Current Literature. 465 



more, and will then cost only 91 cents for each year of service. 

 This is an annual saving of $6.40 on each mile of line. 



J. H. W. 



Forest Products of Canada, ipop: Tight and Slack Cooperage, 

 Boxes and Box Shooks. By H. R. MacMillan. Bulletin 19, For- 

 estry Branch. Ottawa, Canada. 191 1. Pp. 12. 



Tight Cooperage. — Canada possessing practically no oak, the 

 tight cooperage manufactured is not high grade. The industry is 

 chiefly concerned with supplying barrels for the shipment of fish, 

 packing house products, syrups, molasses and glucose. For the 

 handling of these, barrels of elm, spruce, Douglas fir, basswood, 

 and ash, are used. The shippers of alcohols and oils import from 

 the United States either their barrels, or their staves and headings, 

 or the logs. Nearly four-fifths of the tight staves used in Canada 

 are imported in the manufactured state. 



On account of the species used, the great bulk of the tight 

 staves manufactured in Canada are sawed ; bucked and split staves 

 formed only 6 per cent, and ale and beer stock 1.5 per cent, of 

 the total. The relative qualities of these are reflected in the 

 average prices: $16.94 for sawed staves, $73.14 for ale and beer 

 staves, and $86.88 for bucked and split staves, per thousand. 



The manufactures totalled 9,071 thousand staves, valued at 

 $199,204, and 425,014 sets of heading, valued at $47,912, a total of 

 $247,116. The tight cooperage import was valued at $292,013. 



Slack Cooperage. — The Canadian woods are better adapted for 

 slack cooperage, and in 1909 there were manufactured 103,982 

 thousand slack staves, valued at $809,649; 8,310 thousand sets of 

 slack heading, valued at $432,343 ; and 35,771 thousand hoops, 

 valued at $353,127; a total of $1,595,119 for the slack cooperage 

 industry. 



As regards the species used in the manufacture of slack staves, 

 elm furnished 64 per cent, spruce 16.5 per cent., and poplar 6.1 

 per cent. O'f the staves. 



Basswood, elm, and poplar staves at $10.83, $8.46, and $7.28, 

 per thousand, were the most valuable, these being largely used 

 for flour and sugar barrels. Spruce and balsam being used for 

 the roughest class of cooperage, were the cheapest, at $5.80. 



Of the heading manufactured 31 per cent, was of poplar, which 



