32 OUR VANISHING FORESTS 



match manufacture is a distinct industry, obtaining 

 most of its raw material direct from the forests, 

 and consuming many thousand cords every year. 

 The wood must not only be carefully seasoned and 

 dried but one to which the inflammable head mate- 

 rial will cling. A very ingenious mechanism Is 

 required to cut the wood first Into blocks, then Into 

 strips and to dip the ends. Our large common 

 matches are a distinctive product of America. The 

 writer well remembers producing one from a private 

 supply while traveling through England, and the 

 laughing comment of a forester who remarked "No 

 wonder you are using up your wood in America. 

 Is that a match or a fence-post?" European coun- 

 tries use chiefly the small safety-matches made from 

 thin sheets of veneer, such as spruce, basswood and 

 aspen. These being square rather than round like 

 our common matches entail less waste in manufac- 

 ture. Very thin spruce veneer is also employed In 

 the manufacture of safety-match boxes. While we 

 produce safety-matches to some extent in the United 

 States, we import some seven hundred million boxes 

 annually. 



Wood paving blocks are another specialized 

 product. Until recently their use has been confined 

 chiefly to city street paving, the smooth hard surface 

 obtained being similar to asphalt but less slippery 



