HARDWOOD RECORD 



as the season advances, better prices may be obtained for Pacific 

 coast woods, northern soft woods, yellow pine and cypress, and 

 unless this condition does obtain, it spells pretty hard times for 

 the general run of lumbermen. 



Lumber Sales Methods 



It is distinctly notable in recent meetings of lumber associations, 

 perhaps inspired to a considerable extent by the work of the Lum- 

 ber Sales Managers' Association, that much added interest is being 

 manifested in the method of sales as applied to lumber. With the 

 decreasing profits in lumber production and the exhaustion of 

 ability to further retrench in cost of logging and manufacture, 

 there is being made a distinct effort to decrease the cost of sales. 

 Lumber manufacturers seem to be divided into two camps, one 

 element believing the jobber, and especially the lumber scalper,, 

 should be eliminated from the business, and that sales should 

 be made direct to the wholesale consumer to insure the greatest 

 economy in the business. The other camp alleges that the merchant, 

 and notably the legitimate merchant, is such an important factor 

 in the sale and distribution of lumber that his extinction would 

 be a serious calamity to the industry. They believe the manufac- 

 turer can aft'ord to assist legitimate jobbers in a continuation of 

 their business, and that furthermore they can afford to pay.ttem 

 a reasonably generous sum for their work in connection with the 

 distribution of their product. 



In this connection Hardwood Record is in receipt of a letter 

 from a well-known jobber complimenting it on the publication of 

 an article in its issue of April 2.5 entitled "A Preachment on Sales 

 Methods.'' He says "this man writes like one who has had many 

 years " experience in the lumber business, and he hits the nail on the 

 head. ' ' He further says that ' ' heretofore a good many millmen 

 have been under the impression that they were gttting about one 

 hundred and ten per cent of par value if they could get direct to 

 the consumer, rather than putting their stock through the hands 

 of ilie jobbers"'; and further says ''they fail to count the cost, 

 time and money of placing stock, and seem to think that if they 

 go behind a jobber, they have accomplished more than could be 

 done any other way. ' ' 



To the mind of this writer the position of the wholesaler is 

 unassailable, and he believes the intelligent manufacturers of 

 lumber are surely and certainly waking up and finding out that their 

 efforts are best expended in the manufacturing end of the business 

 and by letting those who are entirely competent to market the 

 product do so and pay them a reasonable profit for the work. 



Forestry in Indiana 



That the cause of forestry is making more rapid progress and in 

 a more practical way than is popularly conceived is evident from the 

 large amount of printed matter on this subject emanating from vari- 

 ous sources all over the countr}'. The gi'eatest drawback to the 

 movement has always beea that those apparently most interested have 

 been liighly unpractical in their demands and suggestions, and that 

 the work has not attracted the attention of those more naturally 

 interested in the perpetuation of the timber supply and in a position 

 to render assistance that would really count for a definite advance- 

 ment along these lines. In some sections, however, the active interest 

 of the lumbermen has been enlisted with the result that real forestry 

 has made considerable progress. A notable example of this condition 

 is in the state of Indiana. The State Board of Forestry of Indiana 

 numliers among its members some of the prominent hardwood manu- 

 facturers of that state. It is headed by Samuel Burkholder of the 

 S. Burkholder Lumber Company of Crawfordsville, who has always 

 taken. an active part in the work, and it is probably due to his efforts 

 in this direction as. much as anything else that forestry in Indiana 

 has progressed so far and on such a practical basis as it has. 



The board has just issued a new bulletin for 1911 which takes up 

 specifically the various timber trees of the state and contains a large 

 amount of practical and botanical information relative to each of 

 the species. The work has every indication of the practical mind 

 behind it, and is very much out of the ordinary in this respect. 



Forestry in Indiana has been on a practical basis for the last ten 

 years. A great deal of educational work has been accomplished 

 through various means, but most notably through the experimental 

 station, comprising 2,000 acres, which was purchased to demonstrate 

 tree culture. A great many problems have already been worked 

 out at this station, where it is conceded today that the best demonstra- 

 tions of growing hardwoods in the United States is made. 



The purpose of the book is to give land-owners authentic informa- 

 tion as to the real values of different tree species growing on their 

 property in order that they may eradicate the undesirable species 

 and work for the preservation and extension of species desirable 

 for wood consuming industries. Work of this kind comprehensively 

 taken up by other states would accomplish a vast amount of good 

 along the lines of conservation. 



Exports and Imports for March 



A total value of imports of all woods and manufactures of woods 

 for March, 1912, into this country was $2,887,000. In the cabinet 

 woods the value of imported cedar during the month was $65,000 

 and of mahogany $186,450, cedar falling off by half, and mahogany 

 doubling during the year. The import of round timbers and logs 

 aggregated $29,680, which is more than double the import for 

 March, 1911. The total value of imported pulp-wood was $238,700 

 and of boards, planks and deals, and other sawed lumber $627,000. 

 Wood pulp to the value of $961,250 was brought into this country 

 during March, 1912. 



The total export value of all woods and manufactures of woods for 

 March, 1912, was $7,715,800. Logs and round timbers, including 

 hickory, oak, walnut, valued at $311,000 were exported from the 

 United States during the month. Timbers hewn and sawed valued at 

 $894,800 were shipped during that period. There was an export of 

 boards, planks and deals and other sawed lumber during the month 

 aggregating $3,920,000. 



A Ne'glected Opportunity 



About two years ago the United States Forest Service established 

 in connection with the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Wis., 

 one of the most completely equipped timber testing laboratories in 

 existence. The plant contains testing appliances to try out the vari- 

 ous properties of any kind of wood under every conceivable condi- 

 tion and circumstance, and is also equipped with a complete modern 

 paper mill in miniature, and a department for establishing the im- 

 pregnating qualities of all kinds of preservatives in various woods. 

 The opening of the laboratory was attended by a large representa- 

 tion of lumbermen from various parts of the country. Considerable 

 enthusiasm was displayed at that time on the part of the lumber 

 fraternity as to its possible benefits to the industry, but the director 

 states that within the last year not one lumberman has visited the 

 insitution, while manufacturers of paper have a standing committee 

 to visit it regularly. 



It was hoped by those instrumental in establishing the laboratory, 

 to provide a means for testing out the various wood species with a 

 view to their introduction in place of other species, the supply of 

 which had decreased to such an extent as to be inadequate to meet 

 the demand. It was also hoped to discover new uses for different 

 woods, and in short to work out any problems submitted to the lab- 

 oratory by the lumber trade, with a view of maintaining a 

 balance between supply and demand of forest products, as conditions 

 changed. 



With the introduction of many substitutes for the products of the 

 forest, it certainlj- will be imperative upon lumbermen to establish 

 new outlets for their lumber, and it is certainly a logical supposition 

 that scientific investigation will be of more assistance to them in 

 locating new markets than a mere haphazard search on their part. 

 It surely seems that the laboratory could be well utilized by the 

 lumbermen in many particulars. That they are up against a great 

 man}' problems which might be solved at Madison is evident from 

 the numerous correspondence received at the oflice of Haedwood 

 Eecord and other trade journals soliciting information on these 

 subjects. 



