The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1908-01-30
Government Forest laboratory,

research are more unique In charac
ter, and yet bear promise OF more
Important results, th,n one which
has just been established in Washing
ton by the United States Forest
Service Tor investigating the struc-
ture OF commercially important
woods.
Lsymen will not understand the
Significance OF the proposed investl-
cations carried on In this laboratory
so quickly as architects, builders and
other wood users, who In these days
OF growing scarcity Of the more val
liable woods are seriously perplexed
In Identifying substitutes. Mistakes
OF this kind in Identification have, In
the last few years, In several instan.
ces, meant the loss OF thousands OF
dollars, and many embarrassing law
: suits.
Nearly any user Of lumber can
recognize, and name oif-handed, all
e the usual trees OF the forest when he
, sees them growing, and not much
difficulty is encountered In Identity
ing the common kind Of lumber In Il
mill yard because he knows the few
A trees from which the yard lumber
{ comes. But common kinds are grow.
: Ing scarce, ard woods not oisen cut
9 heretofore, are appearing in the
p markets. The most experienced men
= are sometimes puzzled when they try
: to identify them, and persons with
9 less experience have still more
d trouble. Is a certain wood gum or
Q elm? Is another cucumber, linn, or
t popular? Isa stick sugar maple OF
II red maple? Doubts may arise wheth
er a piece Is hemlock or spruce, OF
e whether It is lodgepole pine or tir, ol
It whether a shingle ia cypress OF cedar
le A dealer may buy red oak and sus
le pect that he Is gettlng something
n, else There ure thirty or more I'm
oi portant species o' oak, The bes
In lumbnr dealer might not know whicl
- is which in the lumber pile, or II h
ne knows, he might net know how t,
@ prove IT.
es Many OF these woods look alike
II. even to the trained eye Of the mil
'e man or the builder, and yet they ar
Iis widely different In value for certai
IN purposes, and it is OF the creates
ur Importance to be able 80 distinguts
" them quickly and certainly. Again
in. u new wood may come 50 "a man
Is notice for the first time, and 1t mo
If be necessary for him to decide wht
", it is and what it is worth,
yer The government has been helph
ole individual lumber users Tor son
riff time, but the facilities have not bet
ec. hear so complete as they are no
'he 1t Is TO meet such needs and answ
or such questions, th0t tie Forest Sc
lu- vice has established the laborator
lee and placed 1t In charge Of a train
OK dendrologlst. Architects, lumbt
3st men. manufacturers and makers
ssi- woodware are already sending
eat samples OF wood -ior idGntiticatio
on and asking II there are not Sol
to structural characters by means
ur- which such woods may beconvenier
rs!- ly separated for relative species ha
rer ing greater or less value for Sol
specific purpose.
TO The laboratory will investigate
Ing practical way. The structure
the the woods, sections lengthwise a
lite crosswise, will be studied 80 as
IL separate by structure alone the va
riff GUS species OF genus. Analytt
lily. keys to the trees OF each group '
ert be worked out. These will be bss
WIS., on the arrangement and charac
OF the pores discernlble to the nsl
md eye, or by hand lens.
on The results will be published irC
liz. time to time with good Illustrate
re- and placed at the disposal of iuml
,m- users. After all the heimportant gror
can OF wood, such as oaks, pines and f
the have been studied and the resu
v published separately, the seve
de- monographs will be collected a
hat published In one volume.
Ind A work OF this character has 10
to been In demand by architects, bui
an ers and other users OF lumber.
. 1, will, in most cases, enable eveI
non. technically trained man to det
mine quite readily the wood he de-
,Dp --lSh ~ ,,,oo-c of oo o,Ilnarr bo