38 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



saving in price between the two grades?" What buyer would 

 answer "No" to that? There isn't a chance to say "No." I 

 fancy I hear a number of you saying that this is an exceptional 

 case. Now think a minute — this man knew all about his com- 

 petitor 's good as well as his own. He had the knowledge and the 

 confidence, therefore, what was to prevent his using if? 



There is one of these trained men in an eastern city today. He 

 is connected with one of the largest lumber manufacturers in the 

 country. His firm had a bad reputation, it used the wrong rules, 

 shipped poor lumber. Every salesman (?) it put on the iob in 

 that city, gave up without geting business. But this new man 

 wasn't worried about these trifles; he was put there to sell the 

 lumber and he's selling it fast to the very men who condemned 

 the firm. Ask him how he does it and he'll say, "Oh, I just know 

 our stock pretty well and know what the customers want. ' ' 



You can't deal in generalities; facts are essential. You must 

 tell exactly what per cent will run long lengths, etc. The better 

 you tell it (knowledge) and the more enthusiastically you tell it, 

 the better chance you have of getting business. 



If a man is busy it is generally better to leave without seeing 

 him than to force an interview. The best plan is to call again or 

 ask for an appointment. The salesmanship schools would advo- 

 cate, if the buyer came out with the salesman 's card and said he 

 was too busy to talk, to fire back, "It's only busy men we do 

 business with ' ' — and start the selling talk. I never believe in 

 antagonizing, and "rules" should be applied with judgment. The 

 minute you antagonize a man, it puts up a barrier between you 

 and the order, and it 's mighty difficult, sometimes, to force it 

 down. In this connection, always speak in the highest terms of 

 your competitors when they are mentioned, no matter whether they 

 are good or bad. If you speak against them, the buyer naturally 

 sticks up for them and you lose out. That's human nature. 



A number of salesmen have said to me that the greatest stum- 

 bling block was when the buyers won 't pay the price. Each 

 salesman must think this out for himself, for practically no two 

 cases are alike. I generally try to compare the buyer 's product 

 with some inferior competitive make and ask if he would sell at 

 the same price as the other maker. Another way is to see what is 

 to be made of the stock and how j-our lumber will fit that pur- 

 pose. Illustrating the latter case, a trim man wanted a car of 



1-ineh birch. He was quoted $29 but paid $31 for another car 

 because the salesman told him that it would cut to special advan- 

 tage for long rippings. This car was just what the buyer wanted 

 because it would cut to so little waste. 



Do you realize how much appearance counts for in this age? 

 When you meet a man you form an impression and you form it 

 quickly. No matter how good a man's talk is, if he is carelessly 

 or poorly dressed, you are not going to give him the right atten- 

 tion. Isn't it natural? But, on the other hand, if a man looks 

 just right, he feels that way. To feel successful, he must look 

 that way. And if he looks successful to you, and his talk is 

 right, aren't you going to give him the right attention? Don't 

 you like to do business with "successful" men? 



Concentration on a certain territory is better than a few scat- 

 tered visits at intervals. There are a great many solicitors for 

 each man's business, and the best known, the ones that call the 

 most frequently and make the best impressions, are the ones get- 

 ting the trade. 



A great responsibility rests on the sales manager of a pro- 

 gressive concern. It is up to him to keep the salesmen "in tune" 

 working the hardest, getting the best results and keep the office 

 end running smoothly. Generally this man has had his bringing-up 

 on the road. He knows that salesmen are human; that they have 

 just as many vanities and feelings as he has. He never discredits 

 the ' ' boys. ' ' He never ' ' hogs ' ' a sale. He believes in co-opera- 

 tion among the force. He is alert to every new idea in selling 

 and always open to suggestions. He never writes a cold-blooded 

 letter to the "boys" — he generally starts it "Dear Jim: Bather 

 a poor showing for you, old man, but I know you worked hard. 

 See if you can double your business next week. How are you 

 feeling?" Put yourself in the place of the man getting that let- 

 ter — you'd work mighty hard nest week to have the letter read, 

 ' ' That was a fine bunch of orders, Jim. I knew you 'd make a 

 clean-up." Now, wouldn't you? Sure; it's human nature. If 

 some one tells you you can 't do a thing, you try mighty hard to 

 show them that you can. 



After all, the closer you study a thing, the more you know about 

 it. And the more you know, when applied in the right way, 

 serves to increase business and educate others. Isn't that right? 



S. 



ii!!<?t';R"^M0ik'^j;st";^pi»i ' ')tn\TOW'WKt ' '»t>7}W! i' ^' ' j«tWTOvwviv ' ^^ 



Seventy-six per cent of the total area of North Carolina is now 

 covered with forests, and it is estimated that these forests have an 

 average stand of 3,400 feet per acre, making a grand total of 

 10,750,000,000 feet of timber. It is a fact, however, that much of 

 this timber is too small or too inaccessible to serve as merchantable 

 stuff. There is an annual cut in the state of about 330,000,000 board 

 feet, not including stock consumed locally. It is stated that the 

 rate of depletion is far in excess of the accretion of volume in 

 the woods, so it follows that one of two policies must be adopted: 

 The cut must be reduced or the yield increased to meet the demand. 

 The total cut of lumber in North Carolina in 1907 was 1,622,000,000 

 feet, and in 1909, 2,177,715,000 feet. North Carolina being in fourth 

 place in point of production. 



Only two or three counties in North Carolina have any consider- 

 able areas of virgin timber left, and most of this stock is controlled 

 by large interests. There are about 11,000,000,000 feet of timber 

 standing in trees, ten inches and over in diameter. Of the various 

 species the total stand of chestnut was well in the lead, there being 

 at present some 298,000,000 feet of chestnut timber, over ten inches 

 in diameter, on the stump in North Carolina. Next in importance 

 are red oak, white oak, poplar, hemlock, chestnut, maple and baaswood 

 in the order named. 



The forests of western North Carolina are part of the great 

 .Aj)palach!an hardwood region, in which it is estimated that uncared 



for hardwood forests are growing at the rate of twelve to fifteen 

 cubic feet per acre per year. Forests of the Appalachian region 

 differ from those of the central hardwood region, into which they 

 gradually merge beyond the western border of North Carolina, and 

 contain such species as chestnut, red oak. hemlock and white pine, 

 which form a large proportion of the Appalachian forests. On the 

 whole the Appalachian region is divided into spruce forests and 

 hardwood forests, although hemlock grows in practically pure 

 stands on some mountain slopes. The spruce forests are found only 

 on the upper slopes of the higher mountains, rarely growing below 

 .T,500 feet altitude. The largest areas of spruce occur in Swain, 

 .Jackson, Hej-wood, Yancey and Mitchell counties. The distribution 

 of this type depends not only upon elevation but upon moisture con- 

 ditions and protection. 



The hardwood forests of North Carolina vary considerably accord- 

 ing to soil, aspect and elevation. They can be readily divided into 

 four I'.istinct types, namely, plateau, chestnut, red oak and beech and 

 maple. 



The habitat of the plateau type is the valley of the French Broad 

 river in Henderson, Buncomb and Madison counties, being below 

 an average elevation of 2,500 feet. The type here is similar to that 

 in the Piedmont section, adjoining the base of the mountains, and 

 is composed principally of oak of various species, intermingled with 

 sliort loaf pine, scrub pine and occasionally white pine. The prin- 



