The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-11-14
FIGURES CONCERNING
FOREST PRODUCTION

department OF agriculture. has for
some years collected statistics con-
eerning the annual production of va
rious forest products and the prelim-
mary figures on the production of
slack cooperage stock for the year
ending December 81. 1907. have just
been made public
Slack coOperage stock comprises
the three materials essential 10 the
manufacture OF slack barrel. name
Is. slaves. heading and hoops. and
with respect 10 aggregate value the
reported production OF these COM
mobiles in 1897 exceeded that Of
/ sos by Sl.569.6SS. or II per cent.
the increase being from $14230.565
10 S15.S00. 253 The statistics for
1907 We're collected from $50 mills.
while in 1906. 712 mills were coy
cred.
The major part OF the timber con-
sumed in the manufacture of slack
cooperaee stock goes into slaves, and
the reported production of these in
1907 was 4 1917 thousand pieces,
which was an increase over the ont
put in 1906 of 1924 thousand. or
- per cent the same percentage
gain in quantity as that shown by
the previous lumber cut of 1907 over
that OF the previous year. In point
of value the slack stave production
increased from $6.OS1,SS0 in 1906.
to $7.219,497 in 1897. gain of 81
1851. or ISL per cent. The re-
ported production of heading in 1917
was 106,074 Thousand sets. valued al
s.. 062. $50. as against % .555 thou
sand sets in 1906. with a value Of
s5.662.16S The decrease was there
fore 23.4S1 thousand sets, or Isl
per cent in quantity. and S599.27S,
or 1915 per cent in value. The re-
ported production of hoops increased
from 330.S92 thousand. valued al
s2.4S6,5l7. To 490. $40 thousand. val
ued at SS.517. sec. a gain in quanti-
~ of 159.64S thousand. or 4S.3 per
cent. and in value of 1.031,349. or
415 per cent \ much larger pro-
portion Of the annual heading pro-
duction is utilized in cooper shops in
repair work than is the case With
either slaves or hoops. and this fact
is indicated 10y the substantial excess
in the output of heading in both
AfalHs hr AfA4iiiAttA win tAtAA ~
slaves. Furthermore. the fact that
the three branches of the slack coop
erage industry are not coordinated-
the manufacture of slaves. heading.
and hoops. respectively. constituting
10 a large extent separate and indie
pendent industries-the totals OF pro-
duction OF the three commodities in
any year seldom harmonic. The
tendency. however. through a series
of years is toward an equalization. or
balancing in production. Assuming
II 10 be the number of stayes re-
quired for an average slack barrel
there was reported in 1906 staye ma
terial for So million barrels. while
for the same wear the heading pro-
duction was sufficient for 1870 mil
lion barrels and the hoops for APP
proximately - million barrels. In
1907 the reported stave production
was sufficient for the manufacture of
GO million barrels. the heading pro-
ductfon for 100 million barrels. and
the hoop production for approximate
" 81 million barrels. Combining the
totals OF prod uction of slaves. head
Ing and hoops. respectively. for the
two years practically eliminates the
seeming constituencies, due 10 con-
ditions peculiar to the industry. In
the totals for each year. and shows
stave and hoop material for substan-
TALLY the same number of barrels.
with an excess Of heading. large
part of which was consumed in re-
pairing used and damaged barrels.
In distinct contrast TO tight coop
I'm ha 20
quires oak timber for its raw mate
rial. slack cOoperage stock. pariicu-
larly slaves and heading, utiliZes in
greater or less degree practically eY-
cry timber of importance In the
country, and for this reason It's manu-
facture is far more widely distrib-
uted than Is the case with that of
tight cooperage stock. Twenty-one
species OF wood contributed to the
total slack stave production in 1907.
although aTly two-thirds of the out
put was man featured from the -four
species, red gum, pine. elm and beach
in the order named. The figures dis
close an interesting movement I'm the
industry in the substitution of less
expensive woods for those which for
many years have been drawn upon
post heavily for slack stave material.
but which, owing to growing scarcity
and advancing cost. are rapidly being
displaced. In 1906 elm slaves We're
ufactured in larger quantity than
those from any other wood. and con-
stituted nearly one-fourth of the total
production for that year. with pine
and red gum occupying second and
third places TeSnegtfyplV
In 1907 red gum slaves were man
ufactured in largest quantity. closely
followed by pine. while elm had drop
ped from first place to third. The
increase in the production of red gum
slaves was from 1882 thousand
pieces to 211 .064 thousand pieces. a
gain of GS, 2 thousand pieces. or
47.6 per cent. and that OF pine from
1S7,JSl thousand pieces to 205. SIS
thousand pieces, an increase of 1S,-
29i thousand pieces. or 9.S per cent.
while the production of elm slaves
TO 15S,440 thousand pieces. a loss of