144 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 



system for in spite of the first cost it is very economical 

 in the long run. 



Manufacture of Cooperage. Along certain lines man's 

 ingenuity has made it possible to substitute other 

 materials for wood. Houses, bridges and telephone 

 poles are being made of steel and concrete but no 

 material has yet been found that will take the place 

 of wood for making vessels containing valuable liquids. 

 Wood is cheap, easily worked and desirable since the 

 best woods impart no taste to valuable products like 

 wines or salt meats. 



No American species has had the popularity which 

 the white oak enjoys in the cooperage industry and 

 from the Appalachian forests large quantities of staves 

 have been produced which were used by the wine- 

 growers and distillers of this country. For the so-called 

 "tight cooperage/' white oak stands nearly alone 

 although of late years cypress has replaced it to a 

 very small extent. To be used for tight cooperage a 

 wood must be absolutely impervious. Even red oak can- 

 not be used for tight barrels advantageously because 

 its open pores permit of slight leakage in contrast to 

 white oak which is watertight. 



For making lime, fruit, and flour barrels the require- 

 ments are not so strict and many kinds of lumber may 

 be used. Elm, red oak, ash, beech and maple are all 

 used to make staves of this kind. 



While the manufacture of staves for tight cooperage 

 is generally a business in itself, slack cooperage may 

 be turned out as a by-product from the waste of a 

 regular lumbering operation. 



Wood Distillation. The manufacture of alcohol and 

 acids from wood is an industry of growing importance 

 in this country. Already many plants have sprung up 



