The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1890-01-31

Mississippi river. The CafoIInaS
and Virginias, as we'll as Michigan
and Wisconsin should now fail in
TO line, for forest products from all
the sections referred to, come in
competition with each other
through much of the markets east
of the Mississippi river, and north
of the Ohio r Yer, and besides this
California aud Washington are
selling lots OF their forest products
through the same markets.
THREE REASONS GIVEN.
The four corners of the ealth,
being thus brought together by
extraordinary transportation laCil-
tiles, there is necessarily much con-
fusion 10 the retail dealer, first, be-
cause of the long list Of names Of
different grades from all The differ.
ent manufacturing sections makes
it impossible for HE dealertO have
an accurate knowledge Of them all
so that he Cannot tell whether he
is being offered inducements ornot,
though in fact, such may verify be
the case. Second, buying indis-
criminately, regardless Of section,
causes the accumulation of odds
and ends" which must be kept sep.
arate 10 avoid trouble, and these
are very hard TO work off. Third,
because of difference of cutting The
strips and finishing the flooring.
Arkansas mills and many others
over in that section finish their
flooring three-lourlhs Of an inch
narrower than the rough strips
made 3, 4. 3 and six inches wide,
and IN making prices count width
OF green strap. Alabama, Missis-
sippi, Florida and Georgia general
~ take thrpe-tourths for making
the tongue, though, IN some cases
as little as fve-eighths, but me
cut their green strips 3, T., 5 and 6
inches, while others cut their green
strips q, 81, A and 81, finishing TO
the exact number Of inches in
width, and make price either face
measure, or count one-halt or
three-fourLhs for the tOngue-ia
fact most any way.
The Virginia and Carolinas use
half inch for tongue and uniformly
make prices on basis of one-haIf
inch loss for the tongue. SO il
goes for section after section and
there is so much overlapping and
intermingling that the lines of de-
narration dividing the markets Of
the different manufacturing sec
tions are almost OblIterated, and
we find the products mixed, mix
ed, mixed. Throughout many
markets the custom is always to
count face nleasure-ln fact the
consuming trade knows none 9th
er; throughout other sections the
custom is TO count one halfinch
for the tongue, while others count
three-fourihs, so that il is very evi-
dent the flooring necessary for a
gwen space varies according to
width, taking for a 16X16 room, 800,
800, 2SS or 2S2, according as 2, 3, 4
or 5 inch counted %, 81, Al or 81
is used or 81, 315, 301 or 293. ac-
cOrding as q, 81, At or 81 counted
3, 4, 8 or 5 inches is used. So much
variation in the finished flooring
and such diversity in counting, all
becoming thoroughly mixed in the
same markets - distance having
been TO a very remarkable extent
overcome by The railroads-is fast
rendering the fusion of the customs
Of all the manufacturers as much
of a necessity as that railroads be
of the same gauge, or that a barrel
Of flour, or a yard of cloth he the
same IN one portion of the United
States as il another. If the custom
In one section is TO cut green strips
B, 4, 5 and 6 inches and finish them
just a half, or just three fourihs OF
an inch narrower then such should
be the case in all sections doing a
shipping business. Steel guages
should al>o be adopted giving such
a thickness aud locating place and
dimensions of tongue and groove.
with such accuracy that stuff from
any mill would match stuff irom
any other mill. The rules OF SPEC
lhcaiions or The definition Of grades
should be verbatim in every case.
Under this state of affairs the
retail dealer could bay from any
manufacturer regardless Of section.
ana mix, IN storing, putting each
width with like width, without
having any trouble about mis-