DISTILLATION OF STUMPWOOD. 55 
quantity of turpentine, the change in market conditions makes it 
desirable to throw as much of it into the pine-oil fraction as is 
possible, or to go a step farther and market the entire crude dis- 
tillate as flotation oil. If this were done it would, of course, re- 
duce decidedly the cost of running the plant, and simplify opera- 
tion. The consequent reduction in cost of production would prob- 
ably amount to $2 or $3 a cord. 
As to future flotation-oil values it is difficult to conjecture. The 
Bureau of Mines, which experimented with the various oils obtained 
in the course of this work, commenting on the conditions that will 
probably have to be met in the flotation-oils market during the 
coming years, points out that: 
Pine oil at 50 to 60 cents per gallon has cost too much. Crude petroleum 
and coal tar containing small additions of pine oil can be made to do almost 
the same grade of work and are hence cheapening the cost of flotation oils. 
Pine cresote, pine tar oils, and various hardwood fractions, together with 
hardwood tar, are finding acceptance in place of the more expensive products. 
There will always be a market for pine products, however, as long as they 
do not cost too much; 30 to 40 cents per gallon, f. o. b. the West, will probably 
be the price paid for such material and when the price goes much above that, 
the material will merely be eliminated from consideration. 
Some idea of the quantities of these pine products used in the flota- 
tion of ores may be obtained from Table 20. 
TABLE 20.—Monthly consumption of flotation oils in the United States (1916). 
[Compiled from a report of the Bureau of Mines. ] 
Monthly tonnage ofore. Wood products. 
Type of ore. : 
Beginning OTe Pine | Pine- uae Wood ae 
of 1916. mated). oil. tar oil.2 case creosote.3 frie! 
Tons. Tons. Galls. | Galls. Galls. Galls. Galls. 
COMPer Seeks costa dnccue ese 1,248,000 | 1,942,000 7, 800 Obra Bis fais 47, 600 205 
Zine and complex.......... 248, 000 350, 000 8, 000 oa ACY ona ed 30, 000 450 
WenGie es Soe Sines fees oe 115, 000 136, 000 O57 nee 28 5 OOO eae ore 
Gold and silver...........-- 45, 700 123, 000 1,300 Od tl aks eee OOD: errr es eae 
NOGALES fe Fee ee ea 1, 656, 700 | 2, 551, 000 | 17,615 275 28 96, 000 655 
1 Probably includes a considerable amount of the lighter fractions of pine-tar oil. 
EE Gs a ea 
It has been pointed out that combinations of different oils are 
used by mixing the more expensive pine-wood distillates with crude 
petroleum, coal tar, etc., in suitable proportions to obtain the de- 
sired foaming and collecting effect for the kind of ore to be treated. 
While this is to a large extent done at concentration plants, some pro- 
ducers in the East market blended oils on this same principle. This 
should, of course, be given careful consideration by those who may 
