Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1908-06-10


mary report of the consumption OF
pulpwood and the amount of pun
manufactured last year has lust
been issued by. the bureau of the
census. The advance statement is
made from the statistics collected BY
the census, bureau in cooperation
with the United States Forest Ser
vice. ,-
Many OF the figures bring out in
teresting facts which show the rapid
growth of the paper making and all
lied industries during the last dec
ade. Nearly four million cords OF
wood In exact numbers, S,s62, $50
cords. were used In the United States
In the manufacture OF paper pulp
last year, just twice as much as was
used in 1899, the first year for
which detailed figures we're avail
able. More than two and one-half
million tons of pulp were produced
The pulp mills used 100000 more
cords of wood in 1907 than in the
previous year.
The amount of spruce used was ss
per cent of the total consumption of
pulp wood, or 100000 cords. The
increased price OF spruce has turned
1.-THE attention OF paper manufacturers
to a number OF other woods. hem.
lock ranking next, with $4,000
cords, or Ia per cent OF the total
consumption. More than Q per cent
was poplar, and the remainder con-
sisted Of relatively small amounts of
pine, cottonwood, balsam and other
woods.
There was a marked increase last
year In the importation of spruce,
which has always been the most pop.
ular wood for pulp. For a number
OF years pulp manufacturers OF this
country have been heavily importing
spruce from Canada, since the avail
able supply OF this wood in the north
central and New England states.
where most OF the pulp mills are
located, Is not equal TO the demand
Figures show that the amount Of
this valuable pulpwood brought into
this country was more than two and
one-half times as great in 1907 as
in 1899. In 1907 the lmportations
were larger than ever before, being
25 per cent greater than in 1906.
The spruce imports last year
amounted more than one-thlrd OF the
consumption of spruce pulpwood.
Only a slightly greater amount of
domestic spruce was used than in
1906.
Large quantities OF hemlock were !,
used by the Wisconsin pulp mills.
and the report shows that the Beav-
er state now ranks third in pulp pro-
duction, New York and Maine being
first and second. respectively. Pop
lar has been used for a long time
In the manufacture OF high grade
paper. but the supply OF this wood is
limited and the consumption OF II
has not increased rapidly.
Wood pulp is usually made by
either one OF two general processes.
or chemical In the me-
chanical process the wood, after be-
ing cut into suitable sizes and bark
ed, Is held against revolving grind
stones In a stream of water and thus
reduced 10 pulp. In the chemical
process the barked wood Is reduced
TO chips and cooked in large digest
srs with chemicals which destroy the
material OF the fibers and
cave practically pure cellulose. This
S then washed and screened TO rend-
,r Il suitable for paper making. The I
ordinarily used are bi-
ulphite OF lime or caustic soda A q
title over half of the pulp manu- G
actured last year was made by the
ulphite process. and about one g
bird by the mechanical process. the
emainder being produced by the Z
oda process. Much OF the mechan- r
ral pulp, or ground wood as II is a
ommonly called. is used In the max r
lg OF newspaper. II Is never used b
lone in making white paper but al
avs mixed with some sulphite fiber p
, give the paper strength. A cord n
I wood ordinarily Yields about one h
IN of mechanical pulp or about one II
alf ton of chemical pulp. II