NOTES 103 



The Laiirentide Company at Grand IMere, P. Q., is making some 

 interesting experiments in the grinding of hardwoods. In a recent 

 letter Mr. Ellwood Wilson, manager, Forestry Division, mentions the 

 methods used and the results obtained, as follows : 



"In order to determine the practicability of grinding hardwood, the Forestry 

 Division got out about sixty-hve cords of hardwood with which to run the test. 

 This wood was stored in the yard for several months and tinally, on August 17, 

 19 18, we started to grind on No. 7- A stone; the stone was practically new and 

 we used a six-cut straight-tooth burr for sharpening. The test covered a little 

 over two days and the results, both from a quantity and quality standpoint, were 

 very gratifying. The average production was 77,000 pounds per stone per 24 

 hours, dry weight, and the quality was good, viz., the fibers were verj^ fine and 

 quite uniform, and I think for summer conditions 10 or 15 per cent of this pulp 

 would be beneficial to our stock as a whole. The pulp produced w^as a slightly 

 darker color than tlie ordinary run, and of course was run much thinner in the 

 pits in order to prevent burning. The wood as weighed into the mill averaged 

 5,483 pounds to the cord and was 76.42 per cent dry." 



Regarding tie specifications, the Tiiubcnnan says: The new tie speci- 

 fications issued by the railroads require modification, which already has 

 been done in some cases by the Northern Pacific in the Inland Empire. 

 It would seem that an attempt was made to issue one general specifica- 

 tion which would cover the entire production of ties throughout the 

 United States without taking into consideration the various varieties 

 of timber, growth, and inherent defects. The theory upon which the 

 specifications were drawn would clearly indicate that either the com- 

 mittee entrusted with the job knew mighty little about timber or were 

 determined to attempt to secure a theoretical standard tie that would 

 conform with a preconceived notion of an unattainably high standard. 

 A tie inspector for the Great Northern frankly confessed that it would 

 be virtually impossible to secure any ties in Minnesota of the grades 

 suggested. The proper plan is to withdraw the new specifications and 

 amend them in accordance with the experience of the past, through a 

 committee of lumbermen and practical maintenance-of-way officials of 

 the western lines. 



The Indian Forester for August, 1918, page 376, contains further in- 

 formation about balsa wood, a tropical tree of the West Indies and 

 Central America, belonging to the order Malvacea. Among the many 

 names given to it are West Indian corkwood, "bois flot," "down tree," 

 referring to the silky floss wrapping the seeds in the long, narrow pods, 

 useful for filling cushions, mattresses, etc. The word "balsa" is a local 



