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The Forest Products Exposition 



The Forest Produets Kxpositioii that was ojicikmI to the public at 

 the Chicago Coliseum, April 30, was the most complete display of 

 the utilization of wood over l>r()Uj,dit tojxcther in this or any other 

 oountryt The wor<l 



ut: 



i z a 1 1 1 



should be empha 

 sized, because tlu- 

 keynote of the whole 

 enterprise was usi'. 

 There was nothing; 

 for display's sake 

 nothing for emptv 

 show. That was tin 

 first impression ainl 

 the most lasting iin 

 pression made upon 

 those who attended. 



The plan of tlir 

 exposition was well 

 laid and was exe- 

 cuted with ability. 

 George S. Wood, 

 who was in author- 

 ity and whose un- 

 tiling work contrib- 

 uted enormously to 

 the success attained, 

 followed a high 

 ideal, and reached it. 



The scope of the 

 exposition enibraceil 

 the country's entire 

 timber resources, 

 from ocean to ocean 

 and from peaceful 



Canada to stormy Mexico. While every commercial timber of the 

 United States was not shown, every kind and class was present. 

 There are .514 recognized kinds of woods in this country, but more 

 than half of them are never seen at a sawmill or factory. The really 

 valuable trees do not much exceed 100 kinds, and most of them were 



tXTERIOK VI 



■presented at the ex))Osition by their woods. 



One of the primary objects in making the exhibits was to an- 

 .ver the arguments of manufacturers of substitutes for wood, 



who . have been 

 ]ireavhing up and 

 ilown the country 

 that the forests are 

 depleted, or soon 

 will be, and that the 

 fine timbers which 

 were once abundant 

 are now scarce or 

 totally exhausted. 

 The exhibition has 

 proved the falsity of 

 all statements of 

 that kind. While it 

 is true that the 

 American forests 

 once contained 

 larger amounts of 

 timber than they 

 hold today, it is 

 equally true that 

 every valuable kind 

 can still be had, and 

 in quantities usually 

 large enough to meet 

 the demand. If deal- 

 ers in substitutes 

 have been getting 

 business imder the 

 pretense that wood 

 is not to be had ex- 

 cept by paying ex- 

 orbitant prices, they have been getting business under false pretense. 

 The one cause for regret is that millions instead of tens of 

 thousands of people were not privilegfed to see the exposition; 

 but the encouraging feature is that many who were not there 

 will hear highly favorable reports from those who attended. 



