54 
lumber dealer might not know which is which in the lumber 
pile, or if he knows, he might not know how to prove it. 
Many of these woods look alike, even to the trained eye of 
the millman or the builder, and yet they are widely different in 
value for certain purposes, and it is of the greatest importance 
to be able to distinguish them quickly and certainly. Again, 
a new wood may come to a man's notice for the first time, 
and it may be necessary for him to decide what it is and what 
it is worth. 
The government has been helping individual lumber users 
for some time, but the facilities have not been nearly so com- 
plete as they are now. It is to meet such needs and answer 
such questions, that the Forest Service has established the 
laboratory, and placed it in charge of a trained dendrologist. 
Architects, lumbermen, manufacturers and makers of wood- 
ware are already sending in samples of wood for identification, 
and asking if there are not some structural characters by 
means of which such woods may be conveniently separated from 
relative species having greater or less value for some specific 
purpose. 
The laboratory will investigate in a practical way. The 
structure of the woods, sections lengthwise and crosswise, will 
AN OLD CAMPHOR TREE GROWING NEAR A SHRINE AT ATAMI, JAPAN. 
