1030 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



for fruit, flour, cement, lime and 

 almost innumerable other dry or 

 partly dry commodities are 

 known as slack cooperage. 

 Maple is not used in tight coop- 

 erage, but in the other kind it 

 ranks fifth in quantity among 

 American woods. Those de- 

 manded in larger amounts are 

 red gum, pine, beech and elm. 

 The outi)ut of maple staves per 

 vear. according to latest obtain- 

 able figures, exceeds 133,000,000. 



The average value of maple 

 staves per thousand is $5.42. 

 Staves of all sizes and qualities 

 are included in the average. 



Heading and hoops constitute 

 |)art of the stave industry. 

 -Maple .supplies 13,()33,000 sets 

 of heading a year, at an aver- 

 age value of $41.50 per thou- 

 sand sets. Two-thirds of all 



I.OADIXr, LOGS ON GONDOLAS 



The "8ying machine" is getting in its 

 maple ranks among the heaviest woods, 

 were as light as broom handles. 



DRYING MAPLE LUMBER BY END-STACKING . 



riie virtue of this method of stacking lumber lies in the better air circulation which it affords. The 

 popular notion that the water drains lengthwise out of boards so stacked is erroneous. Little, if any, 

 passes out by drainage. 



maple heading comes from Michigan, and Pennsylvania 

 follows. The yearly contribution by maple to the coun- 

 try's hoop supply amounts to 731,000 valued at $3.76 

 per thousand. Most of the maple hoops are made in 

 Maine. Elm is the leading hoop wood and the output 

 of this species exceeds maple's forty fold. 



VENEERS AND DISTILLATION 



Maple ranks third as a producer of veneer, with a 

 yearly output of 35,444,000 feet, log scale. The species 

 above it are red gum, with 129,930,000 feet, and yellow 

 pine, with 48,143,000 feet. Cottonwood and yellow pop- 

 lar, respectively, are next below. The average cost at 

 the mill of maple veneer is $15.45 per thousand feet, log 

 scale. The leading states in maple veneer production are 

 Michigan, 15,350,000 feet a year; New York, 7,658,000; 

 Indiana, 3,051,000; Vermont, 2,682,000; Wisconsin, 

 2,336,000, and Pennsylvania, 1,093,000. Practically all of 

 the maple veneer made in the United States is con- 

 sumed by the industries described in preceding para- 

 <4raphs. 



Maple is, without question, the leading wood in hard- 

 uood distillation in this country; but precise figures to 

 show this cannot be quoted, because beech, birch and 

 maple are listed without distinction. The three consti- 

 tute 94 per cent of all hardwoods going to distillation 

 plants. The wood is distilled by being passed through 

 kilns or retorts, where sufficient heat is present to break 

 down the structure of the wood. The chief commercial 

 products are charcoal, wood alcohol and gray acetate. 

 Michigan leads with a yearly consumption of 457,362 

 cords of wood, which costs on an average of $3.03 a 

 cord. Pennsylvania follows with 368,126 cords at an 

 average cost of $3.68, and New York ranks third with 

 139,041 cords, costing $3.62. The value of the total 

 product is placed at $7,641,690 a year. 



best work here. TliouRh hard 

 the logs are handled as if they 



