expansion of the southern 

 kraft pulp and paper indus- 

 try. With rapid growth in 

 demand for kraft pulps, 

 papers, and board, the 

 discovery that southern 

 pines were suitable for 

 these products was of great 

 importance. C.F. Herty and 

 others also found that it 

 was feasible to make 

 newsprint from the southern 

 pines. At the Madison 

 laboratory, scientists such 

 as C.E. Currens and G.H. 

 Chidester found that strong 

 white pulps could be made 

 from southern pines through 

 a modified kraft process in 

 combination with two-stage 

 bleaching. 



Development of the semi- 

 chemical pulping process 

 at Madison also ranked as 

 a major accomplishment. 

 This process, involving a 

 combination of chemical 

 and mechanical pulping, 

 provided an efficient method 

 for pulping hitherto unus- 

 able southern hardwoods 

 and proved to be particularly 

 suitable for production of 

 the corrugating medium 

 used in container board. 

 Related studies also led to 

 development of a high-yield 

 "cold soda" process for 



pulping hardwoods. And a 

 new process for "press 

 drying" paper, using both 

 heat and pressure simulta- 

 neously, yielded high- 

 strength papers from hard- 

 woods while saving on 

 energy otherwise usable for 

 drying. The basic work of 

 such men as C.W. McMillin 

 (1978) helped in such 

 developments through 

 better understanding of 

 wood chemistry, fiber char- 

 acteristics, and relations of 

 such factors to properties 

 of wood pulps, paper, and 

 fiberboards. 



Wartime activities at the 

 Madison laboratory in the 

 1940's included the devel- 

 opment and testing of 

 packing boxes and other 

 containers for military use. 

 Improved designs and 

 specifications for shipping 

 different commodities in 

 lumber, veener, plywood, 

 and container board result- 

 ed in large reductions in 

 breakage and financial 

 savings in both military and 

 civilian uses. Development 

 of pallets for movement 

 and storage of goods was 

 likewise of great importance 

 to the military, as well as to 

 many peacetime users. 



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