16 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



moaDtaiti : ' '|u<>Dtly, the demand i« not met by culti- 



itivl |illllll« 



'inlax la u»o.l for decorative jniriKMiw, cliiony an wrenlhH and 



MIT funeral doiiipiii. Those who gnthor the leaven kcII them for 

 II few rent* n thouiiand. Ther are anKortod aerording to hieo and 

 shape an>l are pniked in bundlen of twenty-six each, to bo shipped 

 to floriittn in the North. 



The cov.-r pirture ilUiMnitinK tliiH iiwiii' of Haiu>\vood RkcorO 

 shows a party of mountain people returning with their loads of 

 Kalax leave*. The total quantity which they are carrying nioy sell 

 for two or throe dollarK. The amount is not largo, but the gath- 

 erers invest nothing but tlieir time. Nature ]>roduco» the plant 

 ready for the picking. It demands no care from any one, though 

 the ]ioople who expect to profit by it have created u sentiment 

 against fiirest fires in that region. They have learned by observa- 

 tion that galox iloes not grow in burnt woods. For that reason 

 they do not set fires, and they advise their neighbors not to do so. 

 The results are remarkable. Woods where gnlnx grows is freer 

 from fire damage than the surrounding regions. This emphasizes 

 the fact that people will jirotect forests against fire when it is to 

 their interest to do so. If they show indifference on the subject, 

 it is because they do not understand that forest fires concern them. 



Cialax is a small plant with nearly round, whitish leaves and a 

 white flower on n central stem. The plant dies in winter and 

 springs up at the return of warm weather. There is only one 

 s|>ecios in the Tnitcd States. Calax aiihylla. wliicli name ni:iy !»■ 

 translated "leafless galax," though that name does not seem to 

 be true to nature. The word galax has reached us after a long 

 journey down from the ancient Greek, where it meant milk or 

 whiteness. The name galaxy, applied to the band of light across 

 the sky, called the "milky way," is from the same word. 



The establishment of national forests in the high ranges of the 

 southern Appalachians will improve the business of the galax 

 gatherers, because damage from fire will be greatly lessened, and 

 trails and roads will be constructed where none are now, and access 

 to remote districts will be easier. The mountains of North Caro- 

 lina have a monopoly of the galax business. The plant grows to 

 some distance northward from that region, but by common consent 

 the best is found among the high mountains of North Carolina. 



A Seeming Misunderstanding of Conditions 



THAT <|;|{T.MX H.VRDWOOI) CONSUMING INTERESTS ,lo 

 not liilly iinci.Tstan.l tlie loiiditions under which har.lwool 

 manufacturers are operating is indicated by the more or less con- 

 certed protests which are being recorded against the 1913 inspection 

 rules as adopte<l by the National Hardwood Luml>er Association. 

 That organization in its April bulletin devotes the first page to a dis- 

 cussion of this question, entitling the discussion "A Test of Loyalty." 

 The discussion contains the followina; quotation from a letter written 

 by a prominent furniture manufacturer, a former member of the 

 association: 



Perhaps .vou arc aware that a great deal of work has been done to 

 get lumber consumers to adopt the 1912 rules of Inspection of the 

 National Hardwood Lumber Association instead of using the lOia rules, 

 which we consider a ver.v unfair set of rules. 



We can bring about this adherence to the 1912 rules at the present 

 time if we go about after it and stand by it because the lumbermen are 

 anxious to sell now. I.,atcr on if we are not well organized and the 

 luralier business gets brisk we may have some trouble. 



HAKDnooD Record is not in |)osition, nor is it disposed, to criticise 

 either faction in this apparent controversy, but feels that the statement 

 made in the foregoing paragraph that the present set of rules is 

 unfair and should be resolutely refused recognition by buyers is in 

 itself an entirely unfair statement. The suggestion that now is the 

 time to overthrow these rules because of this generally conceded 

 laxity in the lumber business offers conclusive x>roof that the con- 

 suming trade is not doing its part toward ultimately placing the 

 grading of hardwood lumber on the basis which will be entirely and 

 absolutely satisfactory to all parties concerned. It does not show 

 the proper spirit, and it can be truthfully said that it does not show 

 a proper appreciation of the problems which have to be met by the 

 lumber trade each vear. 



TheM< problema arc the re«ult of • rapidly decrviuing quality of tim 

 bcr from which the sawmill o|M>rnUir cuts hi* lumlx-r. As n matter 

 of fact, the cliangeH which have Ihimi put inio effect are briiuglit nliout 

 by this ronditiun and other similar conditiunH, and were simply 

 promulgiili'il with Ihe id<« of lieing entirely fair tu the cunsumer and 

 to enable him to exactly determine what he is getting under the 

 present grades, taking into consideration cuiiHtant changes of con 

 ilitiuns. Purely no one will contend that the increasing difliculty of 

 getting out a favorable jter cent of high-grade luml>er from the aver- 

 age log should not be met in some way by soino change in the actual 

 grade, which n-ill take caru of less favorable timlHT conditions. 



The suggi'stion on the part of thi* conNumer was unquestionably 

 started by a few- concerns who had |H>rKonnl interests at stake, bui 

 it is to be doubted whether it represents the solid sentiment of the 

 entire consuming trade. It is unquestionably n fiu-t that this attempt 

 to overthrow the 1913 rules is based on lack of appreciation of what 

 these rules are intended for and of what they mean. The contention 

 that they are unfair is not well taken, as considering the log con- 

 ilitions, the hardwood nmnufacturer would have evidently t>een justi- 

 fied in making much more drastic changes. The new rules are simply 

 a result of a grailual turning over in all conditions in the lumber 

 business, which must naturally continue to be felt for y»'ars to c«me. 

 It seems that it is up to botli sides to recognize these conditions and 

 make the most of them, working together so that there will l>o the 

 absolute minimum of misunderstanding. 



Mahogany Values 



THE I'RICE OK MAHOGANY LOGS at Liverpool, up to a short 

 time ago, operated on a decidedly sliding scale, Uie sliding being 

 for tho main downward. This was difficult to account for in a meu.3 

 ure, but seems to have resulted from conditions which prevailed in 

 shipping territories some two years before. 



A year before last there were no tides in the rivers which bring 

 down the African logs, and as a result there eventually was an 

 accumulation of two years' stock waiting for the tide to take it to 

 shipping port«. As a result of this long exposed condition, a great 

 many of these two-year-old logs were damaged before shiiiment, and 

 as a consequence a considerable quantity of inferior wood eventually 

 reached the Liverpool market. 



It is reported that this inferior wood is pretty well cleaned out 

 and that the prospects are for resum])tioii of more normal prices on 

 an average. It is at lea.st pertinent to note that big buyers have 

 been stocking up for some little time past. 



Get the Crowd Out 



cirest I'roducts K.vposition 

 use of the affair, and i£ it 



TIE LAST WORD in rcciird 1 

 will not be spoken until afte 

 meets the success and accomplishes the results anticipated, the last 

 word will be a long-time in the future. But the last word before 

 the doors of the exposition are thrown open to the public must be 

 heard very soon. Habdwood Recokd has worked earnestly and faith- 

 fully to commend this important undertaking to the public. 



It is a new thing, and no one has been in a position to predict 

 exactly how nearly ideals could be carried out. The aim has 

 been high; work has been carefully planned and has been carried 

 out along broad lines; the finest collection of exhibits, in the 

 particular line, ever seen in this country, is now being assembled 

 in Chicago and will later be taken to New York. But these things 

 are not, in themselves, all that is required to make the exposition 

 the unqualified success that it ought to be. It depends upon the 

 people who attend and the lessons they learn from what they see. 



Manufacturers of and dealers in lumber and other forest products 

 have not brought this remarkable collection together as a matter 

 of amusement or entertainment. If more than that shall not be 

 accomplished, the exposition will not be a success. It must be 

 educational, and the education must be along business lines. Every- 

 body knows what wood is, but it is not everybody that knows 

 the numerous places which it is fitted to fill in the country's indus- 

 tries. Our forefathers burnt it, made rails of it to fence fields, 

 and built log houses of it, and they doubtless imagined that those 

 uses embraced pretty much all the places wood was fitted to fill. 



