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MISCELLANEOUS. 
After  consultation  and  with  the  consent  and  approval  of  the 
President,  Mr.  Robert  Miller,  recommended  by  Mr.  Rath,  was 
engaged  temporarily  to  assist  in  the  work  of  inspection.  Pend- 
ing the  appointment  of  an  Assistant  Entomologist,  Mr.  Kuhns  is 
retained  in  the  laboratory  looking  after  the  collections  and  work 
of  insect  breeding. 
Respectfully  submitted, 
Jacob  Kotinsky, 
Superintendent  of  Entomology. 
DEPARTURE  OF  LOCAL  ENTOMOLOGIST 
Mr.  D.  L.  Van  Dine  has  recently  left  Hawaii  to  accept  a posi- 
tion in  the  Bureau  of  Entomology  at  Washington.  His  special 
work  will  be  on  insects  affecting  sugar  cane  and  rice  in  the  South- 
ern States.  Mr.  Van  Dine’s  entomological  work  in  Hawaii  has 
well  qualified  him  for  his  new  field  of  research  and  we  look  to 
see  him  continue  the  excellent  work  for  which  he  has  been  con- 
spicuous in  Hawaii. 
A CORD  OF  WOOD. 
The  standard  measurement  for  fire-wood  is  the  cord,  a quantity, 
it  is  well  known,  containing  128  cubic  feet.  A pile  of  wood 
eight  feet  long,  four  feet  high  and  four  feet  wide  contains  the 
requisite  quantity.  Although  a cord  of  wood  may  fulfil  the  legal 
requirements,  the  measure  is  of  uncertain  quantity,  dependent 
upon  whether  the  sticks  are  long  or  short,  stright  or  crooked, 
round  or  split. 
A cord  of  four  foot  hardwood  usually  contains  about  83  cubic 
feet  of  solid  wood.  A cord  of  one  foot  pieces  contains  about  85 
cubic  feet.  Soft  woods  contain  from  90  to  96  cubic  feet  per  cord. 
Thus  the  purchaser  receives  on  an  average  about  two-thirds  of  a 
cord  of  real  wood  and  one-third  of  a cord  of  spaces. 
The  bulk  of  wood  decreases  materially  as  seasoning  advances. 
A cord  of  green  wood  is  reduced  by  about  fourteen  per  cent,  in 
drying.  The  purchaser  will  therefore  practice  the  greatest  econo- 
my by  buying  straight,  smooth,  well-seasoned  sticks  cut  into 
lengths  of  not  more  than  two  feet. 
Beyond  this,  it  should  be  remembered  that  cords  of  long  sticks 
are  pretty  sure  to  contain  more  empty  space  than  cords  of  short 
pieces,  and  also  split  wood  does  not  lie  so  compactly  as  round 
pieces.  The  finer  the  wood  is  split,  the  more  it  makes  and  dealers 
get  back  the  cost  of  labor  in  increased  bulk. 
