PRODUCTION OF LUMBER, LATH, AND SHINGLES IN 1917. 27 
BEECH. 
The production of beech was less than 2 per cent smaller in 1917 
than in the preceding year, the figures being 278,345,000 feet for 
1917 and 283,363,000 feet for 1916. Michigan's cut was 10 per cent 
less than for the previous year. In Indiana the cut was increased 
slightly and that State moved into second from third place among 
the producing States; while Pennsylvania, which occupied second, 
dropped into fourth place. Beech is one of the woods which has 
shown a steady decrease annually for 10 years past. 
The average mill value for beech in 1917 was $19.58 per 1,000 feet; 
in 1916 it was $16.20, so that there was a rise of 21 per cent during 
the year. 
Table 23. —Reported production of beech 1 lumber, 1917. 
[Computed total production in the United States, 296,000,000 feet.] 
United States . 
Michigan 
Indiana 
West Virginia. 
Pennsylvania . 
New York 
Ohio 
•Kentucky. 
Tennessee. 
Vermont. . 
Wisconsin. 
Virginia 
New Hampshire 
All other States (see Summary, p. 
o'.M. 
Number of 
active mills 
reporting. 
3,095 
182 
345 
207 
336 
620 
358 
284 
181 
157 
29 
71 
57 
Quantity 
reported. 
FeetB. M. 
278,345,000 
59,573,000 
40,919.000 
35,584,000 
34,049,000 
28,503,000 
24,376,000 
20,136,000 
8,379,000 
7,698,000 
3,335,000 
3,143,000 
3,046,000 
9,604,000 
Per cent. 
100.0 
21.4 
14.7 
12.8 
12.2 
10.2 
7.2 
3.0 
2.8 
1.2 
1.1 
1.1 
3.5 
Average 
value per 
1,000 feet 
f.o.b.mill. 
$19.58 
21.01 
20.16 
19.74 
18.50 
19.87 
19.27 
16.26 
18.75 
20.84 
24.29 
17.46 
18.87 
17.41 
1 Beech (Fag us atropunicea) is the only species that goes into beech lumber. 
CEDAR. 
The output of cedar lumber in the United States does not represent 
the drain on the cedar timber, since millions of feet are used annually 
in the manufacture of shingles and thousands of poles, posts, ties, 
and pencil slats are also produced. The cut of cedar lumber in 1917 
was 258,005,000 feet, 70 per cent smaller than the year before. 
While the production fell off 13 per cent in Washington and 9 per 
cent in Oregon, the combined output of these States was 68.9 per 
cent of that reported for the entire country in 1917, as compared 
with 62.6 per cent in 1916. California's output increased 28 per cent 
and the State moved past Idaho and Virginia from fifth into third 
place. 
Considerable variation is shown in the average value compiled 
for the different States, which reflects the difference in the species 
cut. The average value of cedar per 1,000 feet for the country as a 
whole took an upward turn from $15.24 for 1916 to $19.40 for 1917, 
an advance of 27 per cent. 
