404 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



several times more than the 

 total sum spent to date in 

 all forest products investi- 

 gations. 



"A system of grading for 

 structural timber which per- 

 mits its selection on the basis 

 of strength, the prime requi- 

 site, has been developed and 

 commercially adopted only 

 for the southern pines and 

 the Douglas fir of the 

 West. Similar rules should 

 be developed for hemlock 

 and for other woods used 

 for purposes where strength 

 is a controlling factor. The 

 growing scarcity of timber 

 and the difficulty of securing 

 high-grade materials in large 

 sizes will result in the use of 

 built-up timbers. Two years 

 of war alone brought pro- 

 nounced changes in this di- 

 rection. If built-up timbers 

 are to be used safely and 

 economically, an extensive series of tests to develop the 

 best designs and the most effective fastenings and 

 joints is necessary. 



"In addition to structural timbers, there are great 

 possibilities in the use of laminated and built-up con- 



My dear Mr. Nelson: 



Your speech in the House of Repre- 

 sentatives on February 10, regarding the 

 work of the Forest Products Laboratory 

 of the Forest Service, at Madison, Wis- 

 consin, has just come to my attention 

 and I have noted it with a great deal of 

 interest. May I not express my appre- 

 ciation of the way in which you handled 

 the matter. Your remarks will do much 

 to make known the character and impor- 

 tance of the investigations conducted by 

 the Laboratory and to bring about a 

 wider recognition of their value. 



Sincerely yours, 



E. T. MEREDITH, 



Secretary. 



struction for many other 

 purposes, such as wagon 

 parts and smaller articles, 

 like shoe lasts, and so forth. 

 Any such development in- 

 ceases utilization, reduces 

 the cost of material, and the 

 losses and time in drying. 

 Fundamental strength tests 

 should be completed for all 

 American species, since only 

 from these tests can be de- 

 cided the comparative merits 

 of various timbers, which 

 are becoming scarce or 

 high priced, and the pos- 

 sibility of using substitute 

 timbers. 



"Plywood is a compara- 

 tively new wood product, 

 and compared to other ma- 

 terials of construction, little 

 is known of its strength, of 

 the comparative values of 

 different species, the best 

 methods of manufacture, the 

 best glues and methods of gluing and of its merits as 

 compared with solid wood. Its use is increasing, and in- 

 formation along the lines indicated is greatly needed. The 

 development of glues is necessary from the standpoint 

 of plywood and also from the standpoint of many classes 



LOWER HALF OF LARGE BOX TESTING DRUM 



This drum, at the Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, which is so large that it occupies two full stories in height, is mounted 

 ...T. r 0n *."I!r "u ""rtof.-anven. The boxes are placed inside of the drum and fall from one face to another, as the drum rotates. By 

 2 ? J?. 1? ,ulU l ? 1 obstructions and guides, the boxes are made to fall in different ways, thus producing the shocks similar to those they 

 might be expected to receive in service. 



