294 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



CONTAINERS 



Another use for which wood came into demand was in the manu- 

 facture of containers for shipment of foodstuffs, such as eggs, butter, 

 fruit, vegetables, and canned goods, and of various other commodities, 

 in both foreign and domestic commerce. The growing dependence 

 of industrialized countries upon foodstuffs and raw materials of other 

 countries, and their exportation of manufactured products to other 

 countries, created a large international demand for wood for packing 

 purposes. In the United States, wooden boxes and crates in 1928 

 absorbed about one seventh of the entire lumber cut. In some years 

 they have absorbed as much as one fifth of the lumber cut. Although 

 there has been a decline in the consumption of boxes and crates since 

 1918, it was still 10 percent higher in 1928 than in 1912. 



VENEER AND PLYWOOD 



Great advances have been made in the manufacture of veneer and 

 plywood products. Gluing processes have been invented which 

 greatly facilitated the production of plywood, panels, and all sorts 

 of laminated sheet material. The development of the veneer industry 

 came first in Europe and has shown a rapid growth. Plywood has 

 become a forest product of considerable importance in world trade. 

 The veneer industry in the United States has increased greatly in 

 output since 1905. Over 181 million board feet of logs were used 

 for veneers in 1905; by 1929 the consumption increased to 1,112 mil- 

 lion board feet, or by more than 500 percent. 



RAYON 



Artificial silk or rayon, much of which is made from wood, came into 

 use only since 1900. In 1911 only about 2 million pounds was con- 

 sumed in the United States. In 1929, the United States consumed 

 more than 60 times as much as in 1911. 



WALL BOARD 



New uses of wood in the form of wall board and insulating mate- 

 rials are appearing constantly. No one can forecast at present what 

 their future development may be. These new products, like fiber 

 containers, veneer, and wall board, often take the place of wood in its 

 original form for similar uses. Often, however, the new products, 

 like rayon, cellophane, and other viscose products, create new fields 

 in which wood was not originally employed. 



CONSTRUCTION 



Even in the old fields in which wood has been used for a long time, 

 it has not given way to other materials to the extent that has some- 

 times been supposed. Wooden dwellings still predominate in many 

 parts of the United States and also in parts of many other countries. 

 Even in the construction of brick or concrete houses large quantities 

 of lumber are ordinarily used. Wood still plays an important part 

 in the construction of dwellings in European countries as well as in 

 this country. Within recent years there has been a revival in the 

 use of wood for construction in Europe. Types of wooden con- 



