Appendix 155 
Stack CooPrERAGE 
In 1918 New York produced 33,853,000 slack staves, about 
3 per cent of the production of the United States. Nearly 3 
per cent of the total slack heading also comes from New York. 
In slack cooperage the State ranks in the eighth place. 
The three principal hardwoods of New York, namely, birch, 
maple, and beech are the important slack-cooperage species of 
the State in the order mentioned. Most of the cooperage is 
made by a few large cooperage plants. However, there are a 
considerable number of small firms which manufacture an 
appreciable quantity of cooperage. These small shops are 
located principally in central and western New York. New 
York receives a great deal of cooperage in the form of hoops, 
heading, and staves from outside sources and this material is 
assembled in a large number of shops throughout the State. 
The larger portion of the slack cooperage is used in the market- 
ing of agricultural and horticultural products. The introduc- 
tion of cotton, jute, and paper bags, and various cardboard’ con- 
tainers reduced the former demand for slack cooperage to a 
considerable extent. Flour, formerly sold almost entirely in 
barrels, is now marketed mainly in paper bags which cost much 
less. ; 
Woods which dry quickly, steam well, retain their form 
when bent, and are comparatively free from resin and odor 
make the best stave material. Care in cutting the stave bolts 
into the right sizes (quarters, fifths, or sixths, as the bolting- 
saw operator sees fit) means the reduction of waste and the 
production of better staves. Judgment and care in the hand- 
ling of the bolts under the stave cutting knife are also necessary 
to avoid losses of raw material or the production of inferior 
work. 
Elm is the principal hoop stock, its superior tensile strength 
recommending it above all others. Coiled elm hoops are made 
by slicing or sawing, the former methods being less wasteful 
because there is not even the loss of saw kerf. Most barrel 
hoops, however, are sawed, and are generally between 1 and 2 
