6 BULLETIN 758, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
150 and 400 miles. Unfortunately, no comparative data are avail- 
able for preceding periods. (See Table 9, Appendix.) 
WOOD-PULP PRODUCTION. 
The production figures on wood pulp are given in detail in Table 10. 
The total output reported was 3,509,939 tons 1 , of which 44 per cent 
was mechanical, 41 per cent sulphite, 13 per cent soda, and 2 per cent 
sulphate. The production of pulp in 1917 was 2 per cent 
more than in 1916, the mechanical pulp figures representing a 2 per 
cent increase, those for soda pulp a 13 per cent increase, and those for 
sulphate pulp a 15 per cent increase, while those for sul- 
phite pulp are a 1 per cent decrease from the 1916 statistics. Of 
the mechanical pulp turned out 87 per cent was not steamed, and 13 
per cent was steamed. In the production of sulphite pulp, 69 per 
cent was unbleached and 31 per cent bleached; in soda pulp 8 per 
cent was unbleached and 92 per cent bleached: in sulphate pulp, 83 
per cent was unbleached and 17 per cent bleached. Maine, New 
York, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota are 
the leading States in pulp production in the order given and in 1917 
produced collectively 79 per cent of all the pulp reported. (See Table 
10, Appendix.) 
The output of pulp was generally larger for all the States in 1917 
than the year before, the exceptions being in New Hampshire where 
the decrease was 25 per cent, Pennsylvania 1 per cent, Michigan 3 per 
cent, and West Virginia 7 per cent. It already has been noted that 
less wood was used in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and West 
Virginia, which is in line with decreased pulp production even though 
the relation of quantity of wood consumed to pulp produced is 
variable. 
Pulp manufacturers were asked to give the average value f. o. b. 
mill of all pulp sold, and the computations which have been made are 
based upon the reported value of approximately 90 per cent of all 
the pulp sold. The value of a ton of pulp is established by its quality 
and is further affected by competitive conditions, contractual rela- 
tions, intercompany accounting methods, and other factors which 
make the application of an average value or sale price to any indi- 
vidual operation impracticable without due allowances being made. 
The mathematical average value for all pulp in 1917 was S43.33, an 
increase of $7.86 per ton, or 22 per cent, over the 1916 average. A 
considerable spread exists between the value of • unbleached and 
bleached pulp, amounting to $30.27 per ton for sulphite, $6.55 for 
soda, and $14.85 for sulphate. The spread is much less for steamed 
and not steamed mechanical pulp, reaching but $2.73 per ton. 
Figure 1 shows the importance of the several States in the produc- 
tion of pulp. 
i Short ton— 2,000 pounds. 
