FOREST CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. 71 



per cord at the railroad — there is little clear profit, though it furnishes 

 ready money for work at a time when men and teams would otherwise 

 be idle. 



In Table 3 "chestnut oak" may include many others, because some 

 counties did not differentiate the species. The price of black oak aver- 

 ages about $5.25 per cord delivered at the railroad, and white oak runs 

 about 50 cents more. If the demand for the bark of these two oaks 

 would justify an increase in price, the bark could be utilized in con- 

 nection with lumbering. As it is now the bark is nearly all wasted 

 because it will not pay to save it. 



Hemlock bark, though forming only about one-tenth of the annual 

 consumption in the region, comprises about one-quarter of the output. 

 This discrepancy is due to the fact that much of the bark from the 

 eastern counties, which produce mostly hemlock, goes to the tanneries 

 outside this region. Formerly much hemlock was cut for bark and the 

 timber wasted; recently, however, hemlock has been cut for lumber 

 and the bark wasted. In some logging operations, in which the wood 

 was used for pulp, the bark, although peeled, has been left on the 

 ground and wasted, presumably because the price of $7 per cord does 

 not justify the extra cost of handling. It would be advisable to carry 

 on the production of hemlock pulp wood and of hemlock bark together, 

 for the waste of bark is too great an item to be overlooked in a modern 

 operation. 



The percentage of tannin varies considerably with the species. Hem- 

 lock contains from 8 to 10 per cent, while black oak contains 11 to 12 

 per cent, and chestnut oak 12 to 13 per cent. The price of the bark is 

 not regulated entirely by the percentage of tannin, though this has a 

 good deal to do with it. The presence or absence of certain coloring 

 matter in the bark has considerable influence on its value for tanning. 

 The value of black oak bark is lessened by its color, whereas that of 

 chestnut oak is enhanced, because it gives the "oak color" which is 

 wanted for the best leathers. The tannin in all barks is soluble even in 

 cold water. Tor this reason bark is seldom transported to the railroad 

 by flumes, though in one case at least the bark was tied to the top of 

 bundles of boards which were being flumed, and in this way kept dry. 

 Some tanners claim that as much as 25 per cent of the tannin is 

 leached out by running bark down flumes. It has been estimated also 

 that during a wet summer, unless the bark is thoroughly protected from 

 rain, as much as 20 per cent of the tannin is lost. If bark is packed 

 so that rain does not run through it, it will keep without deterioration 

 for several years. 



