HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



timber in this country as there was some years or some genera- 

 tions ago; but no timber famine is imminent. There will be plenty 

 of lumber of many kinds for a long time to come. The people are 

 using more than formerly, but they are wasting less. Acre for 

 acre, the supply goes farther. Species which were once untouched 

 now find ready markets. Forest waste is smaller, sawmill scraps 

 are used, and by the practice of economy, lumber goes much far- 

 ther than formerly, and anything approaching a timber famine in 

 the near future is not visible at this time. 



Progress in Fighting Chestnut Disease 



The Pennsylvania Chestnut Tree Blight Commission has made 

 considerable headway in its efforts to cheek the spread of the 

 chestnut tree blight, according to reports on the work done sub- 

 mitted at the recent meeting of the commission in Philadelphia. 



Eeferring to the report of the general manager, every county of 

 Pennsylvania will within a few weeks contain active agents in 

 the employ of the commission. It is a gratifying fact that only a 

 portion of the $275,000 appropriated by the state for the work will 

 be used. An interesting feature of the work of the commission 

 is the determination of practicable uses to which to put the dead 

 chestnut trees. It has been found that they are useful for tele- 

 graph poles, ties, house props, tannic acid and for various other 

 purposes. The Pennsylvania railroad has aided the cause by sub- 

 mitting a special schedule under which it will haul the dead 

 chestnut trees at half the price of sound timber. 



It has been determined that one type of fungus is harmless 

 while the other is the one which causes such extensive destruc- 

 tion. "With the discovery of a reliable means for distinguishing 

 between the two, the work of the commission will be considerably 

 lightened. 



Methods of combating the disease other than cutting down the 

 trees are being tried out, although nothing definite has yet been 

 learned. A rigid inspection of all nursery stock before shipment 

 has had a favorable influence in checking the spread of infection. 



Another possible cause for the spread of the disease is seen in 

 insects. Special investigators are at work endeavoring to deter- 

 mine whether or not anything is to be feared from this direction. 

 One original and effective metlioil of combating the disease has 

 a character analagous to the methods used in fighting forest fires. 

 When the range of an infected area is determined the workers go 

 some little distance ahead in the path of its progress and infect 

 the trees with the fungi. The deadened area which results checks 

 the progress of the main body of the blight. 



News Advertising for Lumber 



Hardwood Eecobd has contended in commenting upon various 

 proposed methods of exploiting products of the forest in competi- 

 tion with various recognized substitutes that the most valuable 

 form of publicity would come through the news columns of the 

 daily press and periodical publications. Some little objection to 

 this idea was encountered in which the chief argument seemed 

 to be that it would be impossible to secure space of this character. 

 Hakdwood Eecord contended on the contrary that the average 

 publisher of any kind of a periodical or daily paper is always 

 looking for news which is news, and if he could combine a good 

 news story with a boost for the lumber trade, he would have no 

 scruples about doing so. 



This contention has been substantiated quite recently in two 

 striking instances. The first is seen in the Saturday Evening Post 

 of recent date. While the article is not directly in the interests 

 of the practical lumber business, it concerns an organization closely 

 affiliated with it, namely, the Forest Service. This branch of the 

 government, by reason of its close interest in products of the 

 forest has met with the same biased and unreasoning opposition 

 and prejudice with which the lumber trade has had to contend. 

 It has until now never been given an opportunity of raising its 

 voice in protest against such sentiment. Henry Solon Graves, chief 

 of the Forest Service, however, takes a decided issue with the 

 opponents of the National Forest plan in an article entitled 



"Farms in the National Forest." The policy of reserving forested 

 areas for the government has been fought on the basis of the 

 contention that it would eliminate the settlement of vast areas 

 suitable for farming. Mr. Graves analyzes the question authorita- 

 tively and in such a convincing manner that his story will 

 command the attention and respect of anyone who reads it. 



The second instance of the successful acquisition of news space is 

 from the daily press. The Daily Picayune of New Orleans of 

 Sunday, August 11, contains a lengthy and detailed discourse on 

 mahogany, treating the subject from the woods to the ultimate 

 consumption of this wood in the manufacture of furniture. While 

 the article was evidently written by a newspaper representative, 

 and necessarily contains a few slight errors, it goes a long way 

 toward giving the consumer an accurate knowledge of the raw 

 material going into a great deal of his furniture. The success with 

 which mahogany manufacturers have been marketing their pro- 

 duction in the place of quartered oak of late has been attributed 

 to advertising. This contention certainly seems founded on facts 

 when the force and wide influence of the article in question is 

 considered. But the real point is this. The way has been opened 

 for extensive exploitation of forest products through such mediums 

 as here recited. It does not seem an insurmountable task to secure 

 similar publicity for various other products of the woods, which of 

 necessity must be advertised to the consumer to secure their per- 

 petual consumption. 



Holding Down Lumber Fire Risks 



The Lumbermen's Underwriting Alliance of Kansas City, Mo., 

 has forwarded a letter to all mill owners allied with it in its insur 

 ance plan, which contains exceptionally good advice. The letter 

 notes the exceptionally low loss ratio on alliance plants for the first 

 eight months of 1912, and the consequent large saving on insurance 

 premiums. This must be very gratifying to those who carry policies 

 in this association. It solicits help in maintaining this record, and 

 asks for the co-operation on the part of mill managers to this end. 



The letter states that in checking up and correcting defects re- 

 ported by field men, pointing out faults is only the first step and 

 does not remove the danger. Hazard exists until the mill man- 

 ager's part is done. While it is doubtless annoying to a busy man- 

 ager to be asked to investigate and correct hazardous tendencies, it 

 takes less time and expense than it does to recuperate from a fire. 



The letter suggests sending the company's insurance bulletins to 

 foreman, and insists that they be read and analyzed. Extra copies 

 of these bulletins, regularly issued by the company, will be supplied 

 to all mill owners on request. 



The Alliance in its bulletin of a corresponding date notes that 

 plants insured under its policies have experienced during the year 

 thirty-five fires up to the close of August. Nine of these fires 

 occurred on Monday morning; four on Sunday morning or Sunday 

 night; three during off-hours on Saturday. Hence, almost fifty per 

 cent of the fires occurred at the week-end, and a large portion after 

 midnight Saturday. The comparatively small portion of fires dur- 

 ing the first half of the week, while mills are cleanest, demonstrates 

 the value of thorough nightly clean-ups. The fact that more fires 

 occur on the nights claimed the world over for recreation, indicates 

 that even watchmen are not proof against the general holiday laxity. 



The Alliance urges that the clock records for Saturday and Sun- 

 day nights be checked with especial care, and that managers satisfy 

 themselves that the watchmen 's habits are not such as to render 

 them unfit custodians of the property they are paid to safeguard. 



There is small doubt that at least one of the most costly sawmill 

 fires of last year came from the pipe or cigarette of an employe. 

 Smoking should be just as rigorously prohibited in a sawmill in 

 non-working hours as during the time that the mill is in operation. 



The monthly circulars of the Lumbermen 's Underwriting Alliance 

 should be secured by every mill owner, whether he be a participant 

 in alliance insurance or not, as they contain a vast fund of infor- 

 mation covering origin of fires, and make suggestions for plans to 

 safeguard valuable properties. 



