38 College of Forestry 



Before the European War it was usually estimated that a 

 complete plant, aside from timber lands and the woodyard, 

 would cost $2,000 per cord of daily capacity. Since the war 

 this average has risen to $2,500 per cord. However, this 

 may vary about $2,000 and $3,000 per cord, depending upon 

 the degree of completeness, cost of transportation, labor 

 costs, character of the machinery and materials installed, 

 etc. This means that an 8-oven plant with approximately an 

 80 cord daily capacity will cost in the neighborhood of 

 $200,000. losing these saine figures, the smallest modern 

 oven })lant with only two ovens and with a daily capacity of 

 20 cords, will cost in the neighborhood of $50,000. 



A plant with seven 25-foot ovens built about fourteen years 

 ago cost in the neighborhood of $125,000 fully equipped. 



The following is a brief description of the principal 

 features of equipment that are usually found in the hardwood 

 distillation plants of ISTew York State : 



Storage Yards. 



The storage yards should bo in the close vicinity of the 

 retort house and connected with it by standard gauge tracks 

 running through the stacks of piled cordwood. The storage 

 yards should consist of between 5 and 20 acres, depending 

 upon the capacity of the plant and should be slightly raised 

 in elevation above the retort house so that the loaded cars can 

 be rolled easily into the ovens as needed. 



Inasmuch as the wood must be seasoned for between 1 aud 

 2 years, it is necessary to have a large, convenient and well- 

 located wood yard so that there should be at least 6 month's 

 seasoned supply on hand all the time. 



At a 35-cord capacity plant it is planned to have 10,000 

 cords of wood as an advance supply continually on hand. 



The wood is usually cut in 50-inch lengths and stacked in 

 long piles up to 12 feet in height on either side of the 

 standard gauge tracks from which the unseasoned wood is 



