50 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



earn their livelihood by working in the forests 

 out of a total population of 2,000,000. 



The time required by the conifers to reach 

 timber size varies greatly in Norway, where 

 climate and other conditions vary so much on 

 account of the topography of the country. In 

 the southern part the pine when from 7S to 100 

 years old is usually sufficiently large to yield 

 timber of from 23 to 25 feet in length and 9 or 

 10 inches in diameter at the top. The spruce 

 grows faster, but felling usually takes place 

 when it is 120 or more years old. The cutting Is 

 estimated at 21.7 cubic feet to each acre of for- 

 est, while the growth averages 20.7, so that 

 more wood is taken out of them than is sup- 

 plied each year. The forestry department Is 

 controlled by the department of agriculture, and 

 one director, four inspectors, twenty-five man- 

 agers, two assistants, ten planters and 385 over- 

 seers and rangers are maintained. Nurseries 

 have been established in several places and 

 agencies for the collection and sale of tree seed. 

 Instruction in forestry is given at three schools 

 and one agricultural college. 



Vice-Consul Alger of Christiania furnishes sta- 

 tistics showing that of Norway's forest area the 

 state owns 8,335 square miles, which bring an 

 annual income of about $268,000. The annual 

 expenses connected with the public forests, as 

 they are called, amount to about $128,000. The 

 yearly profit derived by the state from this 



publications Issued by the society free of charge. 

 The state appropriates about ifSO.OOO annually 

 for the use of the society. 



There were 6.800,000 trees planted and 748 

 pounds of seed sown in 1005, of which 1,487,400 

 trees were planted and 176 pounds of seed sown 

 by school children and other young people. For- 

 est planting is gradually being introduced as a 

 subject in the public schools. In a single parish 

 100,000 trees have been planted by them during 

 the last three or four years. 



About one-third of the total exports from Nor- 

 way in 1905 consisted of lumber and wooden 

 goods. The values of the different classes of 

 these products were : Lumber, $9,350,500 ; man- 

 ufactures of lumber, $656,000 ; wood pulp, 

 $7,402,300; paper, $3,324,700; total, $20,738,- 

 500. Included in manufactures of lumber are 

 about 3,000 tons of matches, valued at $326,700. 



Mershon Feed Works for Band Resaw. 



The illustration presented in connection with 

 this article shows the hand resaw feed works 

 which Wm. B. Mershon & Co. of Saginaw, Mich., 

 are prepared to supply anyone desiring to trans- 

 form a band log mill of standard construction 

 into a band resaw. It sometimes happens that 

 a sawmill man has a band log mill which is 

 serviceable and reliable and which carries a nar- 

 row saw, but which is lighter or of an older 

 type than he cares to use as the main part of 



MKIISIION FEKD WIlUKS FOR BAND RESAW. 



source is thus about $140,000. About $45,500 

 are actual running expenses, while about $20,000 

 Is used for planting new trees and seed, and the 

 rest for purchase and improvements and for aid 

 to private forest cultivation. In 1898 a for- 

 estry society was established, of which a for- 

 estry engineer paid by the state has the pro- 

 fessional management. The aim of the society 

 Is the preservation and cultivation of Norway's 

 forests. The membership fee Is 54 cents an- 

 nually, or $8.10 for lifetime membership. The 

 members, at present about 20,000, receive the 



his oquipmeDt — in other words, as the actual 

 mill for breaking down the logs, sawing plank, 

 bill stuff, etc. However, he may wish to use 

 this mill as an auxiliary to the main log mill, 

 and the feed works illustrated are so constructed 

 that they can be used in connection with most 

 such band mills. There has been a considerable 

 demand for feed works of this description, and 

 It is to cater to this requirement that the Mer- 

 shon equipment has been placed upon the market. 

 Applications to the company's office will bring 

 full particulars concerning it. 



New Cut-Off Saiv. 



In the ad of the E. & B. Holmes Machinery 

 Company in this issue of the Recoud Is illus- 

 trated a new type of cut-off saw known as 

 the Holmes "Clipper." It is a new and im- 

 proved type of cut-oft saw designed especially 

 to trim the ends of hardwood flooring and for 

 cutting off stock in box and furniture fac- 

 tories. It Is said to he the most rapid and 

 accurate machine for the purpose now on the 

 market. The saw Is completely housed, thus 

 making it perfectly .safe to operate. The ma- 

 chine designed for trimming hardw'ood floor- 

 ing will cut up to five inches wide, and the 

 one for box and furniture factories will cut 

 up to twelve Inches wide. The manufactur- 

 ers, the E. & B. Holmes Machinery Company, 

 will be very glad to supply prospective pur- 

 chasers with full details. 



Logging in Honduras. 



R. H. Ormsby. one of the English owners of 

 the Belize State and Produce Company of 

 British Honduras, which largely controls the 

 mahogany and other lumber Interests of that 

 country, has arrived in Houston. Tex., and 

 will make a special study of methods of trans- 

 portation and removal of timber from the 

 pine forests of that state. His company con- 

 trols more than 370,000 acres of pine land 

 and equally large forests of mahogany. The 

 method in use for removing Honduras ma- 

 hogany is by means of oxen, and only about 

 eight weeks in the year are seasonable for 

 logging. The laborers are hired for one year 

 or tor a great number of months, an .agree- 

 ment is signed in the court house and about 

 three months' wages are paid in advance. 

 The men go to the woods and labor in get- 

 ting the timber ready and do not return until 

 Christmas. "When they do come they bring, 

 as a rule, several months' pay with them, 

 which they have had no occasion nor oppor- 

 tunity to spend, and receive a further ad- 

 vance of several months. Then everybody 

 goes on a big spree that lasts for a month 

 and all the money is spent in carousing and 

 jollification. Then the men go back to the 

 forests again. 



Burbank's New Walnuts. 



Luther Burbank, the California botanical 

 genius, Is superintending the introduction of 

 two new hybrid timber walnut trees this year. 

 One of them, the "Paradox," he especiall.v com- 

 mends for fuel and shade. It Is a rapidly grow- 

 ing tree of fine shape and heavy wood. It is a 

 hybrid of the California black walnut and the 

 English walnut. In producing this species. Mr. 

 Burbank is catering to the local demand for a 

 rapidly growing tree for fuel and lumber pur- 

 poses, shade and ornament, not to take the place 

 of the eucalyptus, which will always hold Its 

 own among evergreen trees, but which will 

 occupy first place where a deciduous tree Is 

 required. 



The Paradox distances all other nut trees in 

 rapidity of growth, beauty of outline, and 

 amount of foliage. Mr. Burbank has shown that 

 budded trees at six years of age are twice as 

 large as black walnut trees at ten, or Persians 

 at fifteen years of age. Twelve to sixteen feet 

 is not an unusual growth for the first year ; 

 thus It will be seen that the new walnut grows 

 twice as fast as the combined growth of Its 

 parents. The leaves are glossy and bright green, 

 and have a delicious fragrance. The bark Is 

 thin and smooth, light gray and mottled with 

 white. The wood Is very compact, and has a 

 handsome, lustrous grain ; it takes a high polish, 

 and the effect given by the annual layers and 

 the medullary rays is unique. Though blossom- 

 ing freely every year, the new^ walnut seldom 

 bears nuts. The characteristics which make It 

 valuable as lumber, as well as its great beauty, 

 off-set tills defect, however. It will be planted 

 to take the place of the eucalyptus where a large 



