Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-15
representatives and who heretofore
have found 1t difficult to know where
to begin their search.
TO STOP DECEPTION IN WOOD
Bureau of Identification Established by
the Government.

1t is doubtful if any Of the labora
tories maintained by the government
for scientific research are more unique
in character and yet bear promise of
more important results than one which
has recently been established in Wash
ington by the United States forest serv-
ice for investigating the structure of
commercially important woods, says a
bulletin of the forest service. Laymen
will not understand the significance of
the proposed Investigations carried on
in this laboratory so quickly as archi-
tects, builders and other wood users
who in these days of growing scarcity
of the more valuable woods are seri-
ously perpleXed in identifying substi-
tutes. Mistakes of this kind in identi-
fication have in several instances meant
the loss of thousands of dollars and
many embarrassing lawsuits.
Nearly any user of lumber can recog-
nize and name offhand all the usual
trees of the forest when he sees them
growing. and not much difficulty is
encountered in identifying the com
| mon kind of lumber in a mill yard, be-
cause he knows the few trees from
which the yard lumber comes. But
common kinds are growing scarce, and
woods not often cut heretofore are APP
| pearing in the markets. The most eX
perienced men are sometimes puzzled
| when they try to Identify them, and
persons with less experience have still
more trouble. Is a certain wood gum
or elm? Is another cucumber, linn or
4 Te. CIT 10 rod
maple? Doubts may arise whether a
| piece is hemlock or spruce or whether
| it is lodgepole pine or fir or whether Il
| single is cypress or cedar. A dealer
may buy red oak and suspect that he
| is getting something else. There are
| thirty or more important species of
oak. The best lumber dealer might not
know which is which in the lumber
| pile. or if he knows he might not know
how to prove it.
| Many of these woods look alike, even
to the trained eye of the mill man or
the builder, and yet they are widely
different in value for certain purposes,
and it is of the greatest Importance to
be able to distinguish them quickly
and certainly. Again, a new wood
may come to a mans notice for the
| first time, and it may be necessary for
him to decide what it is and what it is
| worth.
The government has been helping in
| dividual lumber users for some time,
but the facilities have not been near
so complete as they are now. 1t is to
meet such needs and answer such
questions that the forest service has es-
tablished the laboratory and placed II
In charge of a trained dendrolOgist
Architects, lumbermen. manufacturers
and makers of woodward are already
sending in samples of wood for iden.
tification and asking if there are not
some structural characters by means
of which such woods may be con.
veniently separated for reGt tive species
having greater or less value for some
specific purpose.
The laboratory will investigate in a
practical way. The structure of the
woods, sections lengthwise and cross
! wise, will be studied so as to separate
by structure alone the various species
of a genus. Analytical keys to the
trees of eacly>group will be worked
out. These will be based on the ar
rangement and character of the pores
discernible to the naked eye or by q
hand lens. The results will be pub
lished from time to time. with good il
Illustrations, and placed at the dispose
of lumber users.