Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-06-24
VARIES IN QUAN T|TY.
A Cord of Wood Is a Rather Un-
certain Proposition.
ODD FACTS ABOUT ITS BULK.
There Are Many Different Conditions
That Affect the Measurement Of the
PiIe-The Interesting Result Of an
Experimental Test.

To the farmer harvesting his slnan
wood lot and to the man laying III iogi
for the large fireplace Of his country
or seaside home, to the papef manu.
facturer buying pulp wood and to the
proprietor Of the ordinary city wood
yard, to all OF these men this question
has an important financial meaning.
Queer to say and contrary to the be-
lief of most people. there are many
times when a cord Is less than cord
and many conditions when it Is more.
School arithmetics say that cord OF
wood Is l2S cubic feet. or the con-
tents OF a pile eight feet long. four feet
high and four feet wide. Wood Is mar
keted 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. un-
less there is an understanding to the
contrary. Nevertheless. cord. though
it comes up to legal measurements. Is
pn uncertain quantity, even when the
seller is honest and the buyer salts
fed.
A lumherman may have tract OF
pulp wood which he sells to a paper
mill at IS a cord for as many cords as
It will make. 1t Is in the contract that
he shall cut and stack 1t. He cuts 1t In
twelve foot lengths, and when the job
is complete 1t measures 200 cords, and
he receives $1,000 for 1t. Would he
have made or lost by cutting four foot
lengths instead Of twelve!
He would have lost in the first place
from the additional labor required to
cut four foot wood. but his principal
loss would have resulted from great
ly diminished number of cubic feet
due to the fact that short sticks lie
closer together than large.
Measurements and experimental tests
have been made to ascertain exactly
how much actual wood Is In cords or
different lengths, sizes, shapes and
species.
Had the 200 cords of twelve foot
wood been cut in four foot lengths
there would have been only 176 CORDS.
and the owner would have received
for It $3.50 instead of $1,000. 1t was,
therefore, clearly to his advantage to
cut twelve foot lengths, but 1t would
have been to the buyers advantage 10
have 1t cut in four foot lengths. He
would have received the same actual
quantity Of wood for $120 less.
1t also makes considerable differ
ence to the seller whether wood Is
chopped or sawed. If chopped, the
chips are lost. Where the logs are
large this loss amounts to no small
total In n cord of four foot wood,
with sticks six inches in diameter, the
chip loss is from 6 to 8 per cent, and,
of course, the shorter the sticks are
cut the greater the loss. II the wood
is sawed the sawdust loss Is scafceiy
the half Of per cent.
The difference due to spaces between
the sticks, of course, depends very
much on the shape and size or the
sticks. Straight, smooth sticks lie
close together, and cord contains
more wood and less air. For given
lengths sticks Of soft woods are usual
ly straighter and smoother and when
stacked lie closer together. But what
ever the kind cords Of long sticks are
pretty sure to contain more empty
space than cords made Of short pieces.
Likewise cords of split wood contain
less than cords Of round sticks. Inc
finer the wood is split the more 1t
makes: hence wood dealers are often
willing to sell kindlings, all sawed ana
split, for the same price per cord as
unsplit wood. They get back the cost
of labor in the increased bulk.
A cord 02S cubic feet Of four foot
hardwood usually contains about
eighty-three cubic feet Of solid WOOD,
cord of three foot wood averages
eightv-three and one-half feet. or two
foot wood eighty-four feet and OF one
foot wood eighty-fve feet. The conf
fers. soft woods, contain ninety u
ninety-six cubic feet Thus the pur'
chaser receives on an average abou'
two-thirds of cord Of real wood and
one-third Of cord Of spaces.
In some countries wood is bought by
weight, and the buyer comes more
nearly getting what he bargains Tor
but even then he may miss 1t II he re
ceives green wood when he wants dry
| According to timber testing engineers
| Of the United States forest service
wood may lose half or more Its green
weight in seasoning. Cedar for leao
pencils is bought by weight In this
country. The pieces are 80 small and
of such irregular size that they cannon
conveniently be stacked and measured
as cordwood.
The bulk Of nearly all woods dc
creases as seasoning goes on. nun
dred cords green Will make IRON
ciphty-nipe to ninety three cords wheI
dry. This is a factor of no small I'm
portance to dealers who handle larg'
quantities.
Wood lot owners and farmers wh'
have small forest tracts from whlcl
they expect to sell cord wood nre n
less interested than contractors VIII
buy and sell large quantities. 1t vii
stand them IN hand to know nov
much difference It makes whethe
wood Is cut long or short, chopped
sawed, whether the sticks are roun'
or srlit. whether large or small an
whether the measurements are to D
made while the wood is green or afte
|