56 BULLETIN 909, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGEICULTTJEE. 



each log and the general run of the lot. The company's log buyer 

 usually proposes a lump sum after he has gone over the logs carefully. 



Some veneer companies buy both plain and figured logs and saw 

 the plain ones into lumber. Others buy only figured logs. • Most 

 firms will take logs that are at least fairly clear and 16 inches and 

 over in diameter at the small end, or as small as 14 inches if there 

 is a sufficiently large portion of clear heartwood, or if the log is 

 figured. They prefer logs that are 18 inches and up and clear of 

 defects. Logs having more than a 2-inch ring of sapwood are not 

 so well adapted for making veneer unless they are very large. 



Merchantable stump or " butt " wood should be at least 22 inches 

 in diameter at the small end, and from 30 to 42 inches long, according 

 to the specifications of different buyers. Some manufacturers use 

 lengths of 30 and 36 inches to correspond with the standard panel 

 sizes. Figured stumps usually bring a price of $100 to $500 a thou- 

 sand board feet, depending on size and figure. 



Veneer logs should have a minimum length of a little over 8 

 feet. Some mills buy 6-foot logs, and some accept 4J-foot logs, if 

 they are of exceptional size and quality. During the first half of 

 1919 the price of walnut veneer logs ranged from $75 to $175 a thou- 

 sand board feet, log scale, depending on size and quality. 



Walnut burls are very high in price, and, on account of their 

 irregular form, are usually sold by the pound. Before the war the 

 general range in price was 10 to 15 cents. Genuine burls are now 

 very scarce. 



Two somewhat common grades for walnut veneer logs are as fol- 

 lows : No. 1 logs, which may have one or two sound knots if the logs 

 are 10 feet or over in length, but must be free from worm holes, bird 

 pecks, and shakes; and No. 2 logs, which must have a clear length 

 of at least 43 inches. 



WASTE. 



The waste in the manufacture of walnut veneer is mainly in the 

 form of the loss that results from trimming down the flitch suffi- 

 ciently for a sheet of merchantable veneer to be cut ; the " dog board," 

 or core, left after cutting off as much veneer as possible; the defects 

 trimmed out of the veneer, including pith center and sapwood; and, 

 in the case of dimension veneer cut from rotary stock, the loss from 

 cutting to size. 



The only data available on the amount of waste in different proc- 

 esses are those derived from calculating the yield of average or 

 representative logs, as given in the section on " Production." The 

 proportions of waste in different processes, according to these cal- 



