HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



i;- one which applies directly to this circum- 

 stance, and by means of which this important 

 jirocess is consummated. Whenever two fluids 

 of different densities are separated from each 

 other by a membrane, the heavier fluid will 

 attract the lighter one, until both become of 

 the same density. Inherent in the little cells 

 of the root is a quantity of their life sub- 

 stance — mucilage and protoplasm, which 

 forms a fluid denser than the moisture from 

 the earth, which is therefore attracted to 

 thom. The leaves cast off a vast amount of 

 the moisture they contain, in the form of 

 vapors, leaving the substance remaining much 



Fdl.IAGE AND FRVIT OF RED MAPLE. 



denser than that within the branches and 

 twigs. As . a result of this evaporation and 

 consequent density, the leaves call upon the 

 adjoining stems and they in turn on the 

 branches, for their contents, until finally the 

 chain is complete. 



Every leaf is a miniature laboratory in 

 which the manufacture of starch is continu- 

 ally carried on. The leaf has been described 

 as an "outward extension of the living cam- 

 bium, thrust out beyond the thick, hamper- 

 ing bark, and specialized to do its specific 

 work rapidly and effectively, ' ' Each leaf 

 has a fine transparent covering, with innumer- 

 able tiny openings called stomatas, upon its 

 lower surface, which open and shut. They 

 are the transpiratory organs of the leaf. Be- 

 neath this delicate membrane is the leaf pulp 

 and the framework of ribs and veins, the 

 latter giviug form and support to the pulp 

 and furnishing a part of the wonderful sys- 

 tem whereby the incoming and outgoing cur- 

 rents of sap are kept in circulation. On the 

 surface of the leaf, which naturally turns to- 

 ward the sun, are found the palisade cells, 

 regular in shape and very abundant. 



The large amount of carbon which exists 

 in a tree comes in through its leaves, as car- 

 bon dioxide — a gas. The sap ascending brings 

 with it water, in which mineral salts are held 

 in solution. Potassium, phosphorus, magne- 

 sium, nitrogen, calcium, sulphur and iron thus 



find their way to the tiny laboratories. From 

 the water is taken the necessary moisture to 

 keep the leaves of the right consistency, and 

 also the materials needed to furnish hydrogen 

 and oxygen for starch-making. Most of the 

 water which reaches the leaves through the 

 roots is liberated by evaporation. 



Starch is composed of hydrogen, oxygen 

 and carbon — the two former in the same pro- 

 portion as in water, while the latter is re- 

 ceived from the atmosphere in the form of 

 carbon dioxide, as explained above. Thus 

 it is that these three elements come into con- 

 tact with each other through the medium of 

 the leaves, and the fluid and gas are broken 

 down by the force which the chlorophyll, or 

 leaf green, is able to absorb from the sun — 

 only to be reunited in the form of starch. 



This resultant product of crude sap and 

 atmospheric properties which enters into the 



circulation and is carried back into the tree 

 is known as the elaborated sap — the source of 

 vitality, and the nourishment upon which 

 every li^dng cell from root to top depends 

 for its existence and multiplication. 



This work of forming starch is carried on 

 more or less vigorously during the leaf-bear- 

 ing season, according as the day is bright or 

 gloomy. With night the process stops, but 

 distribution of the supply at hand goes on 

 continually. More oxygen is supplied to the 

 little laboratories than is required for the 

 manufacture of their starch, and the accumu- 

 lating gas passes away into the air, in the 

 form of oxygen. Thus a dual service is ren- 

 dered, and the great purpose of the vegetable 

 world accomplished — to absorb deleterious 

 matter and give out pure, and by means of 

 this process to facilitate the formation of 

 food for the animal kingdom. 



'Builders of Lumber History. 



NUMBER 



Henry E. Bacon. 

 {See Portrait Supiilement.) 



lu the last year and a half it has been 

 the privilege or the Hardwood Becord to 

 |iublish the business histories of many men 

 distinguished in the hardwood lumber indus- 

 try. In each one it has been the endeavor to 

 emphasize those character attributes which 

 have made for success. Something beside 

 the idea of hard work and ceaseless energy 

 enter into the calculations of the man who 

 courts success in the business world. In- 

 tegrity, not only of action, but of thought, 

 should perhaps be named first, with keen 

 judgment of men and events next in order. 



A friend of Henry E. Bacon, of Memphis, 

 Tenn., whose portrait is given with this edi- 

 tion of the Hardwood Eecord as its pic- 

 torial supplement, handed his photograph to 

 a stranger the other day and asked: "What 

 would you say of that man?" "I would 

 say he was kindly, diplomatic, shrewd, de- 

 cided, firm in his likes and dislikes, optim- 

 istic and thoroughly honest in action and 

 thought." "You are a good reader of a 

 man from his pictured face," said Mr. Ba- 

 con's friend, "for you have given to Henry 

 E. Bacon, treasurer and manager of the 

 Bacon-Nolan Hardwood Company, and man- 

 ager of the Lamb Hardwood Company of 

 Memphis, his salient character points. Mr. 

 Bacon would go a long way to help a friend 

 and perhaps a longer distance to circum- 

 vent some one whom he decided was doing 

 him a wrong. ' ' 



Henry E. Bacon was born in Portland, 

 Me,, of New England parentage, in 1847, 

 and received his education in the schools 

 of that place. The resinous breath of the 

 Maine woods called him, and early his 

 vocation in life was decided upon, his first 

 business interests being with a retail lum- 

 ber yard in his native town. In 1883 Mr, 

 Bacon went to La Crosse, Wis,, where he 

 was employed by E, M, Mooer as manager 

 of a pine saw mill and retail yard, Short- 



XXX. 



ly afterward Mr. Mooer, his principal, be- 

 came interested in mining enterprises and 

 went to California to look after them. In 

 1884 JSIr. Bacon was called to California 

 to look after Mr. ilooer's interests. He 

 returned, however, in 1885 to La Crosse, 

 where he took charge of one of John Paul's 

 branch yards. At this time Mr. Paul had 

 numerous yards in Minnesota and the Da- 

 kotas, and of these Mr. Bacon became event- 

 ually general manager. 



In 1899 the John Paul retail yards, num- 

 bering thirty-five, and scattered over a wide 

 range of territory and a half dozen states, 

 were sold to the Lamb Lumber Company, 

 of Minneapolis. Of this entire system Mr. 

 Bacon was continued as general manager. 



In 1904 these retail yards, which had been 

 increased in number to eighty-five, were sold 

 or closed out, aud during that year the 

 Lamb interests, with headquarters at Clin- 

 ton, la., consisting of Lafayette Lamb, 

 Chauncey IJ. Lamb, his son, and (Jarret E. 

 Lamb, his nephew, together with Mr, Bacon 

 and Mr. Nolan, bought a tract of 10,000 

 acres of hardwood timber laud in Quitman 

 County, Miss., and organized the Bacon- 

 Nolan Hardwood Company, of which Mr. 

 Bacon was made treasurer and manager. 

 A year later they built a mill at Chancy 

 on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley railroad. 

 Shortly afterward Messrs. Lamb, together 

 with Mr. Bacon, made a second investment 

 in Tallahatchie County, Miss., of 45,000 

 acres of hardwood timber land, and they 

 are at present engaged in the completion 

 of a large saw mill at Charleston, Miss., 

 on the Illinois Central. These two hard- 

 wood plants have a capacity of 125,000 feet 

 per day, the output consisting of about fifty 

 per cent oak, forty per cent gum aud the 

 remainder ash, hickory and cypress, Mr, Ba- 

 con is also interested in the manufacture of 

 flooring, and is a director in the Arthur 

 Hardwood Flooring Company, of Memphis, 

 a large operator in oak flooring. 



Mr. Bacon is married and has one daugh- 

 ter and four sons. 



