CHAPTER XI 



BOXES AND BOX SHOOKS l 

 GENERAL 



THE manufacture of boxes, crating stock and shocks is one of the most 

 important wood-using industries in this country. It is very closely 

 associated with the lumber industry inasmuch as the raw material is 

 usually supplied in the form of lumber. 



About 12 to 15 per cent of the total annual lumber cut of this country, 

 amounting to from 4,800,000,000 to 6,000,000,000 bd.-ft. 2 , are consumed 

 every year for boxes, box shooks, crates and fruit and vegetable packages. 



In spite of the introduction of a number of other materials to take 

 the place of the wooden container the consumption of lumber for boxes 

 has been on the steady increase. Great quantities of boxes are annually 

 consumed for the packing and shipment of canned goods and vegetables, 

 milk, fish, apples and other fruits, and a great variety of other products. 

 Over 20,000,000 boxes are used annually for oranges and lemons alone in 

 California. In addition this state consumes large quantities of box shooks 

 for the shipment of melons and other fruits and vegetables. Probably 

 the greatest single use is for canned goods, which, together with the 

 demand for boxes for apples and other products, explains the fact that 

 over 50 per cent of the total number of box boards are manufactured in 

 the eastern section including New England, New York, Pennsylvania, 

 West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. 



For a long time white pine has been the wood most prominently in 

 demand for the manufacture of boxes. This has been true not only on 

 account of its availability and relative cheapness, but because of its soft- 

 ness, workability and lightness in weight. 



1 This is the only lumber-using industry described in this book. Owing to its importance 

 and its development as a large and distinct industry, it was deemed advisable to include 

 the major statistics and some of the more important facts. It is treated very briefly, 

 however, owing to the necessity for economy in space. 



2 The larger amount is based on an estimate by the National Association of Box Manu- 

 facturers. 



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