East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-04-22
MANY USES FOR ORE
Con WHITE FIR

on the Pacific coast, especially in
Oregon and California, there Is an
immense amount of white fir (Abies
concolor) timber now going to waste
for lack of some commercially profit
able means of disposing of IT.. At
present it is very little used for lum-
Der, and since 1t is not cut to any eX-
tent its proportion in the forest tends
to increase at the expense of other
and more valuable trees.
Experiments conducted at the for
est service laboratory at Washington
show that this wood is admirably
adapted for the production of paper
pulp by the sulphite process. The
wood is found to yield very readily to
the action of the sulphite liquor used,
strength viz, about four per cent
total sulphur dioxide. one per cent
combined and three per cent availa-
BILE. The length of treatment was
varied in the different tests from eight
to 10 hours and the steam pressures
correspond to maximum temperatures
of 15S to 100 degrees C.
The pulp produced in these expert
ments is from nearly white to light
brown in color. according to the vari-
ations in the method of cooking, and
by selecting the proeer conditions Of
treatment it would be readily possible
to produce a grade of fiber which
could be used in many kinds Of paper
without the least bleaching. IT, how
ever, it is desired to employ the fiber
for white book or writing papers it
could be readily bleached to the good
white color
Results Of laboratory tests show
that the bleach required to bring the
fiber up to the usual color for
bleached sulphite spruce fiber Is from
Is to % per cent to the weight of un-
bleached fiber, that is, assuming the
bleaching powder to contain 35 per
cent available chlorine. Sulphite
spruce fiber now on the market re-
qulres from 175 to 500 pounds of 35
per cent bleach per ton Of product or
from to "a per cent of the unbleach-
ed fiber. II is seen, therefore, that
so far as bleaching is concerned, the
pulp made from white fir is just as
good as that made from spruce.
The yields obtained i'm these expert
ments ranged from 43 to 40 per cent
on the bone dry basis. This is exclu-
sive of screenings which in no case
exceed l IA per cent of the dry wood
used From careful observation of
the methods employed in determin-
ing the yields It seems probable that
these figures will be increased slight
~ when larger quantities OF wood are
matter of yield the fir wood is fully
equal to spruce.
The fiber from these cooks is in
most cases light colored and some
what lustrous and the sheets formed
rom it without any beating are re-
narkably tough and strong. Micro
copic examination and measurements
'how that the flbers are of very re-
length, being from one-half
% two-thirds as long again as the
commercial sulphite spruce fiber.
It Is believed from the results that !
70 far as the product Is concerned, the
OF fiber from white fir
would be commercial success and |
hat the fiber produced would find its
,reatest usefulness in the production |
# manilas, where great strength is re-
lured and in tissues which need very |
onP fibers. IT seems probable, also, |
hat It would make very good news
,aper, for which purpose its naturally |
light color would particularly adapt |