348 FOREST PRODUCTS 



delivering for various wage rates and hauling capacities including interest 

 charges at 6 per cent for one year. 1 



Considerable fuel wood is hauled on our railroads, especially to all the 

 larger cities. Cordwood takes the same freight rate, usually, as lumber, 

 pulp wood and other forest products. From 12 to 18 cords are the usual 

 capacities per car, depending upon the size of the box car, size of sticks, 

 method of piling, etc. 



In many of the western cities and villages, 4-ft. cord wood is used for 

 fuel in furnaces and much of this material is hauled in carload lots from 

 nearby logging operations or cut-over timber. 



PRICES 



The cost of fuel wood varies considerably in the different regions. It 

 depends upon the supply, demand, cost of other forms of fuel, cost of 

 cutting, marketing, etc. In the Northeast the following prices usually 

 prevailed before the war for the full cord delivered in town wholesale : 



Hickory $7 . oo to $10 . oo 



Beech, birch, ash, hard maple and oak . . 5.00 to 8.00 



Soft maple, poplar, chestnut, etc 4.00 to 6.00 



Mixed lots 4 . oo to 8 . oo 



Wood delivered to the consumer costs considerably more than these 

 prices; usually from $2.00 to $3.00, depending upon the demand, desired 

 length, character of wood, etc. It is commonly figured that it costs 

 50 cents per cord to buck up wood from the 4-ft. length to the 12- or 16- 

 in. length for stove or fire-place use. 



In the South and West prices are generally much below these. 

 Standard sized cords are delivered in town, wholesale, in the Southern 

 pine belt, the Northwest and Lake State regions for from $3.00 to $5.00. 

 depending upon local conditions. 



In portions of the Rocky Mountain regions where timber is very 

 scarce sage brush is sometimes used for fuel. In Nevada the large, main 

 stems are trimmed by Indians at $3.00 per cord and delivered to the user 

 at about $6.50. Sage brush burns rapidly and does not hold heat very 

 long. 



Around sawmills, excess slab wood, edgings, etc., are sold for prices 

 less than round or split cordwood. In connection with one large saw- 

 mill in the West i6-in. slab wood is sold for $3.50 a cord delivered at the 



1 From " Second Growth Hardwoods in Connecticut," by E. H. Frothingham, U. S. 

 Forest Service Bulletin 96, p. 24. 



