24 College of Forestry 



Developments in the Industry. 



Up to nearly 1860 practically all of the acetate of lime 

 used in the dye business in this country had 'been imported 

 from Europe. Acetate of lime was the principal product 

 sought after in wood distillation in the early developments 

 of the industry. The distillate was not utilized for wood 

 alcohol or for any other purpose than for lime acetate, and the 

 charcoal was used, when convenient, for fuel for manufactur- 

 ing pig iron and for other purposes, i Acetate of lime was 

 commonly used even in the wet condition before it had been 

 thoroughly dried out. In the early days of the industry it 

 brought as high as 18 cents a pound even in the wet con- 

 dition. At the present time (October, 1916), dry gray 

 acetate of lime is bringing 314 cents a pound, whereas in the 

 fall of 1914 it was only bringing ll/o cents a pound. In the 

 spring of 1916 it brought 7 cents per pound. 



'Mr. Patterson was one of the first men to establish a 

 plant in ISTew York, located at Kirkwood, near Binghamton. 

 Mr. Thomas Keery entered the business with him at Keery- 

 ville, between Cadosia and Apex, in Delaware county, and 

 this firm has been in the business ever since. At that time 

 the brown acetate of lime was full of tar and not nearly equal 

 to the present refined product. The charcoal and alcohol 

 were usually allowed to go practically to waste. Enormous 

 prices were obtained for acetate of lime so that interest was 

 greatly stimulated in the industry. 



About 1885 the raw form of wood alcohol was developed 

 and an attempt was made to sell it at the hat manufacturing 

 industries at Danbury, Conn. This was one of the very first 

 large fields for the use of wood alcohol, and it brought high 

 prices. Foi-merly grain alcohol had been used to stiffen hats 

 and the use of wood alcohol rapidly came into common prac- 

 tice. At first as high as 70 cents a gallon was paid for this 

 wood alcohol. 



