102 SELLING LUMBER 



Mr. Jones : That is a question that cannot be answered in the 

 abstract. It has never been possible to specify just the amount of 

 crook that would be admitted in No. 1 common dimension, and yet 

 be fair to the retailer and to the manufacturer as well, for if the 

 rules were so worded that they would admit, we will say for illus- 

 tration, of a one and a half inch crook in a 2 x 4 16. Then I could 

 put in a one and a half inch crook in a 2 x 4 16 if it had a knot one- 

 half the c'ross section of the piece at the apex of the crook ; but no 

 practical inspector would do it, because it would be impossible to 

 straighten that piece without breaking it. If the rules specified an 

 inch crook would be allowed, and no more, then if I found a piece 

 with an inch and a quarter crook and it be absolutely clear, I 

 couldn't put it in No. 1 common and grade it according to the rule. 



Mr. Brooks: Well, where it twists? 



Mr. Jones: Where it twists over? 



Mr. Brooks : Yes. 



Mr. Jones : Well, that is another thing that would have to be 

 determined upon an examination of the piece. It is not the inten- 

 tion of the grading committee or the grading rules of the Southern 

 Pine Association to advocate putting in dimension pieces that are 

 o? Twists so croo k e d th at th e y cannot be used with a reasonable exertion, and 

 the inspectors along the line have instructions to that effect, and 

 they are also instructing the graders at the mill that way, not to 

 allow any crooks in No. 1 or even No. 2 dimension that cannot be 

 used with reasonable exertion, I don't think it would be practicable 

 to undertake to specify the amount of crook that would be allowed 

 in any grade, because it is a question that would have to be deter- 

 mined by the defects that are in the piece the texture of the wood 

 and the length of the piece. 



Flooring *^ Mr - Mill er: In the matter of mismatched flooring, in the set- 



tlement of a complaint, regardless of the amount, what grade should 

 that be reduced ? 



Mr. Jones : That is another question that is hard to answer 

 in the abstract. There are several stages" of mismatch. The fact 

 of the matter is that if lumber is not perfectly matched, it is mis- 

 matched; but slight defects in manufacture that don't prevent its 

 use without waste would be admitted in a C grade. Stock that is 

 a little worse mismatched would be admitted in a D grade. But it 

 could be so badly mismatched that it would not be allowed in even a 



