26 College of Forestry 



Charcoal developed as the price of acetate went down. 

 Acetate of lime was used to fix the color in dyes, particularly 

 in Fall Kiver, Mass. Gradually a big influx of wood distilla- 

 tion plants came in and the prices gradually dropped. 

 Around 1885 to 1900 there were a great many small capacity 

 plants and most of them followed very rough and crude 

 methods. All of them used the cylinder retort process. These 

 plants, however, were gradually replaced by the larger 

 modern plants using the long oven instead of the old retort. 

 There is now a much smaller number of plants than formerly, 

 but, on the other hand, there is a much greater annual con- 

 sumption of wood in the industry, due to the economy in 

 plant operation with the advent of the oven in the early 

 nineties. 



Up to 1900 the industry was almost wholly centralized in 

 the State of New York. At that time a few plants were 

 started in Pennsylvania just over the border from the south- 

 em tier of counties in N'ew York. About 1902 to 1906 the 

 industry was further developed in Michigan, where the 

 largest wood distillation plants, some of them utilizing as 

 much as 110 to 200 cords of wood per day, are now located. 

 Ideal conditions are present for the successful manufacture 

 of wood distillation products in Michigan because of the 

 availability of the raw material in connection with hard- 

 wood, saw and planing mills, together with the fact that iron 

 furnaces are maintained in connection with them where the 

 charcoal can be used to the best economical advantage. In 

 addition the raw material is secured from the waste of saw- 

 mills and logging operations and one of the principal products 

 can be utilized on the ground without excessive shipping 

 rates. 



Before 1907, wood alcohol had been bringing from 38 to 

 40 cents per gallon wholesale for the crude product, that is. 

 the 82 per cent crude alcohol. When the Federal Internal 



