SLACK COOPERAGE 121 



Pine is the leading heading wood expressed in terms of quantity used 

 and is second only to red gum as our leading slack cooperage wood. By 

 pine is meant both the Southern yellow pine and the white and red pine 

 of the North. Because of its lightness and easiness with which it is 

 worked, pine is regarded as highly desirable for certain purposes. How- 

 ever, yellow pine, on account of its highly resinous nature, is likely to dis- 

 color or impart a disagreeable odor or flavor to the contents. Staves from 

 yellow pine, therefore, constitute a much cheaper grade and are used 

 largely for the shipment of cement, lime, rosin and produce barrels. 

 White and red pine make a much higher grade stave and heading. They 

 are used largely for paint and fish pails and for the shipment of jelly, 

 candy and apples and for ice cream freezers. 



Beech is excelled in use only by red gum and pine. Its wide use is due 

 to its extensive range in the Lake States and Northeast, comparative 

 cheapness and high value as a stave wood. In the trade it is usually 

 classed with birch and maple which, together, are called hardwood staves. 

 They now represent the highest grades manufactured in slack cooperage 

 industry and have the leading place for the shipment of flour, sugar and 

 other commodities which demand a clean wood free from any disagree- 

 able odors or discoloration. 



On account of its great toughness and tensile strength, elm is our lead- 

 ing hoop wood. In fact, it constitutes about 90 per cent of all the hoops 

 made. The only other woods that make high-grade hoops are hickory 

 and ash but these woods are now valued so highly that they are not found, 

 to a large extent, in the market as hoop material. Elm makes an excel- 

 lent stave, but its comparative scarcity has precluded its common use for 

 this purpose. 



Chestnut is the next wood most commonly found in the manufacture 

 of slack staves. It is also used for heading to some extent. Within re- 

 cent years chestnut has risen very rapidly in importance as a stave wood. 

 Its easy workability and lightness in weight for use as a shipping con- 

 tainer contribute to its broad usefulness. Its manufacture, however, 

 is principally localized in Pennsylvania and Virginia, where it is chiefly 

 used for cement, lime, fruit and vegetable barrels. 



About fifteen other woods are commonly used for slack cooperage 

 stock including staves and heading. The leading woods among these are 

 spruce, ash, oak, tupelo, cottonwood and basswood. 



