HARDWOOD RECORD 



43 



in a position to do this in the most effective manner. They traverse every 

 nook and corner o£ the country. There are few localities, particularly east 

 of the Kocliy Mountains, where 'fires are liable to occur, that are not daily 

 within sight of some mall carrier who treads his way among farms, through 

 woodlots, over hills, and across tracts of forest. Reports at the nearest 

 telephone will many times call out the lire brigades before the danger has 

 become great. 



Cincinnati Labor Troubles 



Cincinnati lias again become badly involved in labor troubles, a strike 

 of thi' i:u|peiit(rs ileilare<i on May 1 being still on. This has tied up the 

 building Inisimss. All planing mills arc shut down and will remain so 

 until an ad.Uistinciu is reach^. A demand for increase in wages of from 

 tifty cents per hour to sixty cents per hour for carpenters was made. A 

 compromise on this point was effected by the master builders agreeing to 

 pay flfty-tive cents per hour this year and sixty cents per hour next year, 

 but the further demands of the carpenters that nothing but union made 

 mllfwork shall be used was promptly refused and caused the strike. The 

 Kmployers' Association is a unit on not granting this demand and it is 

 said that the carpenters are now endeavoring after a strike of three weeks 

 to induce the labor. leaders to waive that part of the demand and permit 

 them to go back to work but this permission has not as yet been granted, 

 although from all evidence obtainable there Is likely to be some sort of 

 settlement made within the next few days as; the carpenters are growing 

 very much diss:ilislic(l wiih ii. in^ Ml., . ]n.:;iiiy when they can get an 

 increase in war. - :iii,i -ijii m ■! i. i i nuliormen have pledged their 



support to thr . rr,]il.i>. IV ■ a i i i,, I, liver lumber anywhere that 



will In any way m^vj-i tin strik.i - ,,i mv ,,i ih, carpenters, of which there 

 are a few who are working tor sonii' ol tin' smaller contractors who signed 

 up the agreement as demanded and conse<iuently have been working o 

 small force of men. It is said that the strikers number over 2,000, all of 

 whom have been idle for three weeks. 



Begarding Commissioner Davles' Report 



The following is an apt summary of what the report of Commissioner of 

 Corporations Davies on the iniquitous himU'r business means. It is con- 

 tributed by G. L,. Burke of the Fee-Crayton Hardwood Lumber Company, 

 Dermott, Ark. : 



ing the public. 



If selling lumber on grades is flxii 

 sponsors ought to get out a federal in in 

 grades of ctlei.. It ought to hr a mi 

 and aii> Imi. lni \\\ ■■ •\.u ■ .1 .li-i iii-iii- 



on. .lohn M., and inflame 

 hold the job, and what 

 V when a live oak tree of 



of s.. 

 pHaii 



the 



■ wl. John 

 ting fine 



and hie 



the Maine woods. They tell me 



Brazilian Walnut 



A cabinet wood from South America, which passes in the market as 

 Brazilian walnut, has made its appearance in England, Germany, p^rance, 

 and Italy, where it is regarded as of excellent quality. There are three 

 kinds in trade, but it appears to be uncertain whether three species are 

 represented or whether all belong to the same species and simply differ in 

 color. The botanical names don"t accompany descriptions of timber, and 

 would amount to little as a means of identification if given, because the 

 botanist has scarcely skimmed the surface of that country. The same 

 tree has bo many names, and so many woods pass under the same names, 

 that the importer of Brazilian woods is never sure of what he is handling 

 unless he sees them for himself, and evep then he may be uncertain. 



The Brazilian walnut being sold in England is of a yellow variety, a 

 black, and one a grade between. Logs of this wood var.v from sixteen 

 inches to three feet in diameter, and up to thirty feet in length, and 

 the wood has a weight of from forty to forty-eight pounds per cubic 

 foot. The grain is fine and regular, and the wood is easy to work and 

 takes a very high polish. It is the favorite wood for furniture in Brazil 

 and Argentine, and may be specially recommended for the making of 



furniture, cabinet work, and panelling, as well as wagon construction and 

 decoration, and both for interior and exterior work. Many of the large 

 steamers running between Europe and America are panelled with Brazilian 

 walnut most effectively. 



A peculiar cHaracteristic of Brazilian walnut is that it so quickly 

 becomes darker with age, the fresh cut wood increasing in color and 

 beauty a few days after it is cut and exposed, while even the lightest 

 colored species, known as Canary walnut, acquires a rich brown hue, and. 

 the grain becomes more apparent when polished. 



It is said that the supply of walnut in the South American forests, 

 can be depended on. 



Logging Operation in Chicago 



It was recently announced that a contractor had bought a bunch of 

 standing timber in London and had converted the trees into lumber^ 

 The same thing was recently done in Chicago. Rows of vigorous willow 

 trees on Fifty-third street have disappeared, and the explanation is that 

 they were sokl to a manufacturer of artificial limbs, and were cut down 

 and hauled away. 



The trees were white or English willow (SalUc alba). This species is. 

 not native in the United States. It has been extensively planted, however,, 

 as a shade tree in parks and along streets, and it is so thoroughly at 

 home in this country that it is running wild in many localities. It is a: 

 rapid grower, not particularly choice in soil requirements, and it has 

 few enemies to interfere with its prosperity. 



Willow is the best wood for artificial limbs. It is tough, light, and 

 strong. Less wood is needed to assure "the required strengtli than when 

 any other is used. The "cork leg" is willow. There is no such thing as 

 a cork leg. Cork is oak bark and it is not strong enough for sei-vice as 

 artificial limb material. The name is used for any light wood, but 

 white willow is best. 



Manufacturers don't usually take kindly to trees growing in a city,, 

 because of nails and other inrci,<;n ixxlies which are likely to be imbedded; 

 in the trunks, and wliieli interfere- with the process of manufacture. 

 Veneer Machinery in Silesia 



The increased demand for veneers in Silesia leads furniture makers 

 and wholesale lumber dealers to give attention to the possibilities of 

 putting in veneer lathes, clippers and dryers. The small manufacturer 

 buys his veneers already glued, dried and pressed from larger concerns 

 that have modern machinery. According to consular officer Herman L., 

 Soahr of Germany there are no high wood manufacturers in Silesia and 

 but few plants where veneer is cut. These use machines with long 

 knives adjustable to the length of the veneers to be sliced. These cut 

 sheets of 0.39 of an inch in thickness and less, the thinnest possible 

 sheet being 0.004 of an inch. These machines cost about from .$1428 to- 

 $2857, according to size. Rotary lathes are also known in Germany. 



The usual veneers are cut from whitewood, poplar, Russian asp, pine, 

 oak, birch, red beech, walnut, rosewood and mahogany. According to^ 

 the report of the officer above mentioned, who interviewed all veneer 

 cutters in Breslau, these people are ready to receive catalogues and 

 prices from American manufacturers of veneer machinery. .-Vll corre- 

 spondence should be in German, If possible, as descriptions, in English 

 are little understood. There may be, however, no immediate prospect 

 of a sale in this district, as many things must bo considered before they 

 will begin gluing and drying. 



Concrete Ties a Failure 



The Chicario Tribune, one of the most blatant advocates of steel and 

 various wood substitute products, is seemingly, in spite of its boasted 

 impartiality, an advocate of those products because it believes that its- 

 own pecuniary interests lie in that direction. Space is given to remark- 

 able stories regarding substitutes of various kinds used in place of 

 wood, and these stories have occupied prominent places in its sheets for 

 several years. 



Hence it is amusing, at least, to note a little quibble of four lines 

 stuck away in a corner of one of its pages describing a remarkable- 

 development which recently took place in some experiments made by the- 

 Chicago & Alton Railroad. This quibble declares that concrete ties that 

 have been used by this railroad for several years as an experiment have- 

 been removed, as they crack and lack the resiliency of wooden ties. 



There is some consolation, however, in the fact that this paper pub- 



lished the item 



all. 



A Bill to Aid Forestry Schools 



Congressman French of Idaho has introduced a bill to aid forestry- 

 schools in all states having national forests to the extent of five per cent 

 of the gross receipts from the national forests of the respective states. 

 This bill is known as H. R. 15219. 



A delegation from Idaho, now in Washington, is in possession of very 

 complete information relative to the work done by the forestry schools 

 of the country, and is in a position to make a strong fight for the bill. 

 It seems that the bill was written with the approval of Chief Forester 

 Graves, and will have his support. 



It is needless to say that when the vast amount of taxable timber land 

 now yielding revenue to support the state educational institutions is 

 considered, and also the small amount that is being spent for forestry 

 education as compared with other educational lines, the passage of the 

 proposed bill is a mere matter of justice. As an instance, the revenue 

 derived from taxation on the timherlands in the state of Idaho will. 



