160 The Forest Products Laboratory 



inert gas in place of a partial vacuum in the bulb very greatly increases 

 the efficiency of the lamp. We like to tell of this particular work be- 

 cause much of it began in pure science and has practically intrenched 

 the electric lamp industry in America. 



Something that may be of interest, perhaps, is the work which has 

 been done in Hawaii in the use of paper to fight weeds. It is another 

 Vankee invention. Due to the type of soil and the heavy rainfall the 

 weeds grew so fast that sugar cane could not be grown at a profit. On 

 one plantation Mr. Eckhardt after many unsuccessful efforts to kill 

 the weeds by spraying, etc., eventually conceived the idea of trying to 

 fight them by putting paper over the rows. This is possible because 

 under the paper you get a hot-house condition. The sharp spikes of 

 the sugar cane have little difficulty in penetrating, while the soft tops 

 of the weeds are unable to get through the paper. The place where 

 the spikes strike the paper obliquely and do not get through is shown 

 by small elevations and a knife incision permits their emergence. 

 These rapidly overtake the ones which have penetrated earlier. 



A type of roofing paper was used and a few trials on several acres 

 showed the possibility of decreasing the actual cost of production from 

 50 to 80 per cent, and an increase of about ten tons of cane per acre, 

 due to the elimination of weeds. That paper was, however, a rather 

 expensive product and the next step in industrial research was to make 

 this type of paper from Bagasse, which is sugar cane from which sugar 

 has been extracted. This has been worked out satisfactorily on a small 

 scale in this country by Arthur D. Little, Inc., and a 20-ton mill is 

 now in operation making sufficient paper to care for the need. 



We have heard mention made of the progress of associations in 

 England fostered by the Government. We have in this country asso- 

 ciations that are doing equally well and have many years of success 

 behind them. 



The National Canners' Association is an outstanding example 

 of what can be done for industry through cooperative work. It was 

 one of the first in the field. The entire product of the industry has 

 been improved ; virtually the whole industry has been elevated. This 

 does not mean that the products of inferior grade before this coopera- 

 tive work began are now equal to the best, but that the poor ones have 

 been improved and the best ones have also benefited. The men who 

 were formerly able to make the best quality are still able to do and 



