284 



SELLING LUMBER 



Practical Use 

 of Technical 

 Knowledge 



Secondly, those having to do with trees. These courses involve 

 the study of every tree species of commercial importance in the 

 United States ; as to where it grows ; conditions under which it 

 has grown best for the production of lumber; and the kind of 

 lumber it produces, as for instance, clear or knotty, strong or 

 weak, durable or perishable, straight or twisted grain, etc. 



Third, those having to do with the maladies to which trees 

 and wood are subject. For instance, the various kinds of rots; 

 how they spread; the conditions under which rpts thrive and how 

 they may be prevented as by the use of certain woods more Im- 

 mune to these attacks, by proper paints or chemical treatment. 

 In brief, the preservation of wood from fire, fungi and insects. 



Fourth, the very complete course in lumbering. This course 

 was in two parts, the first being a series of lectures dealing with 

 every phase of the lumber industry of every section of the United 

 States, including the logging, manufacturing and selling methods, 

 the equipment used, and carefully compiled cost for a great number 

 of representative operations. 



The second part of the course in lumbering was a detailed 

 study of the Crossett Lumber Co/s operation at Crossett, Ark. 

 Here, under a corps of experts we were given an opportunity to 

 become fairly familiar with every step of logging, mill and office 

 work. All departments and records of the company were open to 

 our inspection and every possible advantage offered us. Among 

 other things, I spent several days grading under the eye of a com- 

 pany grader. My work in the Government Forest Service covered 

 two summers and a winter in the Western Pine and Douglas Fir 

 regions, including two weeks in the plant of the West Oregon 

 Lumber Company at Portland. 



The very natural question that has probably arisen in your 

 minds is, "But isn't this course too general to give a lumber sales- 

 man any particular edge over his competitor?" I want to answer 

 that question by relating a few little incidents that have occurred 

 to me while I have been on the road for the Western Lumber Com- 

 pany. 



Up in Ohio in one town in my territory, there is a dealer 

 who does a big business in a long leaf dimension. I had never 

 been able to get a look-in on his business ; I could offer him just 

 as good lumber as he was getting and at just as attractive prices, 

 but he could see no reason for changing. One day I called and 

 found him in his yard trying to sell a customer some sap stained 



