Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-05-11
A CORD OF WOOD rs
A VARIABLE QUANTITY

When is a cord not a cord?
To the farmer harvesting his small
| woodlot to the man laying in logs for
| the large fireplace of his country OF
seaside home: to the paper manufac-
turer buying pulpwood and TO the pro
prletor of the ordinary city woodward,
to all these men this question has an
important dollar and-cents meaning.
Queer to say. and contrary to the
belief of most people there are many
times when a cord is less than cord.
and many conditions when IL is more.
School arl,Amatic says that cord oil
wood is 12S cubic feet, or the con-
tents of a pile eight feet long, four
feet high and four feet wide. Wood
is marketed on this basis. A pile
whose length, breadth, and height
multiplied together gives this number
of cubic feet fills this requirement,
no matter whether the sticks are long
or short. straight or crooked. round or
split. unless there is an understand
ing TO the contrary. Nevertheless.
cord. though it comes up to Legal
measurements, is an uncertain guam
titv even when the seller is honest
and the buyer satisfied.
A lumberman may have tract OF
rhlipwood which he sells 10 paper
mill at IS a cord, for as many cords
as il will make. 1t is In the contract
that he shall cut and stack it. He
cuts il in 12-foot lengths. and when
the Job is complete, II measures 200
cords. and he receives $1,000 for H.
Would DE have made or lost by outt-
ting 4-foot lengths instead of IL?
He would have lost in the first place
from the additional labor required TO
cut 4-foot wood, but his principal loss
would have resulted from n greatly
diminished number OF cubic feet, due
to the fact that short sticks lie closer
together than large.
Measurements and detrimental
tests have been made to ascertain
exactly how much wood is in cords OF
different lengths. sizes, shapes, ana
species.
Had the 200 cords OF 12-oot WOOD
been cut in 4-foot lengths. there would
have been only 17G cords, and the
owner would have received for 1t $500
instead OF $1,000. II was, therefore
clearly to his advantage to cut 12-foot
lengths. but il would have been TO
the itlyer's advantage 10 have II
cut to 4-foot lengths He would
have received the same actual guam
tity of wood for 1920 less.
II also makes considerable differenc
to the seller whether wood is chopped
been cut in 4-foot lengths, there wiuld
lost. Where the logs are large this
loss amounts to no small total. In
a cord of 4-foot wood. with sticks
inches in diameter. the chips loss
is from six to eight per cent; and oil
course. the shorter the sticks are cut
the greater the loss. IL the wood is
sawed the sawdust loss Is scarcely
the half of one per cent.
The difference due to spaces be-
tween the sticks of course depends
very much on the shape and size OF
the sticks. Straight. smooth sticks
lie close together and q cord con
tains more wood and less air. For
given lengths. sticks of softwoods are
usuaIiv straiehter and smother, and
, when stacked lie closer together. But
whatever the kind. cords OF long
sticks are pretty sure to contain more
empty space than cords made OF short
pieces. Likewise. cords of split wool
contain less than cords OF round
sticks. The finer the wood Is split.
the more IL makes. Hence WOOD
dealers are often willing to sell kind
linss all sawed and split, for the
same price per cord as unspit wood
f, They get back the cost OF labor IN the
increased bulk.
A cord n2s cubic feet) OF 4-fooi
hardwood usually contains about So
cubic feet of solid wood; a cord OF 3
! foo; wood averages SO 1-2 cuoic feet;
of 2-foot wood. 81 feet. and OF 1-foot
wood IS feet he conifers. soft
I woods contain 80 to e6 cubic feet.
Thus the purchaser receives on an
I average about two-thirds OF cord oil
real wood and one-third Of cord oil
! spaces.
Tn some countries wood Is bough,
, bv weight. and the buyer comes more
I nearly getting what be bargains Tor;
/, but even then he may miss II n ne
receives green wood when be watns
drv. According to timber testing en-
Rineers Of United states Forest Ser
vice wood may lose half OF more iis
, green weight in seansoning. Cedar
for lead pencils is bought by the
weight in this country. The piece:
are so small and Of such irreguisl
size they can not conveniently b.
stacked together and measured al
cordvOod-
smsshes All Records.