44 



stand, and eastern Siberia, while not as rich as 

 (he other section, has sufficient forested area 

 to supply the world's demand for many years 

 to come. 



The timber districts in European Russia are 

 In the north, where four of the local government 

 districts, comprising a total area of 650,000 

 square miles, are almost entirely forest clad, 

 the greater part of this territory never having 

 been explored. This is an area equal to seven- 

 teen states as large as Ohio. . 



In 1907 the state forests yielded 1,286,560,000 

 cubic feet of lumber, for which were realized, 

 in connection with land sales and rentals, $31,- 

 500 000. Deducting all expenses, a profit of $25,- 

 000,000 was left to the state. The bulk of this 

 Umber, valued at $30,000,000, was sold on the 

 stump to dealers, and largely exported in the 

 form of logs, pit props and similar articles. An 

 official statement is responsible for the informa- 

 tion that the reforestation of state land provides 

 for more than the amount cut in the forests 

 each year. While the above figures give an 

 approximate idea of the government-owned for- 

 ests, the private timber lands must not be 

 neglected. They aggregate, in European Russia, 

 a total of 201,932,000 acres. 



The Russian timber industry comprises 1,428 

 factories, sawmills, planing establishments. 

 wooden box factories, piano factories, etc., with 

 a total value of output each year of $(i,250,000. 

 The possibilities for American manufacturers 

 entering this field should not be overlooked. The 

 timber industry ranks second in Russia's exports, 

 boards a,nd sleepers to the value of $32,936,310 

 being shipped out in 1908. 



The importation of timber for this same year 

 was valued at $5,327,675, and consisted of alder, 

 ash, aspen, beech, elm, larch, linden, maple, oak 

 and willow. The Bureau of Manufactures of the 

 Department of Commerce and Labor has on file 

 names and addresses of the principal Moscow 

 lumber merchants. 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



and foreign matter of all kinds will introduce 

 themselves, and fungus growth will be started, 

 to the great detriment of the stock. The lumber- 

 man soon finds that in place of a quantity of 

 high-grade material he has on his hands a badly 

 damaged pile of lumber. 



Instead of disposing of such material as re- 

 jects, if he is wise to the ways of some men 

 he proceeds to take down the pile, and, after 

 sprinkling a liberal coating of salt over the 

 surface of all the boards, he dead-piles the stock. 

 The deliquescent properties of salt are well 

 known, and it is due to this fact that sufficient 

 moisture is drawn to the surface of the boards 

 10 cause them to swell sufficiently to close the 

 I racks on the outside, and thus gives the lumber 

 a solid appearance. In addition, the salt acts 

 as a preservative, in that it prevents dry-rot, 

 and thus makes it possible to leave the stock 

 piled solid for a considerable period. 



Even an expert and experienced lumber dealer 

 might easily be deceived if he made but a super- 

 ficial examination of the pile, as the only way to 

 detect deception of this sort is to saw a number 

 of the pieces in two in the middle and plane the 

 exposed surface. Ordinary hand sawing would 

 usually not suffice, as a rough surface left would 

 not indicate the condition. 



There is one case on record where a lot of 

 1.5,000 feet of three-inch oak, which had been 

 purchased for high-grade material, was sawed, 

 and actually yielded but 1,000 feet sufficiently 

 sound to be used for the purpose for which it 

 was intended. The remainder was not only full 

 of cracks and checks, but was absolutely 

 worthless. 



DisastTous Buffalo Fire 



Fire in the big hardwood lumber yard of G. 

 Ellas & Bro. at Buffalo on April 23 threatened 

 for a time to destroy the entire yard and mill as 

 well as the big yard of Taylor & Crate adjoining. 

 The loss is estimated at about $100,000, accord- 

 ing to BuBEalo daily papers, but the company has 

 declined to make an estimate, though it says the 

 amount will not be as large as that. Although 

 the yard was stocked with cherry, poplar, birch, 

 ash and maple, which are rarely consumed in 

 such a fire, the loss in this case was almost 

 wholly on hardwood. Buffalo lumbermen state 

 that it has been more than thirty years since 

 any hardwood lumber was burned in a Buffalo 

 yard. The mill plant in connection with the 

 yard was not injured although the flre got into 

 a shed of dry lumber and shingles which was 

 partly burned. The loss is well covered by In- 

 surance. A. J. Elias states that he supposed the 

 yard was practically fireproof at any time, and 

 furthermore it had rained for almost a week 

 prior to the fire, so that it was very difficult to 

 figure out the cause of the blaze. 



' ' Salting' ' Oak Lumber 



The practice of "salting" mines for the pur- 

 pose of deceiving the prospective "tenderfoot" 

 buyers has so long been used by the hardened 

 miner and prospector as to have become Qommon 

 knowledge, though it is still a favorite practice 

 among a certain class. 



This same principle, however, has come to be 

 used in an entirely different connection, and by 

 a different class of men : namely, some lumber- 

 men as are not above deception in order to fur- 

 ther the sale of stock which otherwise could not 

 be marketed. Thick oak and some other woods, 

 when piled with strips for some length of time, 

 are liable to shrink with extreme rapidity, in 

 which case deep cracks invariably form along 

 the medullary rays. As a result, dirt and dust 



A Noted Philadelphian Dead 



John II. Converse, president of the Baldwin 

 Locomotive Works, a noted churchman, philan- 

 thropist and multi-millionaire, died at his sum- 

 mer home May 3. His death is a great loss to 

 the city of Philadelphia, which he has benefited 

 with valuable advice, splendid executive ability 

 and generous gifts of money. He has aided every 

 creditable religious and civic institution within 

 the city's limits. 



To the business acumen of Mr. Converse was 

 due the wonderful export trade in locomotives 

 which his concern enjoyed. 



In every disaster and peril to the community, 

 Mr. Converse was first to serve with his advice 

 and liberal contributions. When the Real Estate 

 Trust Company was in distress a few years ago, 

 he gave more than any other director to save its 

 honor, his pecuniary aid being $1,005,000. 



His death is deplored by all classes, for he has 

 befriended and helped all ranks in the business 

 life of Philadelphia, from bank presidents and 

 railroad directors, down to porters, drivers, ele- 

 vator men and newsboys. The employees of the 

 Baldwin Works mourn him with a deep sincerity, 

 as a friend and adviser rather than an employer. 

 Mr. Converse was seventy years old, and, al- 

 though for some time a partial invalid, had much 

 valuable work in the way of benefactions to 

 humanity laid out when the end came. The flags 

 at the works are at half-mast and the city which 

 owes him so much is generally in mourning. 



The concession is regarded as decidedly imi)or- 

 tant by interests in Eastern Arkansas. 



Max Sondheimer. chairman of the special com- 

 mittee on transportation to the annual of the 

 National Hardwood Lumber Association at 

 I;Ouisville, stated that his committee was looking 

 after this matter and that special rates would 

 be secured and everything satisfactorily ar- 

 ranged for the Memphis delegates. It was .sug- 

 gested that Memphis go after the convention for 

 1911, but this plan was sidetracked in view of 

 the fact that Chicago had so strongly declared 

 its intention of securing the annual for next 

 year. In fact, it was agreed that Memphis 

 should, instead of trying to secure the conven- 

 tion for 1911, throw its support to Chicago on 

 the understanding that Chicago will reciprocate 

 by helping Memphis to secure the 1912 con- 

 vention. 



The club adopted the recommendation submit- 

 ted by a special committee to establish a bureau 

 for the purpose of furnishing trade reports and 

 studying credit conditions. It was agreed, how- 

 ever, that this bureau should not be considered 

 an integral part of the club. In fact, it seems 

 as if the matter will be worked along some- 

 v,hat the same lines as followed by the Lum- 

 bermen's Club of Cincinnati. The club will see 

 ihat the bureau is properly organized and that 

 it is kept up to an efficient working standard at 

 all times. 



James E. Stark of James E. Stark & Company, 

 was appointed to represent the Lumbermen's 

 Club in the bureau of publicity and development 

 of the Business Men's Club. He will serve on 

 the executive committee of the latter organiza- 

 tion. When the committee of the Business 

 Men's Club asked that the Lumbermen's Club of 

 Memphis join in the general movement for se- 

 curing new industries instead of launching one 

 oi its own, it was promised that the latter 

 should have proper representation on the execu- 

 tive committee which will have charge of dis- 

 posing of the funds which are to be used in the 

 securing of new industries and in the advertise- 

 ment of Memphis' advantages. The position is a 

 most important one and Mr. Stark has been the 

 recipient of many congratulations upon his se- 

 lection. 



John W. McCIure, manager of the baseball 

 team of the club, read a challenge from the St. 

 Louis club while a challenge from the Nashville 

 team was accepted. Mr. McClure is certain that 

 an extended tour will be made this season which 

 will include Nashville, Chicago, Indianapolis, 

 Cincinnati and other cities on the circuit. The 

 team will go from Memphis for the express pur- 

 pose of defending its title of champion of base- 

 ball so far as lumberdom is concerned, but it 

 will also have in mind the advertising of the 

 resources of Memphis and tlie advantages the 

 city offers to lumber interests. 



There were several visitors present, including 

 G. Picarnelle, of Barcelona, Spain, and Alcee 

 Stewart, St. Louis, Mo. 



Meeting Memphis Lumbermen's Club 



W. B. Morgan of the River & Rail Committee 

 of the Lumbermen's Club of Memphis, stated at 

 tlie meeting held at the Hotel Gayoso, April 30, 

 Ihat the Rock Island System had granted the 

 "milling in transit" rate for which application 

 was made a short time ago and that this would 

 go into effect May 3. In other words, the new 

 rate has already gone into effect. Lumber in- 

 terests of Memphis regard the concession as a 

 most advantageous one. Under the new ar- 

 rangement the through rate is protected from 

 point of origin to destination, despite the fact 

 that the raw material is allowed to be put 

 through a finishing procfss at Memphis mills. 



Satin 'Walnut a Good Seller in Foreign 

 Market 



There is probably no other class of lumber 

 shipped from this country for the continental 

 trade which is at the present moment a more 

 prolific seller than satin walnut or red gum. 

 This can be attributed, probably, to the fact 

 that it is usually better manufactured and more 

 thoroughly seasoned before shipment than the 

 usual American output, and as a direct conse- 

 quence there is a constant and increasing de- 

 mand for this wood. 



At the present time, the price, as compared 

 with the other cabinet woods, is about the lowest 

 on the market, and considering the fact that 

 hardwoods in general show an upward tendency 

 as far as price is concerned, it certainly seems 

 that there will be a constant increase in con- 

 sumption. Formerly it was thought that red 

 gum could not be manufactuied into furniture for 



