HARDWOOD RECORD 



. - still Hwiiii;-! hIoiik 

 III. I till' irlist »)>.. ii.:i'l<' \\w pilot. .^'i.ipli r.ir IIaKOWOOI) I<K(-OIiIi 

 wan fortunate in talcliini; tho oM "lliormi({lilirnc«', " iih kiu'Ii ii 

 vohirip i» •■■IIpiI, in th<> net of |i»HiihiK- Tliiil in tho typi' of ^tii^ir 

 wliii-h cnrricil Mnrk Twain, Hr«'t Ilnrtc, Hornfo (iri'oloy, nml iitlior 

 rolfl>ratoil travrliT- u|>on Homo of tlu'ir fnniouii woHtcrn joiirni'Vu. 

 Till* l>aKKi*K'' n"'! t'x' wntiT burkpt linni; on licliiml in tlii< ^'ouil 

 old wny; nnti if ii littli- olo!ipr inH|)i>cti<in fotilil l>i> linil than that 

 whirh th(> |iliuto;;ni|>li iilTorilti, it wouhl rcvonl iivalnni'hi*!! of (;■'">' 

 •lust Kliilini; from thi- roof, lioily nn<l whoi'ls of the vohiclp, anil 

 from the coats an>l >louoh Honiltrcros of tho pnNxoii^'ors. It In 

 in tho midiit of tlio rninlcs!) California siiiiinior, anil tho sun has 

 bfon pirouetting nroiiml ono hiinilroil in tho sliailo iliirin^' tliroo or 

 four months. 



The large tree at tho left of the roml is a woopiuf; oak. lis 

 favorite rnnco is in the lower valleys nml swamp lands where its 

 luxuriant foliage droops under its own weight. The sample in tho 

 picture does not exhibit that trait in a noticeable degree. The 

 tree attains an extreme iliamoter of seven feet and a height of 

 one hiindreil, as in the case of the " Hoo)cer oak," at Chico, Cat., 

 which is of the same species. It is a white oak, hut the wood's 

 ohief value is as fuel. .\ few years ago an enterprising eastern 

 stave man had an idea, lie built a mill near a large body of 

 this timber, expecting to make a fortune out of tight staves, 

 which sell for a high price on the Pacific coast. He neglected, 

 however, to first test tho weeping oak to see if liquids would seep 

 through the wood. That neglect was his undoing; for not only 

 is the standing tree properly described as weeping, but the barrels 

 made from the staves weep also. The liquid oozes out through the 

 pores. The disgusted stave maker declared that "the barrels 

 won't hold whisky; it is lis much as a bargain for them to hold 

 hazel brush." 



Twin trees stand on the upper side of the road, lu-ar tho sta-io. 

 They are the California blue oak, also called mountain white oak. 

 rock oak, and post oak. The first name is liiie to the blue tinge 

 of its foilage in early summer, before the accumulation of dust 

 changes it to the color of an elephant. The wood is poor in com- 

 parison with eastern white oak, and its principal use is as fuel. It 

 is hard, but is very brittle and its color is ugly. 



The tree in the foreground, on the upor side of the road, with 

 bark like an eastern dogwood's, is the Valparaiso oak. which in 

 Kiiglish means "vale of paradise"' oak. It is often an uncouth 

 thing, but is highly interesting. Its botanical iiaiiio means "golden 

 cup." The acorn sits in a cup which is siiHioicntly yellow to 

 suggest gold. The acorns fall early in their second year. The 

 leaves are evergreen. Those on young trees have one form, 

 on old trees another. Some have margins as smooth as the 

 leaves of black gum, others are thorny like those of holly. The 

 tree flourishes best in deep cool canyons. It is there of sym- 

 metrical form, the largest trees having a spread of branches 

 one hundred and fifty feet across. Such specimens may well be 

 called the vale of paradise oaks. The samidc in the picture is 

 rough and ^T^etched because it occupies dry ground. It gives 

 no idea of the splendid form and appearance of this oak -when 

 .'It its best. 



Prevention of Freight Congestion 



P ROM THE PRKSK.NT TIMK until lato in the lall the country's 

 ^ railroads will be burdened with the wheat and other grain 

 crops, as they move from the fields to the mills, elevators and 

 '^xport points. The shippers of other commoilities ought to have 

 ■■at fact constantly in view, and do all they can to help the situa- 

 inn. All lines of business are interested in seeing the farmers' 

 •^ops reach markets speedily, to the end that tho money realized 

 ■ ill pass quickly into circulation. 



Shippers of lumber and other forest products can contribute ma- 

 ■ lially to the desired result by carefully planning their demands 

 ; ir cars, so that no rolling stock may be held longer than is abso- 

 . :tely necessary. To accomplish this, all cars should be loaded 

 :ind unloaded as qnickly as possible. They should be loaded to 



their full cMpncity, thereby diminiKhiDg tho number of can nee<lp<l. 

 The dispositiun of freight should bo anticipated before it* arrival, 

 and cam should not be nrderod nheail of tho time when they will 

 bo needed. Tho practice of billing cars to iiitormedinto point-, 

 there to be held f6r reconsignmont, cnuNos delay and the earn 

 arc thereby uunecosBarily withhold from service. Shippers ought 

 to reduce Uhk practice to n miiiiniiini, ami thereby help the gonornl 

 freight movonient anil indirectly help themselveii. 



Those who can anticipate their needs in the purchase of lumber, 

 shingles, cooperage stock, and other jrt-oducts of tho forest, mill, 

 and factory, ought to do so, because the earlier tho order- are m, 

 tho- less danger of congestion in shipiiioiits. 



The War and the Lumber Trade 



Till-: \V.\I( I.N Kritm-K l- ImiuihI to li:iM> bearing on Imsini-— 

 ill this •ouiitiy, but full results can not be known until IntiT. 

 There are certain factors in tho situation which must have con 

 sidcrablc efTect on .Xmerica's foreign lumber trade. They may 

 result in closinj^ certain foreign markets; in shutting off foreign 

 supplies which compote directly with .Xmerican lumber; or in 

 <-reating new demands. 



Pine from tho Baltic Provinces is a lompetitor of southern yd 

 low pine and of Douglas fir. That pino is solil in Oreat liritaiii. 

 France, Germany, and in soiithorn Kurope and along the southern 

 and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. For a time that 

 supply will be cut off, and it should stimulate the sale of American 

 pine and fir. Yet, the demand for lumber will greatly diminish in 

 many parts of Europe. 



Birch spool bars and veneers made in Russia compete with siiiii 

 lar articles manufactured in Maine. Their market is largely in 

 England and Scotland, though some box stuff is sold in southern 

 Kuroiie. That supjdy will be cut off for a time. 



Pine and other woods from .\ustria, Roumania, and other Uanubc 

 regions furnish much of the box material for the shipment ol 

 raisins, figs, dates, and other fruits from eastern Mediterranean 

 countries. Much if not most of that supply will be cut off; but 

 the fruits will continue to bo shipped, and there ought to be an 

 opening for increased sale of American box shooks in Italy, Greece. 

 .Syria, Egypt, and North Africa. 



.Staves for France's, Spain's, Portugal's, and Ital.v's wine come 

 largely from .\ustria. None will come out of that country while 

 the war continues, and increased business should come to American 

 stave dealers. The table grapes of .Spain go to market in barrels 

 made in part of Austrian staves, though many are of Spanish 

 make and some are from America. Traile in .■Vmerican grape staves 

 ought to increa.se. 



•Tapanese oak is going to most civilized countries, including the 

 western coast of the United States. Much of this oak comes from 

 Siberia, and shipments from that country may be expected to de- 

 cline. It is a competitor of American oak, which should be able 

 to gain something. 



Circassian walnut comes from the Caspian Sea region and is 

 shipped through Russia, though it might take another route. It 

 is doubtful if another log will come out until the war is over. 

 Red gum is a might.v good substitute for Circassian walnut. 



Large quantities of willow ware come from Germany. It is 

 needless to say that exports from that country will cease during 

 the progress of the war. Eastern Pennsylvania and some of the 

 states of the Middle West grow basket willow, and sales of their 

 product should increase. 



It should be borne in mind that lumber markets as well as most 

 other markets will be disorganized by the war. The countries 

 engaged in the fighting ■will not buy much lumber, and they have 

 been America's best customers. Their misfortune will not neccs- 

 .sarily increase the prosperit.v of American lumber dealers. Our 

 loss of sales in German.v and France may more than offset gains in 

 the Mediterranean countries. A long war will exhaust the re- 

 sources of all the countries engaged, and its effect will be depress- 

 ing in all parts of the world, .\merican lumbermen will doubtless 

 get as much out of the situation as possible; but no one should 



