Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-08-09
NAMES HARDWOOD.
GROWING DEMAND FOR 1T IN
THE LUMBER MARKETS.
WHITE BIRCH LEADS OWING LARGELY
TO IRIS USE IN SPOOL BARs--UsEs
OF OTHER WOODS.

The growing demand for hard woods is
regarded with satisfaction here in Maine,
for this State is rich in many species,
chiefly in the birches-red, white and
yellow, not tomention gray birch, which
is considered to be worthless except for
firewood. Formerly tire stPine Tree State"
Maine is nowadays looked upon by con-
sumers of timber simply as a prolific
source of spruce, little consideration
being given to the hardwoods which are
so abundant here, but which never appear
in the logging statistics for the reason
that the logs, being heavy and liable to
sink, are not included in the drives,
while the operations of cutting and
manufacture are seated over wide
range of territory, and are conducted by
great number of individuals.
OF white birch, the most important of
all Names hard woods, not less than
35, 600, 600 feet, Tor at the rate of two cords
to the thousand feet) 10000 cords, is cut
every season, and this, at the average price
at "a cord at the mill, represents pro-
duct of S2sO,O0o. White birch is largely
used in the manufacture of what are
termed 'swood novelties druggists and
confectioners' boxes, clothespins, kitchen
ware, toys, shoe pegs, etc, but the bulk of
the timber is sawed into spool bars, the
annual production of about thirty mills
being IL, 000, 900 feet, of which one-half is
exported to the United Kingdom, the
other half turned into spools in mills
located in or near the forests.
The price of white birch stumpage varies
from 81 to $3.50 cord. Spool bars for
export are valued at S16 to S1S per thou
sand feet, the annual shipments amount
ing to about S125,00O, while the annual
output of the Maine spool mills SOC, ZOO, 900
spools is valued at nearly 81 100000
The spool making industry has -four
ished in Maine for more than thirty years.
The factories are located chiefly in Pts
cataquis, Franklin and Oxford counties.
The process of manufacture is very rapid,
spools dropping from the lathes at the rate
of one in a second. The market for spools
10 IA Ae1A1SS AoioAAt SOi'AASSsiNAe5 A'S"
Jersey and New York, while the spool bars
exported go to Glasgow, Greenock, Fleet
wood and Hull, where are located the
great thread mills of J. & P. Coates.
Exports are made by steamer, chiefly from
Bangor. This season Bangor viii ship five
cargoes, two of which have already been
sent forward, the total for the five steam
|
| steamer will load at Portland.
| The novelty mills of Maine are located
chiefly in Franklin and Oxford counties,
| being about twenty in number, employing
| 1000 hands and turning out product
valued in aggregate at 81 100000 annually.
Red birch is used to some extent in the
manufacture of furniture, and yellow
| birch is just now attracting the attention
of carriage builders, large concern, A.
| Kaul, jr,, & Co., of St. Mary's, Pa, having
recently purchased a mill site near Hen
| derson, on the line of the Canadian Pacific
railway, where they will erect plant for
| the manufacture of wheel hubs. This
concern was obliged to leave Pennsylvania
on account of the scarcity there of yellow
| birch.
| In Piscataquis county, where they are to
establish their new plant, there is a vast
| growth of this timber, and they have con-
tracted with Bangor men who own the
land for 100000 feet annually for five
years. Up to this time yellow birch has
been almost drug on the market in
Piscataquis county.
Beech and maple, with small proper
ton of yellow birch, are used in the
| manufacture of fruit box shocks for about
| 100000 boxes annually, most of which
are shipped from Bangor by the I. j.
Stewart Co. Competition is sharp in the
Italian markets, and only the superior
quality of their product enables the
Maine manufacturers to successfully COM
pete with the Austrians, who have the
double advantage of cheap labor and
nearness to the markets.
About 100000 feet of rock maple is
used annually in the manufacture of last
blocks in northern Maine, and there are
several plants for manufacture of veneers
| from various hardwoods.
The white birch growth of Maine ex-
tends, generally speaking, in broad belt
across the State, following the high lands
| of Oxford, Franklin, Piscataquis and Pc
nobscot counties, and spreading away
over northern Washington and southern
Aroostook counties. No estimate has ever
been made of the quantity of this timber
standing, but the present stand and future
growth will doubtless be sufficient to keeI
fully supplied for many years all the mills
now in operation and all that are likely tc
be established.
White birch growth generally follows q
fire among the spruce. 1t is estimated
that white birch requires fifty years to
attain the size suitable for saving into
spool bars. After that age, red heart
develops, which is sign of decay The
| Perkins & Danforth Co., of Bangor
have recently been cutting birch that
is estimated to be no years old, the
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