WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 27 



FURNITURE. 



The furniture industry, as here considered, includes bedroom suits 

 and odd pieces like chiffoniers, dressing-tables, shaving-stands, sofas, hall 

 racks, settees, lounges, sideboards, buffets, china closets, plate racks, 

 music cabinets, piano stools and benches, parlor cabinets, etc. Chairs, 

 tables, and kitchen safes are not included in this table, the manufacture 

 of these being treated as separate industries. Had all furniture making 

 been grouped in one industry, the 100,000,000 feet shown in Table 8 

 would be increased to 183,000,000 feet, while the total annual expendi- 

 ture for raw material would aggregate $3,240,000. This emphasizes 

 the importance of the various branches of furniture making in North 

 Carolina. 



In the quantity of material used, as well as in its cost, furniture is 

 second among the wood-using industries of the State. Fifteen per cent 

 of the wood used in the State for manufacturing purposes goes into fur- 

 niture, and 45 per cent into flooring, ceiling, siding, etc. The furniture 

 makers paid an average price of $18.23 per M feet, which was 50 per 

 cent higher than that paid for raw material consumed by the flooring, 

 ceiling, siding, etc., industry. See Plates I and III. 



Only 7y 2 per cent of the 100,000,000 feet of lumber used by the furni- 

 ture manufacturers is grown outside of North Carolina. Sweet birch 

 comes from Michigan and mahogany is imported; the remainder of 

 that which is shipped into this State, including poplar, chestnut, and 

 gum, comes from neighboring States. 



The quantity of oak used was more than three times the amount of 

 any other wood reported. Of this white oak leads in quantity, red oak 

 follows, and Spanish oak is least. The best grades of oak are used for 

 the outside of furniture, the lower grades for frame work and cores for 

 veneering. The price paid for home-grown oak was $18.41 per M feet. 

 That shipped in cost $10.47 more per M feet. The imported oak in- 

 cluded much quarter-sawed oak. Fifty per cent of the oak shipped into 

 the State for all purposes is taken by furniture manufacturers. 



Yellow poplar comes second in importance in the manufacture of fur- 

 niture. More yellow poplar is brought into the State by this industry 

 than all other species combined. Furniture manufacturers pay $1.51 

 per M feet less for home-grown poplar than for that bought in other 

 States. The total amount of this wood used for furniture is 19,000,000 

 feet, a little more than 1 per cent of all the poplar manufactured in the 

 State. 



In relative quantity of wood used North Carolina pine comes third 

 on the list in this industry. The* amount used, however, is less than 



