■ Uhi JOURNAL OK FORESTRY 



than 50 cords, or around 2,000 square feet of yard room. Of course, 

 it is not expected that the full fuel requirement would be changed to 

 wood, and, if obtainable, wood may be used even in city houses to eke 

 out coal suppl\', but not without considerable friction. 



The next difficulty is to get the wood out noiv, so as to be seasoned 

 and available next winter. We are afraid that unless some very deter- 

 mined efifort is made by officers in charge to start the wood-chopping 

 campaign not much headway will be made voluntarily, especially in 

 view of the shortage of labor in the country. 



But the third difficulty is the most serious and can only be overcome 

 by a very determined initiative and procedure on the part of the au- 

 thorities. We must realize that the substitution of wood is an emer- 

 gency measure, and when the emergency is passed we shall return to 

 allegiance to King Coal. The passing of the emergency is most uncer- 

 tain. If the war should end abruptly, the munition factories come to 

 an end, the coal requirement become normal, what would become of 

 the accumulated wood supply? Who will dare to speculate on such 

 premises? We come here to the main point of our discussion, namely, 

 that we may not expect that by mere "encouragement" of the farmer 

 or the wood merchant we will induce him to take the risk of stocking 

 the market with a material that may suddenly get out of fashion. Only 

 a guarantee of fair prices and against loss will be an inducement to go 

 into such business, and such guarantee must come from authoritative 

 quarters. Whatever may be done in the rural communities individually 

 for self-protection, for municipal corporations it will be incumbent to 

 make contracts with producers of wood to supply the citizens as needed, 

 on a co-operative plan, with the fuel, and guarantee that the munici- 

 pality will be good for any surplus, when the loss may be made good by 

 taxation and charged off as an insurance fund. If there be properly 

 constituted fuel controllers, it is up to them to become active at once in 

 formulating and pressing to adoption some such plan. 



We are, however, not sanguine enough to expect such foresight on 

 the part of our particular corporation, and for ourselves personally 

 have in mind the investment of oil-stoves as on the whole probably 

 more practical. 



The contemplation of the possibility of a return to wood fires recalls 

 to the writer that some thirty years ago he inveighed at the faulty con- 

 struction of wood stoves and developed the philosophy of the wood 

 fire, which might be of some value to would-be wood users, and for 

 their benefit we brieflv recall the statement. 



