116 



FOREST PRODUCTS 



ANNUAL PRODUCTION 



In spite of competition from boxes, crates, paper containers, cartons, 

 etc., the production of slack cooperage stock has increased in the last 

 decade. Statistics gathered by the U. S. Census Bureau vary in their 

 amount from year to year, but there has been a general tendency to 

 increase production. 



In 1911, 1182 mills reported the production of 1,328,968,000 staves; 

 106,407,000 sets of heading, and 353,215,000 hoops. Expressed in the 

 terms of the ordinary sized barrel and figuring one set of heading, 15 



Fig. 26. — Stave Cutter. This makes 165 strokes per minute and has a daily capacity of 



30,000 staves. 



staves and 6 hoops to the barrel, the production would be sufficient staves 

 for over 88,000,000 barrels; the heading would complete over 106,000,000 

 barrels and the hoops would be sufficient for over 58,000,000 barrels. 

 These apparent discrepancies in production are accounted for by the fact 

 that large numbers of second-hand barrels or portions of them are used 

 over again. The wooden hoop is also being rapidly displaced by the steel 

 and iron hoops. 



The production of staves is centralized in Arkansas and Missouri, 

 which together produce annually over 400,000,000 staves. Pennsyl- 

 vania, Virginia and Maine are the next three states in order. The man- 



