GIFT OF

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY

REPORT PREPARED FOR

THE COMMISSION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO
THE BRAZIL CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION

For Distribution at the Brazil Centennial Exposition
1922-1923

WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1922

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY

Supplementing Exhibit

of the
UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE

at the

BRAZIL CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

1922-1923

HERBERT A. SMITH

United States Forest Service

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF ITS WORK AND AIMS.

The Forest Products Laboratory is a unit in the Branch of Research of
he Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. It is
ocated at Madison, Wis., and is conducted in cooperation with the
Jniversity of Wisconsin.

For several years after its establishment, in 1910, it was the only
nstitution of its kind in the world conducted with the object of turning
he searchlight of research upon wood and its uses and making the infor-
nation thus obtained available to the public.

PUBLIC SERVICE.

SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES.

The purpose of the Forest Service in the administration of the Forest
'roducts Laboratory is to conserve American forests by developing the
nost economical methods of converting standing trees into finished prod-
cts. The purpose is also to make the growing of timber more profita-
»le by increasing the possibilities in the utilization of both used and
nused species. The Laboratory seeks to develop not only new and more
indent processes, but to find ways of utilizing material which would
therwise be wasted, to find new uses for old materials and new materials
or old uses. In a word, the aim is to render practical assistance to the
tianufacturers and users of wood and wood products and at the same time
o promote forest conservation and the practice of forestry.

Every American industry and class of consumers which uses or grows
•ood or any other product of the forest may thus be a beneficiary of the
•ork done at the Laboratory. Every such industry, class of consumers,
nd timber producers is a potential cooperator in the Laboratory's work,
ts objects are sought not only through experiments conducted at the
.aboratory but also through the detail of its men to work on important
roblems in the mills and factories and the receiving of representatives of
he industries at the Laboratory to work beside its scientific men.

VALUE OF WORK.

The value of this work has already made itself apparent. The reduc-
on of waste, the better utilization of the products of the tree, the utiliza-
of species hitherto wasted, the added life given to^many kinds of

3

50056?

£RODU£TS LABORATORY.

wood products by more efficient preservative methods, the reduction 02
the degrade in lumber by efficient dry-kiln methods, and many othei
savings are an enormous help in conserving the timber supply.

RESULTS AVAILABLE TO PUBLIC.

The value of the Forest Products Laboratory to any particular wood-
using industry or class of consumers depends to a very large extent upor
the use which that industry makes of it. It is a Government institutior
supported mainly by Government appropriations, and its advice anc
suggestions are to be had for the asking. It presents an opportunity foi
every manufacturer, user, and timber grower to supplement the informa
tion obtained by experience and hard knocks with technical data obtainec
through scientific research.

PLACE IN FOREST CONSERVATION.

The work of the Laboratory is of direct value to those engaged ir
timber production. To a very large extent the kinds and sizes of forest

trees which should be grown and the purposes for which they should be
produced are dependent on the mechanical, physical, and chemical proper-
ties of their wood and the uses to which they can most profitably be put
In the administration of the National Forests and of privately owned
timberlands, in the activities of the State forestry depaitments, and in!
the instruction given by the forest schools the results secured by the
Laboratory play an important part. By reducing the present waste ofi
three-fourths of every tree cut and making possible the most efficient
utilization of the one-fourth used they are contributing in a very essential
way to forest conservation and to profitable timber production. Through
its forest products research the Forest Service supplements its efforts to
bring about the growing of timber by information which should make
possible the most complete and effective utilization.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. 5

ORGANIZATION FOR RESEARCH.

COORDINATED RESEARCH.

Research is increasingly effective in proportion as it is carefully planned
md executed. At the beginning of each year a program covering as nearly
is practicable the work of the Laboratory for the ensuing year is con-
idered and approved. Individual initiative and responsibility are given
he widest possible opportunity, but at the same time the work of different
nen is so coordinated by an interchange of ideas among the different
sections, and other means, that duplication is avoided and cumulative
•esults are obtained.

ORGANIZATION OF THE LABORATORY.

The Laboratory is in charge of a director, an assistant director, and a
>taff comprised of the heads of the different research and administrative
sections. In each section are men of broad general experience with wood

and knowledge of its characteristics, and other specialists in various wood
uses, who devote their whole time to the study of special problems. These
men are recruited, in accordance with the regulations of the Civil Service
Commission, from the professions of engineering, chemistry, forestry, and
pathology.

The work of the Laboratory is distributed among the following technical
sections :

Timber mechanics. — Strength of wood and manufactured articles.

Timber physics. — Experimental and applied kiln drying, physical prop-
erties, identification, and structure of wood.

Wood preservation. — Wood treatments, glues, and laminated construc-
tion.

Pulp and paper. — Manufacturing methods and suitability of various
woods for pulp, paper, and special products.

Derived products. — Chemical properties and uses of wood and chemical
wood products, such as turpentine, alcohol, acetic acid, etc.

ft FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

Industrial investigations. — Methods and practices in the lumber and
other wood-using industries, grades, specifications, and mill scale studies.

Pathology (in cooperation with the Bureau of Plant Industry). — Decay
of timber, molds, stains in manufactured wood products, and antiseptic
properties of wood preservatives.

TIMBER MECHANICS.

N.

Knowledge of the mechanical properties of woods and wood products is
essential for their intelligent and economic use, whether in the factory, on
the farm, in the home, on the railroad, in the mine, or in the air. Thus
development of the airplane and progress in many other lines depend
in a large measure on accurate information as to the strength, toughness,
elasticity, and other mechanical properties which determine the suitability
of different woods for various purposes. To supply this information, over
500,000 mechanical tests have been made, as nearly as possible under
standardized conditions, so that the tests made for a single purpose will
have the broadest application and will serve for many uses.

STRENGTH OF VARIOUS SPECIES.

Data from tests of small clear specimens are now available in 150 species
of woods grown in the United States, as well as data, in some cases
meager, in some cases fairly complete, on about 60 species, principally
from South America and the Philippines. These data are of particular
value in comparing the properties of the different species, in finding
substitutes for the scarcer and higher-priced woods, in selecting species
for particular uses, and in establishing correct working stresses. The
results of these tests on small clear specimens also furnish definite
information on the variability of wood and show the necessity of grading
timber for all uses where strength is of prime importance.

A large number of tests have also been made on full-size'd timbers,
such as bridge stringers, factory-building timbers, and car sills. These
tests have demonstrated the influence of defects, such as knots, shakes,
and checks, on strength ; and, altogether with the results of tests on small
clear specimens, furnish the basis for the establishment of grading rules
and correct working stresses for structural timbers.

Tests have been made on plywood to determine the strength of different
combinations of species, the effect of increasing the number of plies, and
the effect of varying the ratio of core thickness to total panel thickness.
Some data are also available on factors affecting warping, on strength
of fastenings for plywood, on the efficiency of joints in plywood, and on
the strength in tension. Information on such points as these places the
Laboratory in a position to assist users and manufacturers of plywood
and veneer products in solving problems encountered in developing new
uses for these products in the various industries.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

The largest of the testing machines, shown here in the process of erection, is capable of exerting a force of a
million pounds and can test to destruction wooden columns 30 feet long and a foot square.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

The drum testing machine, developed by the Laboratory to simulate the hazards of transportation, has
become standard for shippers, packers, and manufacturers. The boxes shown are packed with electric-
light bulbs. Four thousand dollars' worth of bulbs were furnished by the electric companies concerned
for this series of tests to develop a better container.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

Some of the strength-testing machines, such as the one at the right, are employed chiefly in determining
the strength properties of native woods, using small, clear specimens like those on the truck. Other
machines are rigged up to test wooden parts. A newly designed airplane wing rib is just being placed in
the machine second in line.

11958—22 2

10

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

Furniture and vehicle factories are concerned in the research of the Laboratory to reduce losses in
the steam bending of stock. To bend a heavy wheel rim, such as is shown, without fracture, requires
a careful preliminary conditioning treatment.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. II

TESTS ON SHIPPING CONTAINERS.

The results of tests on containers are of particular interest to all
shippers, box manufacturers, and transportation companies, and are
also of great importance to the public in general. The damage due to the
failure of containers in transportation amounts annually to many
millions of dollars. There are, in addition, large losses due to improper
packing. All of the work done at the Laboratory in this field tends
directly to reduce these enormous losses, which are ultimately paid by
the consumer. A considerable amount of fundamental data relating
to the construction of boxes and crates has been obtained which finds
direct application in the redesign of faulty containers and in the develop-
ment of new containers. It is frequently possible to redesign a container
so as to reduce the amount of material required, to save shipping and
warehouse space, and at the same time to obtain greater serviceability.

DRUM TESTS.

Revolving-drum tests, together with drop and compression tests of
boxes loaded with either actual or dummy contents, have been used in
determining the characteristic weakness of the various types of con-
tainers. The Forest Products Laboratory standard drum is 14 feet in
diameter and can accommodate packages up to 1,000 pounds in weight.
It is fitted with hazards so arranged that the container under test follows
a regular cycle of drops which simulate those received in actual trans-
portation. The field for this work is very large, and much remains to be
done in order to develop fundamental relations between the weight and
the nature of the commodity, the type of box to be used, and the thick-
ness of the bottom, side, and end boards.

TESTS OF MANUFACTURED ARTICLES.

Tests on vehicle and implement parts, airplane parts, doors, and other
articles manufactured of wood are made primarily to demonstrate the
fitness of substitute species, to develop or improve designs, and to obtain
more economical and efficient use of wood. The limitations and possibili-
ties of splices and laminated construction are being studied with a view
to conserving lumber through the increased use of small pieces and low
grades. This should make possible the use of smaller trees, which can
be grown in comparatively short periods, in short, the character of
material on which the country will have to depend very largely in the
future and which can be grown most profitably.

12

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

TIMBER PHYSICS.

KILN DRYING.

A knowledge of the physical properties of wood is of importance to
almost every industry using wood and is essential in kiln drying, impreg-
nation with preservatives, distillation, and other treatments. These
physical properties include density, shrinkage, transfusion of moisture,
hygroscopicity, specific heat, heat conductivity, heat of absorption of
water in wood, and permeability of wood by liquids and gases.

It is often necessary for financial reasons to reduce the time required
properly to season wood by open-air drying. Moreover, for many pur-
poses it is desirable to dry the wood more thoroughly than is possible in
the open air and to employ conditions which will reduce its hygroscopicity,
or tendency to shrink or swell. For these reasons dry kilns are almost
universally employed for high-grade lumber, and frequently even for the
poorer grades. In the drying of hardwoods it is estimated that about
10 per cent of the material dried is either ruined or lowered in grade.
Much of this loss could be avoided by proper methods and kilns, and the
present results might be greatly improved in other respects.

ESTABLISHING SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES.

The Forest Products Laboratory bases all its kiln-drying practice on
fundamental studies to determine the principles underlying the trans-
fusion of moisture through wood, the effect of changes in atmospheric
conditions upon the rate of transfusion, the effect of various methods of
drying and of various drying treatments upon the properties of the wood
being dried, and similar studies.

DRYING SCHEDULES.

A comprehensive series of experiments is being conducted to determine
the proper "drying schedules" for all important commercial woods.
These drying schedules will show the proper conditions of temperature

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. .

' 1 1 ( I

The distiactive feature of the Forest Service water-spray kiln is the control of the humidity in the kiln
and, consequently, the drying rate of the lumber, by conditioning the air with sprays of water whose
temperature is carefully regulated. The experimental kiln shown is drying oak bolster stock, which
appears white because of the end dip used to reduce checking.

14 FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

and humidity to obtain best results in drying, and they will cover the
entire range from an absolutely green condition to absolute dryness. A
number of drying schedules have already been published. This class
of work has direct application throughout the wood-using industries.

STEAM BENDING.

The proper steam bending of heavy wooden parts, such as artillery
\vheel rims, presents a number of problems on which the Laboratory has
done a limited amount of work and on which it plans to do much more
in the near future. The proper moisture condition of the stock, the
length and temperature of steaming or other preliminary treatment, and
the mechanical details of the actual bending must all be worked out
before present high losses in this process can be overcome.

IDENTIFICATION.

The accurate identification of woods is important not only in the in-
vestigative work of the Laboratory, where it is essential that the kind of
wood under test be definitely knowTi, but to wood users generally.
There is a steadily increasing demand in the various industries for serv-
ice of this character, and several thousand specimens of wood are an-
nually identified for outside concerns. Microscopic slides and photo-
micrographs made from the slides have been prepared for practically all
American woods of importance and are available for study. Authentic
specimens of most species are also available.

WOOD PRESERVATION.

PRESERVATIVES.

The amount of wood in the form of railroad ties, mine timbers, posts,
poles, and other products which is destroyed each year by decay is
estimated at from one-half to three-quarters of a billion cubic feet.
It is therefore important to devise methods of treating wood with pre-
servatives that will reduce this waste to a .minimum.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY

In the manufacture of water-resistant plywood with casein glue, the glue is applied cold to the
veneer sheets by means of a mechanical glue spreader. The sheets are then placed one on top
of another in a press.

i6

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

The life of railroad ties treated with preservatives is often double that of untreated ties. The
illustration shows some red-oak ties about to undergo an experimental treatment with creosote
in the pressure cylinder. Afterwards they will be placed in actual service in one of the test
tracks maintained by the railroads in cooperation with the Laboratory

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. 1 7

In treating operations, the cost of the preservative, such as creosote,
zinc chloride, or sodium fluoride, amounts to a high percentage of the
total cost. Furthermore, the ultimate success of any treatment is
largely dependent upon the preservative used. Much information has
already been obtained concerning the preservatives now in common
use, but there is need for a great deal of further study with the object
of developing new preservatives which will either be cheaper or more
effective than present preservatives or will have properties fitting
them for wider use or for special purposes. The value of a preservative
is not considered 'established until it has had a thorough trial under
actual service conditions.

GLUES FOR PLYWOOD.

In connection with the manufacture of plywood, studies have been
made of animal glues, such as those made from hide, bone, and other
products; and standard methods of testing have been developed. A
suitable "standard glue" for aircraft work and high-class joint work in
general has been selected and samples made available to manufacturers
and users. This is the glue adopted as standard by Army and Navy
aircraft bureaus.

The development of water-resistant glues of several types, including
casein glues and blood-albumin glues, has been progressing for several
years, and a number of high-grade glues have been perfected. Tests
and experiments are being carried forward to improve these glues still
more, especially in their resistance to moisture.

LAMINATED AND BUILT-UP PARTS.

One of the lines of investigation to be taken up recently is the deter-
mination of possibilities and best practices in the design and construction
of structural members built up of small pieces glued together. These
investigations were carried out intensively on aircraft parts, such as
wing beams and struts, when the success of the aircraft program was
threatened by a sudden shortage of suitable material in the required
sizes. The knowledge gained is being applied to extensive investigations
of the use of laminated and built-up construction in the various wood-
using industries for the manufacture of such articles as shoe lasts, hat
blocks, bowling pins, wagon bolsters, and wheel hubs.

The Laboratory has done considerable work on the moisture resistance
of various wood coatings, and a very efficient aluminum leaf coating has
been developed which affords protection against moisture over long
periods of storage. Tests are now in progress on the durability of these
coatings. Other work on wood finishes is contemplated.

l8 FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY

PULP AND PAPER.

The constantly decreasing supply of suitable pulp woods and the
ever-increasing demand for paper of all kinds, especially newsprint
paper, have combined to produce so serious a situation that investiga-
tions into methods of conserving the supply of pulp wood and increasing
the production of paper are of paramount importance.

PROCESSES OF PULP AND PAPER MAKING.

The Laboratory is conducting experiments on methods of making
wood pulp and has already developed several important improvements
in the standard chemical processes.

A very important field of research lies in determining the suitability
of various little-used woods as substitutes for those most commonly used.
Practically all available species which give promise of suitability are
being investigated, and proper methods of grinding or cooking of most
of the important ones have already been worked out.

UTILIZATION OF WASTE-

Studies of waste utilization in the pulp and paper industry have been
in progress for some time along a number of distinct lines. For example,
feasible methods of turning sawmill waste, such as slabs, into pulp have
been determined. The use of a certain percentage of spent tanbark in
the manufacture of roofing felts has been investigated and a method
developed whereby what was formerly a waste of the tanning industry
is now in profitable commercial use. The possibility of using hemlock-
bark waste for tannin has also been demonstrated.

A commercially feasible method of recovering both the paraffin and
the fiber from waxed paper trimmings has been developed. Studies of
the wastes incident to the pulp industries, such as sulphite waste liquors
and soda liquors, in which are now carried off approximately half of the
wood that enters into the digesters, are to be undertaken intensively as

V

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

Wooden patterns for castings can be made practically moisture proof by an aluminum leaf coating and
so prevented from warping, swelling, or shrinking. Car-wheel patterns protected in this way are
now in use by several large foundries.

20

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

Old newspapers can be de-inked by the use of bentonite, a highly colloidal clay, to which the ink
particles adhere after being loosened from the paper in the pulp beater. The pulp is then ready to
be used again in the manufacture of news paper.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. 21

soon as funds and equipment become available. The suitability for
paper making of hull fiber and second-cut cotton linters, formerly of
little value, has been demonstrated and a method of preparation worked
out that has proved commercially successful.

PULP DECAY.

A recently begun investigation of the deterioration of pulp wood and
wood pulp through fungous infection, now estimated at $5,000,000 a year,
is leading to the proper remedies for this great economic loss.

DERIVED PRODUCTS.

HARDWOOD DISTILLATION.

The distillation of hardwoods for the production of wood alcohol,
acetate of lime, and charcoal offers one of the best methods for the utiliza-
tion of hardwood wastes, such as tops, limbs, and slabs. The first work
of the Laboratory along this line was a study of the comparative value of
different species as distillation woods — at that time only beech, birch,*
and maple were used commercially. All the important hardwoods have
been tested, and several new species, such as oak and hickory, are now in
use.

Methods have been developed whereby the yield of alcohol and acetate
can be considerably increased by a system of temperature control with-
out extending the time of distillation and with a decrease in the amount
of fuel required. These methods have been adopted by most of the
commercial plants. Encouraging results have been obtained in work
now under way on other methods for increasing the yields, such as the
treatment of the wood with chemicals previous to distillation.

The production of flotation oils from hardwood tar is a promising
method of utilization which has been the subject of much investigation
of the Laboratory. Several satisfactory flotation oils have been pro-
duced, and the commercial utilization of hardwood tar is increasing.

22 FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

TURPENTINE AND ROSIX.

Very valuable results have been obtained by experimental field work
in improving methods of obtaining crude turpentine from the tree. A
new method has been developed which has increased the yield of turpen-
tine and decreased the bad effect on the tree and reduced the danger from
fire. This method has been adopted by almost the entire industry. A
complete study has also been made of the amount and composition of
the turpentine from several western pines. The changing conditions in
this industry due to the rapid depletion of virgin stands of long-leaf pine
make it desirable to develop turpentining methods which are especially
applicable to second-growth timber and to long-continued operation on
the same tree, instead of the usual three to five year operations.

ETHYL < GRAIN) 'ALCOHOL-

A promising method of utilizing profitably large quantities of wood
waste depends upon the conversion of the cellulose into ethyl alcohol. It
has long been known that wood cellulose can be converted into ferment-
able sugar by suitable treatment with dilute acids at high pressures, but
until recently the process has not met with commercial success. Inves-
tigation at the Laboratory involved the design and installation of appa-
ratus of semicommercial size and a detailed study of the influence of such
variables as pressure, temperature, time concentrations of acid and
water, and many others. Partly as a result of these experiments the
process is now a commercial success and offers a new means of utilization
which will be a source of heat and power of immense economic importance.
The two plants now operating in this country have a combined daily
capacity of about 9,000 gallons of 95 per cent alcohol. The high quality
and purity of the products are attested by the great demand for this
alcohol for the preparation of pharmaceuticals and colognes.

SAWDUST FOR STOCK FOOD.

Another study that has recently been started is the production of a
stock food from sawdust. As in the manufacture of ethyl alcohol, the
cellulose is first converted into sugar by treatment under pressure with
dilute acid, and this sugar, after being extracted and boiled down to a
thick molasses, is mixed with the sawdust residue. This so-called " wood
meal" has been substituted for one-fourth the ordinary grain ration of
the cattle, with a resulting increase in their weight and no decrease in
the yield of milk.

..OTHER DERIVED PRODUCTS.

Other products derived from trees or forest materials, and therefore
within the scope of the Laboratory's work, are tannins, gums, balsams,
essential oils extracted from the wood, roots, bark, or leaves of various

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

Aside irom its value in laboratory tests, the determination of the moisture content of wood is so impor-
tant in connection with the various uses of wood that every wool working factory should become
familiar with the simple process. A knowledge of the moisture content of the stock often makes it
possible to avoid costly manufacturing difficulties.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

Special small-scale digesters for the manufacture of chemical pulp provide facilities for the study of
pulping problems at a moderate cost, preliminary to a cooperative mill test.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. 25

trees, and producer gas manufactured from wood. The chemical deriv-
atives of cellulose, while not yet touched upon, also offer a fertile field
for investigation.

INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATIONS.

MECHANICAL UTILIZATION OF WASTE AND LOW-GRADE MATERIAL-

Mechanical as well as chemical processes offer a promising field for
the profitable utilization of wood now wasted and for the steadily
increasing amount of small and low-grade material coming from second-
growth stands. Only 30 per cent of the wood in a forest now gets into
the form of seasoned, unplaned lumber. Of this, an additional 10 to 25
per cent is lost in the process of manufacture. In extreme cases as little
as 3 per cent of the wood in the forest may reach the finished product.

SURVEY OF WOOD WASTE-

How to reduce to a minimum these losses in logging and manufacture
constitutes a research problem of far-reaching scope and significance.
The Laboratory has undertaken a comprehensive survey of the present
practice and its results in some of the more important wood -using
industries. This will be followed by more intensive investigations of
equipment, methods, and processes with a view to determining possible
modifications and improvements. These investigations will be con-
ducted both in the woods and at the mill and will include studies leading
to increased efficiency of operation as well as to closer utilization.

DIMENSION STOCK.

The manufacture of small-dimension stock offers a striking example
of the opportunity for reducing present wastes in manufacture. It has
been estimated that all of the five or six billion board feet used each
year in the manufacture of articles made from such stock could be
secured from material now wasted. Whether or not this is true, there
is no question that present wastes could be greatly reduced by standard-

26

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

The first step in the manufacture of cattle food from sawdust is to cook the sawdust with dilute acid
in a steam-pressure cylinder. This converts a part of the wood into sugars and renders the remainder
more digestible. Hydroli/ed sawdust is being successfully fed to cattle as a considerable part of their
concentrate ration.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

\\ itli a microscope it i> possible to identify wood from practically any of our native trees. The
revolving chart shows the diversity in wood structure brought out under a lens.

28

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

izing dimension sizes, by cutting dimension stock directly from the log
instead of remanufacturing it from lumber, and by an interchange
between industries that would result in the utilization by one industry
of what is now regarded as waste in another. Studies along these lines
have been undertaken by the Laboratory and will be extended as rapidly
as possible.

SECOND-GROWTH STANDS.

Another problem of first importance has to do with finding a profitable
and economical use for the small sizes and low grades on which we shall
have increasingly to depend as the virgin forests are replaced by second-
growth stands. This problem includes also the finding of uses for species
now without markets. To a considerable extent the practice of forestry
is dependent on developing methods by which the material of all species
produced by these stands can be used in place of the high-grade material
of a few species from virgin forests to which we have hitherto been
accustomed. This involves not only perfecting the technique of built-up
and laminated construction, but the introduction of new uses and new
methods of manufacture. Investigation of these and related problems
will go far toward enabling us to eliminate present wastes and to make
the most of our wood supply.

PATHOLOGY.

The work of this section is conducted by the Bureau of Plant Industry
of the Department of Agriculture. General studies of the durability and
decay of wood are carried on.

DURABILITY OF UNTREATED WOOD.

The relative durability of different woods and the effects of moisture
and wood-destroying fungi upon the life of the wood have been studied
for many kinds of American woods. Data have been obtained upon the
least and most favorable temperatures for the growth of fungi and the
amount of heat required to stop their growth. An application of this
work is the control of so-called "dry rot" in buildings.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. 29

DECAY IN BUILDING TIMBER.

Extensive investigations to determine the prevalence of decay in
buildings throughout the United States have been made, and from in-
formation collected over a lo-year period recommendations have been
developed as to changes in architectural design, proper species for
different uses, and suitable antiseptic treatments.

SANITATION OF STORAGE YARDS.

Unsuspected losses by wood users resulting from improper storage of
wood aggregate several million dollars annually. Studies and recom-
mendations have been made on storage of general lumber stocks at
sawmills and retail yards, the storage of manufactured wood products,
such as vehicle parts, boxwoods, veneers, and staves, and also the storage
of pulp w^ood and pulp. Infection begun in the yard frequently is
passed on in the manufactured product to other wood with which the
infected material is used.

HOW TO USE THE LABORATORY.

INFORMATION FREE.

The Laboratory, being a public institution, makes its information
available to the public as rapidly as possible. This it does through
personal contact and through reports written during the progress of
investigation and upon their completion, so that all information of value
is published, either as bulletins or circulars by the Government, in
technical notes, by correspondence, or as special articles in trade journals
and technical and scientific papers.

Investigations are undertaken both independently and on a coopera-
tive basis, but all investigations must be of a research character that will
give information or results of value in attaining the general objects aimed
at by the Laboratory.

FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY.

Classes in boxing and crating at the laboratory make use of the i4-foot drum 'testing machine to
investigate the serviceability of shipping boxes. The manufacturers and shippers in the group
traveled an average of ?,ooo miles each to attend the one-week course

FOKKST PRODUCTS LABORATORY'. 31

COOPERATION.
•
As a general rule, no investigation conducted by the Laboratory is

regarded as complete until the results obtained experimentally have been
checked on a commercial scale and their industrial application deter-
mined. This is ordinarily accomplished through cooperation with in-
dividuals or companies that use wood and are commercially interested
in developing new or better processes or products.

FORMAL COOPERATION AT EXPENSE OF COMPANY.

In cases of formal cooperation, there should be a remuneration to the
Laboratory depending on the cost of the work done for the cooperator,
including the time and expense of the members of the Laboratory de-
tailed to the project, and its general supervision. When practically all
of the work proposed is investigative and the results of value chiefly to
the general public, the charge to the cooperator may be comparatively
low or eliminated altogether.

CONSULTATION ON SPECIAL PROBLEMS.

Anyone is at liberty to correspond with the Laboratory about particu-
lar problems dealing with the utilization of wood and will receive answers
based on whatever information is available on the subject. The staff
of the Laboratory is also available for consultation work, provided the
solution of the problem under consideration will further its general
research work, or has direct bearing upon it.

Personal visits to the Laboratory for consultation have proved very
satisfactory.

The Laboratory may, on request, examine the methods of individuals
or companies used in handling forest products and prepare plans for
improving such methods, provided that the purpose is primarily to
reduce waste and to obtain information of general value to the indus-
tries concerned.

COURSES OF INSTRUCTION.

Two short cooperative courses of instruction are given monthly at the
Laboratory — one in kiln-drying, the other in boxing and crating. These
courses are of particular value to superintendents, lumber and produc-
tion men, and foremen in wood-using plants. The instruction is under
the supervision of a staff of competent specialists and the enrollment is
limited to 16 men in each course, so that proper attention may be given
to individual problems. Priority of application governs admission to
the courses, and the classes are usually filled for two or three months
ahead.

Detailed information concerning any of the work of the Laboratory
will be gladly furnished. Inquiries should be addressed to the Director,
Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wis.

o

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