The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-06-18
s..-or,,inki in Enrestrv
5Ir. Il. l.. McCormic!s Of Hayward
president of the Mississippi Valley

ness today whose dealings are oil a
sufficient extent to be subject TO in
auences beyond those of purely 10
cal demand and supply" said Mr..
Mccormick, REALIZES that the lum
Der industry is in many regions con
fronted by a growing scarcity OF
timber. Statistics point to it,
Estimates of timber resources still
remaining point to it also. But the
strongest proof lies in the condition
which already affect our industry.
st is just cause for colgratula-
Eion that so far as the actual harvest
ING of timber and its manufacture
in to lumber is concerned, American
lumberman are far ahead of those OF
any other country in enterprise,
ingenuity, and skill in methods and
machinery. But in spite of the
money saved in numbering by better
methods, we are obliged to charge
more and more for our lumber in
order to manufacture it at profit.
In every operation in the woods and
in the mill rigid economy is neces-
sary now instead Of the loose and
lavish methods under which it was
possible formerly to make numbering
profitable business. We have
gone so far already that it is proba-
bic we can not materially lower the
cost of manufacturing our product
in the future. Labor saving devices
can never in themselves prove an
adequate remedy. The trouble lies
not in the cost of manufacture, but
in the dwindling supplies of the tim
Der itself.
It is not necessary to turn to sta
tistics for proof that the supply Of
certain kinds Of valuable timber
trees of the United States is rapidly
failing, Of others is practically gone,
and Of still others has entirely wants
ei as a factor in the lumber market.
For example, ten years ago the use
Of balsam in the manufacture of
paper pulp was practically unknown.
The eastern hemlock is now valuable
for its tin Der as well as for it's bark.
A more modern instance is the grad
nal rise in impor lance, of the west
ern hemiock, until very recently al
together discredited rs a timber tree
although in fact OF great commercial
Importance The red fir of the
northwest and southern pines are
rapidly invading markets formerly
controlled altogether by the White
pine of the north central states,
Will species of peculiar value, such
as black walnut and black cherry,
have practically vanished from the
market in the grades which once
we're common. The southern pines
are being destroyed with rapidity
which finds it's parallel onlyln the
case Of northern white pine. 1t is
true that the list of commercial tim
bers lengthen from year to year.
Just as the baIsam is taking the
place OF the spruce, SO are sub
stitutes coming IL for other woods
which no longer exists in sufficient
quantity to supply the demand.
But neither can this prove suffici-
ent remedy. The supplies of the
substitutes will be exhausted in its
turn and the final situation will be
worse than that which confronts US
now. 1t is no longer a question of
methods, of manufacture, or Of sub
stitutes for exhausted supplies. The
time for us to look after the trees
themselves has in many cases al
ready arrived.
Statistics of the merchantable
timber still standing in this country
are difficult to make because the
forest area is vast and for large
portions of it we were without &C.
curate Knowledge. But in Mr..
Henry Gannett's reports upon lum-
Der In the Twelfth Census of the
United States, he has made good
nse oil the data at hand and presented
facts which are significant, based up
on information sufficient to sustain
them. l wish to call your attention
to a few OF these facts.
fThere is probably no forest IN the
world so immeEce, so accessible, SO
easy to lum ser, aud so regular in the
high quality of it's timber as was the
great piuery which occupied the
7 4 l.