igoO.] Forestry at Nurnberg Exhibition. 343 



seen that, even with its gigantic forest wealth, Germany's timber 

 imports greatly exceed the exports. 



An interesting section of the Exhibition is concerned with the 

 display of products chemically prepared from wood. In 1889 

 it was discovered that the cellulose prepared from spruce timber 

 could be made to furnish an excellent artificial silk, not so 

 elastic and strong as the real article, but superior to it in lustre. 

 The annual production is now estimated at over two million 

 pounds weight, valued at 15s. per pound. It is now largely used 

 in upholstery and for making ties and other articles of apparel. 



More recently artificial horse-hair has been produced from the 

 same source. 



Yarn from wood is now an important article of commerce. 

 It is found to dye and wjsh. well, and to be very durable. It is, 

 to some extent, replacing jute, cotton, and linen. 



By the action of alkalies, oxalic acid is now largely prepared 

 from sawdust, 100 lb. of the latter giving about 80 lb. of the 

 acid. 



Acetic acid has long been distilled from wood, the firm of 

 Lanfach in Spessart, who are exhibitors, consuming annually not 

 much short of a million cubic feet of beech timber in this way. 

 It is estimated that in the year 1900 about three-and-a-half 

 million cubic feet of wood were distilled in Germany for the 

 production of four million pounds weight of acetic acid, most 

 of which was used in the production of artificial indigo, though 

 some went to make table vinegar. 



In the production of acetic acid, wood is placed in a retort 

 and heated to a temperature between 536 deg. F. and 608 deg. F. 

 It is found that wood treated in this way yields about 24 per 

 cent, of charcoal and 50 — 54 per cent, of liquids, while 22 — 24 

 per cent, goes off as gas. The liquid portion by further treat- 

 ment yields 6 — 10 per cent, of tar, 3 — 10 per cent, of wood 

 spirit, and 5f to 6h per cent, of acetic acid. 



Doubtless the most important substance produced by the 

 chemical treatment of wood is cellulose, for the production of a 

 ton of which some 230 cubic feet of timber are required. 



In Lower Bavaria (Niederbayern) private forests cover an 

 area of some 650,000 acres, and constitute 79 per cent, of the 

 total wooded surface. In the beginning of last century there 



