AMERICAN LUMBER IN FOREIGN MARKETS. 151 



that the Austrian lumber dealers can maintain their foreign business, 

 will be to acquire forests in the United States." 



That there is much truth in the above statement is plainly to be seen, 

 inasmuch as from my personal knowledge I know of three different 

 firms who have sent their representatives to the United States to 

 acquaint themselves with the condition of the lumber trade and to buy 

 up forests. Although not yet exporting much therefrom, they are pre- 

 paring to do so in the future. The only kinds of wood, that Ameri- 

 cans could sell in this empire, are lumber for shipbuilding purposes in 

 the seaport towns of Trieste, Pola, and Fiume, and certain kinds which 

 could be used for veneering purposes, such as very fine grades of 

 oak, walnut, etc. It must be borne in mind that fine furniture manu- 

 factured here, is not made of solid oak, or other hard wood as in the 

 United States, but mostly of soft wood veneered. Pine thoroughly 

 seasoned and then veneered is used even for the best furniture. 



The time is very near when the en tire European market will be com- 

 pelled to look to the United States for most of its lumber. Let us in 

 the meanwhile husband our resources ; let the destructive extravagance 

 in the extinction and waste of our forests, cease; our wealth herein is 

 enormous, but we have so much that we do not know how to value it. 



Staves for the wine merchant must be split; the sides must not, 

 while the tops can be cut. Again, for beer purposes, both sides and 

 tops must be split, it being claimed that staves cut and not split make 

 leaky barrels. As wine barrels are usually laid on their sides, the 

 pressure on their tops is not apt to be great, and for this reason wine 

 barrel tops can be cut instead of split. 



It is most important that American manufacturers should realize the 

 necessity of sending properly made goods to foreign markets. Some 

 years back the first shipment of staves into Switzerland made leaky 

 barrels, and to-day Swiss business men are afraid to purchase Ameri- 

 can staves, unless accompanied with a guarantee. And this additional 

 very important fact must be kept in view, that this trade, which is 

 bound to come, should be held by American merchants, and not per- 

 mitted to pass into the control of foreign corporations. 



PRICES. 



Great quantities of oak railroad ties are made here, the shapes mostly 

 furnished are 2.50 meters long, the top 15 to 17 centimeters, (meter = 

 39.37 inches; centimeter r - - of a meter), the bottom 24 to 25 centime- 

 ters in width, and 15 centimeters high. 



Prices vary according to locality; the Hungarian Staatsbahn paid 

 for the last 30,000, recently ordered, 56 cents each, and for some smaller 

 ones, 2.20 meters long, 36 cents. Soft lumber ties are about 30 per 

 cent cheaper. 



