The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-07

are best adapted for each purpose in
cooperage; and what are the amounts
OF wood consumed in the Industry.
preliminary study of slack-coop-
erage problems has already been COM
pleted for the North Central, Central,
and some Of the Eastern states. This
has served to suggest several lines of
special investigation which are to be
taken up in turn by the Service, and,
In addition, has brought out In some
detail the requirements which COOP
erage woods must fill.
For barrel slaves the best woods are
those which are pliable. strong, clear
OF imperfections, of light weight, and
preferably bright appearance. In the
best grades of barrels, such as flour
barrels, slaves combining all these re-
qufsites are demanded Elm is one of
the few woods now used which possess
them. Where foodstuffs liable to be
tainted with a forign flavor are pack
ed, as in the case of butter, none but
tasteless woods are suitable. These
requirements narrow the choice of
woods to such species as spruce and
white ash for butter tubs, and white
pine for brine and pickle packages.
Hoops for slack barrels are of three
kinds-"patent" hoops, made by cut
ting up sawed boards of elm; rocked"
hoops, made by splitting black ash;
and "halfround" hoops, made by divid-
Ing young saplings of such tenacious
woods as hickory, birch, or beech.
The fancy for split saplings, which
still prevails, is belived to be largely
due OF prejudice. The attempt to sub
stitute wire hoops for wooden ones on
slack barrels has been successful thus
far only as regards the i"bilge" or
central hoop; the end hoops need to be
OF wood in order to prtect the thin
ends of the slaves.
Barrel headings, as well as slaves
and hoops, have their peculiar require
ments. A good heading must be light,
must retain tight joint, must be
sound, smooth, without wrap, bright
looking, and thoroughly dry. Bass
wood is one of the species preferred
for this use.
Among the special problems which
confront slack-cooperage manufacture
is that of the best means of drying
the wood for each specific purpose.
Kiln drying, though widely used, has
not been entirely successful, and the
same Is true Of air drying and of pill
iuS ulelLOuS. Inc wrapping or wood
in drying, and, still more, mold, cause
much difficulty and stand in need of
exact investigation. Another problem
is the more accurate determination of
the pliahility and strength of different
woods. What is needed is not to
multiply the available woods for pro-
ducts of the inferior grades, since
these are not profitable, but rather
to discover new material for the better
ones, or, at least, if this be impossible,
to develop the use of the present lead
Ing woods to the point of the highest
efficiency and economy.
1t is the design of the Forest Service
to prepare publication dealing with
the conditions and problems of COOPER
age manufacture. This publication
will discuss the woods used for the
different branches of the industry In
the states visited and the properties
of wood required for the different
slack-cooperage products, and will
present statistics of the number of
slaves and hoops and sets of heading
turned out in 1905, by grades, species,
and states.