The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-11-26

what wash ngton Throws Aw Would
Make Europe eh.

what Wash ugton Throws Aw Would
Make Europe eh.
New YorS Evening Pos.
A fact generally overlooked by those
interested in the preservation of our forests
and woodlands is that many of the minor
products of our trees equal in value that OF
the lumber and timber. and that in the
aggregate they make as grest demand
upon the forests as the recognized needs of
the lumber merchant Until compara-
lively recently many OF those by-products
were not utilized, but were allowed to go
TO waste after the timber ard lumber were
secured. The real wealth of the woods is
just beginning TO be realized. and as the
country becomes more thicklv settled and
timber more valuable many other new
forest products that are not now utilized
at all will be converted into money.
No country has been SO prodigaI as the
g nited States in the use of wood for fuel,
and this has probably been the heaviest
drain upon the woods in the past. In
European countries the firewood consists
chiefly of inferior material, such as brush
and small faggots. but here We often use
the best. In nearly nine-tenths of the
rural districts the farming classes use wood
almost entirely for fuel, taking only the
largest limbs, and very often the trunks of
the trees. Such waste would not be toll
Grated for an instant in most of the old
countries. and the inhabitants would look
upon IL in almost the same light as a New
York farmer would if his nsighbor should
use good hay and straw for cooking his
breakfast. Even some of our factories,
steamboats, and railroads use valuable
wood as fuel, which greatly increases the
consumption. While this wasteiul use of
wood is going on in sections of the coun-
try, considerable quantities of firewood are
being imported, amounting in all to nearly
$4,000 worth 8 year. We also import
over 500, 600 worth OF wood ashes for gen.
eral use. after wastefuily burning our fire.
wood and throwing the ashes away with
other garbage.
Another great drain upon our forests Is
the manufacture OF the so-cailed naval
stores" which include all of the resinous
products of the coniierous trees. The
Southern states furnish most of these pro-
ducts, and they practically have monop-
oily OF the whole business. Small quantities
OF naval stores are produced in Russia,
France, Austria, Portugal. Ceyion and
Gaiicia. but they are very insignificant
compared with the annual output of the
United States. These naval stores are not
in as much demand since the age of iron
and steel bodybuilding has been ushered
in, and this may be looked upon as for
tunate considering the rapid decrease in
the supplies, But the turpentine, pitch.
brewers pitch, tar and oil of tar are all
used more or less in the arts, medicines
and as insecticides. The demand for these
products will consequently be pretty we'll
sustained. even though our business of
building wooden vessels becomes a lost art.
The manufacture of tan bark is one of
the most important industries connected
with the utilization OF the forest products,
ntRA IS . l. nfl
demanded. In addition to our own sup
ply We import nearly S250000 worth in the
shape OF hemlock from Canada. Ia the
pitch regions OF our country new indus
try is springing up which promises to in
crease vastly in the future. 1t is the
simple utilization of the enormous fields
of fat pine logs aud stumps from which all
resinous matter has been extracted. These
have in many cases in the past been al
lowed TO decay where they happen to fall
This ''lightw ood." or fat pine, as it is
called, is cut up into small bundles and
retailed as trewood in most of our East
ern cities. A machine is invented for
shaving up the logs and stumps into ap-
propriate lengths. The pieces are ,hen
tied up in small bundles and sent To the
cities by ships. 1t is said that at the rate
of 10 cents bundle the old stumps will
yield nearly as much profit as the trees
sold for as timber or other uses.
paper pulp, from which is manufactured
most of our paper supplied 10 periodicals,
is we'll known, and represents an industry
that will be limited only by the supply of
wood. Already great inroads have been
made upon the spruce forests, so that
without systematic cultivation of them the
raw material for this cheap paper will soon
give out. In Germany, where the wood
pulp is also made in large quantities. the
forester's art is understood better than in
this country, and the cultivation of spruce
forests is carried on so carefully that the
supply is always kept equal 10 the demand.
Instead of destroying the spruce forests
there they simply thin them out, taking
only the large. matured trees, W lille the
young saplings are allowed 10 remain for
future use.
The hard woods yield many by-products
as we'll O. the soft kinds and especially in
producing the charcoal for our iron fur
naces. We also make quantities of cedar
oil, wood alcohol, or pyrolieenous acid,
and oil of sassatras. In the manufacture
of paints, soaps, varnishes, medicines,
perfumes and dsinieciants. all OF these
products of the hard woods are in demand.
The forests of hard woods are more limited
IN extent in this country than the soft
woods, but they rect with sufficient injury
10 threaten them with entire extinction.
There are cons derabie quantities OF wood
used for the manufacture OF hoops bar
refs. tubs and pals. and only the hard
species of trees are available for this work
curious fact is that most of the poles
used by hop growers - support their vines
are imported from Canada, or at least by
those growers living along the great lakes
Many poles are used for the VINEYARDS
but these so far have been gathered on
home territory.
There are several other minor by-pro-
ducts that are used. but they represent no
great value vet. although their future has
not been determined. In the az
gregate all these ky-products of the forests
are OF greater value than the lumber and
raber annually cut.
Families supplied with bread, cakes and