124 



mend it. Electrotype backing is not made, as formerly, entirely from solid 

 lumber. Glue is to a large extent called on to put together narrow strips 

 or thin layers for built-up mountings that are beginning to be used ex- 

 tensively. The growing scarcity of cherry, together with the rapidly in- 

 creasing demand for this line of work requires the electrotypers to pay a 

 price over twice as great as that asked five years ago. 



For wood engravings, boxwood from Turkey and Russia was the only 

 wood reported and in other states as well it met most of the demand, 

 especially for high grade work. It is the most expensive wood that is listed 

 in any industry. The price, $1,300 per thousand feet, is little, if any, above 

 the usual cost of this wood for engravings and it is usually sold in terms 

 of cubic inches, four cents being the average reported in Philadelphia. Owing 

 to the high cost of this wood, engravers employ domestic substitutes to a 

 large extent, but they are for the cheaper grades of work. Sugar maple, 

 apple, and pearwood are the kinds most used. 



Metal has almost entirely replaced wood for printer's type. Wood is 

 still called for to a limited extent, chiefly for manufacturing large size type 

 such as is used for printing billboard advertisements. Formerly boxwood 

 furnished the material, but its high cost now stands in the way and sugar 

 maple, which was the only wood reported in Pennsylvania, now furnishes 

 most of the supply. 



Table 79. Wood for Printing Material, year ending June, 1912. 



*Less than 1-100 of 1 per cent. 



LADDERS. 



Nine manufacturers reported the making of ladders, including step lad- 

 ders, travelling store ladders, firemen's ladders, and extension ladders used 

 by painters and other mechanics. In other state reports ladders have been 

 classified under woodenware but owing to the number of concerns in Penn- 

 sylvania specializing in making them and because of the large quantity of 

 wood which they annually consume, their presentation under a separate 

 heading is justified. 



