furnished for some time from the moun- 

 tains of North Carolina. When the great World's 

 Fair was held iu St. Louis there was exposed in 

 a showcase in connection with the North Caro- 

 lina exhibit a number of pipe blanks somewhat 

 tjmilar to those illustrated in Hie Record's arti- 

 ;le. Prof. II. II. Brimley, who had charge of Ibis 

 display, was very much interested in this pipe 

 material and the manufacture of the finished 

 article. He said the product was gotten from it 

 species of mountain laurel, and the pipe blanks 

 •r blocks were cut by small sawmills and shipped 

 to Rochester. N. Y.. where they were made into 

 finished so-called French liriar pipes, line ob- 

 ject in displaying this product was to interest 

 capital with a view of having established in that 

 part of Nortli Carolina a factory for finishing 

 these pipes so the entire industry might be main- 

 tained there. It is the root of the mountain 

 laurel that is used in this work, ami it is 

 grubbed out by mountain dwellers and sold by 

 the ton. 



There are a number of members of the laurel 

 tamily and it is difficult now. withoul specific 

 Information at hand, to recall just which member 

 of the family it is which is employed so' exten- 

 sively for pipes. However. Professor Brimley 

 said it is the same species that is found along 

 the northern shore of the Mediterranean, the old 

 source of supply of French briar. Possibly it 



is what is known as the purple laurel, or moun- 

 tain rose bay. 



It is said to have been owing to the color 

 effect of these flowers that Roan mountain re- 

 ci hi.l its name, and it seems that in many of 

 the mountain sections this laurel forms veritable 

 iuneles. sometimes in small patches and some- 

 times covering many acres. 



While there is of course a limit to Hie sup 

 ply of Hie North Carolina mountains, there is 

 probably no immediate danger of its being ex- 

 hausted, and Hie little flurry in the pipe market 

 will doubtless give fresh life to Hie industry 

 down there and enable it tn attain a little more 

 conspicuous place in the_ hardwood world. — J. 

 C. T. 



Apropos of tins subject, Consul James A. 

 Smith of Leghorn writes that the larger 



part of Italian briar w 1 is found along 



the Mediterranean coast and the islands of 

 Corsica and Sardinia furnish an uluin- 

 dant supply. The work of excavating the 

 root of the briar wood tree is carried on 

 from October until the end of May. -V kind 

 of grubbing spade with one sharp ode,' for 

 cutting away the large billet or heart of the 

 root (the valuable part) from the surround- 

 ing small roots is used in this work. After 

 being thoroughly cleaned and trimmed it is 

 brought to the mill and by means of cir- 

 cular saws cut into small blocks correspond- 

 ing roughly to the shape of a pipe bowl and 

 stein. These blocks are of various sizes, 

 depending upon the dimension ami shape of 

 the billet. Afterward they arc immersed 

 in boiling water for a period of about 

 twelve hours and then thoroughly dried. 



This process completed, they are sort.'. I. 

 the Imperfect pieces thrown aside, placed in 

 large jute bags, and are then ready for 

 shipment. The pieces unsuitable for pipes 

 are sold for firewood. Exports of briar 



w I from this district to the United States 



have shown a decided increase .luring the 

 past few years. — Editor. 



NeWs Miscellany. 



Yale Forest School. 

 Several very Important changes are shown 

 in the. latest catalogue of the Yale Forest School. 

 Most important among them is the institution 

 of a course in practical lumbering. The en- 

 dowment fund of $150,000 being raised for this 

 purpose by the National Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association has not been completed, but arrange- 

 ments have been made whereby the new work 

 has alrendy been started. For the present and 

 until the fund is all raised the work will be 

 under the direction of a committee of lumber- 

 men, no regular professor having been ap 

 pointed. The committee consists of N. W. Mr 

 Leod of the Grayson & McLeod Lumber Com 

 pany, St. Louis ; C. I. Millard of the Chicago 

 Lumber & Coal Company, St. Louis, and F. E. 

 Weyerhaeuser of Weyerhaeuser & Co., St. Paul. 

 Lectures will be given by practical lumbermen 

 from different sections of the country, each 

 expert in his special line of work. The school 

 will sooh be ready to announce the names and 

 subjects of the several lecturers secured for this 

 purpose. Aside from these special lectures, pu- 

 pils will be given Instruction in the economics 

 of the lumber industry ; its position ' in com 

 merce ; the many industries dependent upon it : 

 prices of stumpage ; the trend upward of prices 

 for lumber; future sources of supply; transpor- 



tation of exports and imports; markets; cost 

 of logging of various kinds of woods in different 

 sections of the United States. 



The field work is in charge of 1!. C. Bryant. 

 It will consist In laying plans for lumbering a 

 given woodlot near New Haven. Amount of 

 limber on the tract must be estimated; local 

 methods, cost of logging and milling, character 

 of material required in local markets, values, 

 etc., must all be fully investigated by the 

 students. In this field work Mr. Bryant has 

 the assistance of a prominent lumberman who 

 accompanies the students to the lot and dis- 

 misses for their benefit economy in utilization 

 of the timber, methods of logging, etc., and 

 criticizes the work of individuals. 



It has been the custom of the school to send 

 the senior class into the woods about Thanks- 

 giving time for three weeks, and again in the 

 spring for final field practice. This year the 

 .lass will remain in New Haven until March, 

 and will then lie sent out to remain until gradu- 

 ation, covering the field work in one trip to a 

 region where the climate is favorable for work 

 at that season and conditions suitable for thor 

 ough instruction. 



During the spring term pupils will be given 

 final practice in estimating; surveying; laying 

 out logging roads for engines and wagons; se- 



lection of camp sites ; logging ; transportation ; 

 handling logs at mills ; sawmills — character, 

 management, capacity ; grading lumber ; piling ; 

 drying ; shipping ; fire protection, etc. 



The work in forest management will be Con- 

 ducted by H. H. Chapman, and it is expected 

 that Henry Gannett, geographer of the Geologi- 

 cal Survey, will be secured for the purpose of 

 giving instruction in topographic surveying. 



The catalogue shows that the new course in 

 lumbering will be taught in a remarkably prac- 

 tical and comprehensive way, and that it will 

 impart to the student information and actual 

 experience not usually gained until the graduate 

 has done several years' hard work as an actual 

 forester. 



Meeting National Lumber Exporters' Asso- 

 ciation. 

 nil January 23 the National Lumber Expor- 

 ters' Association convened at Norfolk, Va., in the 

 looms of the Virginia Club. The business trans- 

 acted consumed the greater part of two days, 

 adjourning on the afternoon of the 24tn. 



The first session opened with Vice President 

 John L. Alroek of Baltimore in Hie chair, Presi- 

 dent W. II. Kusse being delayed by Hoods, as 

 were several members of the association en 

 route from Memphis and other points west and 

 south. The meetings convened at In a. in.. 

 ■1 :::n p. in. and s p. m. the first day. No regu- 

 lar routine or program was laid out. Hie pro- 

 ceedings being executive; plans for future work 

 were laid and matters of interest brought up. 

 I In- secretary was Instructed to write the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission approving the hill 

 which will be presented to congress providing 

 for better railroad facilities. Certain members 

 expressed themselves as much opposed to the 

 practice of foreign brokers who send circulars 

 to lumbermen in this country offering big profits 

 on lumber to be shipped on consignment, and it 

 was understood as the sense of the association 

 thai this misleading system should lie discour- 

 aged as much as possible. 



Tbe inaller of rates at Norfolk was taken up 

 and the association will endeavor to equalize 

 railroad ami steamship rates for the good of the 

 port: A committee was named to take up the 

 matter of the system of measuring lumber now 



in force at Liver] 1. and one to look after 



shortage, breakage and other claims against 

 transportation companies. 



flu' Thursday session transacted little busi- 



i ess of general interest with fl xception of 



election of officers, which resulted as follows : 



John L. Alcock. John L. Alcock & Co.. Balti- 

 more. Md., president; George M. Speigel. George 

 M. Speigel & Co.. Philadelphia, Pa., first vice 

 president; Harvey M. Dickson, Dickson Lumber 

 Company. Norfolk. Va., second vice president: 

 R. W. Price. Price & Heald, Baltimore, Md.. 

 treasurer, and E. M. Terry, secretary. 



The following committees were appointed: 

 Transportation— Harvey M. Dickson, chair- 

 n an : William Wilms. George M. Speigel. Max 

 Kosse. John L. Ah. .ok. Edwin Barber, Max Sond- 

 heiiner. A. L. Foster. W. A. Powell. Richard W. 

 Price. R. .1. Camp and Elliott bang 



Arbitration and Complaints — L. Methud.v. 

 chairman : F. E. Taenzer. Fred Arn, J. L. Eng- 

 lish, F. E. Price and George Burgess. 



It was decided to move the headquarters of 

 Hie association from Memphis to Baltimore. 



A vote of thanks was tendered Messrs. Dick- 

 son and Brenner who so ably provided for the 

 entertainment of members, and they then visited 

 Cape Henry in a body to enjoy an old-fashioned 

 .lain bake. 



Those attending the convention were: 

 John I.. Alcock. John I.. Alcock & Co. Haiti 

 more. Md. 



Richard w Price. Price & Heald. Baltimore, 



Mil. 



W. II. Price. Baltimore. .Mil. 



Edwin Barber, Ellingworth, Ingham & Co., Cin- 

 cinnati, ii. 



E. Stringer Boggess. Clarksburg. W. Va. 



