(From th6 Forest Service, United States Department of Agricultm 



San Franc tscc Office) 



NEW SPECIFICATIONS 

 FOR HICKORY 



Through new specifications for ax, sledge, adz, pick 

 and other hickory handles, the Panama canal authorities re- 

 cently purchased large quantities of this class of material 

 for one -fourth less than formerly paid, and at the same t ime 

 are getting serviceable stock. 



The war department and the navy department, as well 

 as the Panama canal commission, have adopted these specifications 

 which were prepared by the forest service, primarily for the 

 use of the various branches of the federal government. Subse- 

 qurntly, nor/ever, they have been approved by the t rade , both 

 manufacturers and dealers, and adopted by savera! of the lead- 

 ing railroads, 



The new rules are the result of a long study of the 

 subject, covering exhaustive strength tests, investigations 

 of the growth of hickory in the woods, processes of manufacture 

 and market c^nditi^ns. Under the new specifications handles 

 are selected according to weight, as influenced by the density 

 of the wood, and they now include material which may be either 

 partly or wholly of heartwcod, known generally as red hickory. 

 Red hickory was formerly discriminated against in commercial 

 grading, but it is now accepted, since it has been found that 

 weight for weight it is just as serviceable as the white hickory, 

 Handles which contain small sound knots rr bird pecks, so lo- 

 cated as not to affect the strength, are also accepted* 



# # # 155-F 



