The San Francisco call., 1910-07-11
WOOD pulp TESTS
TO AID CONSUMERS
Forest Service to Experiment
With Timber and Solve the
White Paper Problem
Appropriation Made by Con-
gress to Determine Best
Method of Manufacture

WASHINGTON. July 1O--wood pulp
and paper making experts in Uncle
Sans employ have begun prepara-
tions for what will be probably the
most thorough going investigation
ever made by this or any other country
looking toward a solution of the so
called white paper problem.
That congress wanted to get at the
bottom of things was shown when it
made two appropriations amounting to
$4,000 for wood pulp experiments. the
agricultural bill giving S14,0 600 and the
sundry civil bill an additional $4,000
This is more than four times as much
as ever has been allowed for similar
work, and all the money will be avail
able for use by the department of agri-
culture.
CONCENTRATION OF WORK
Secretary Wilson decided, before
leaving on his vacation, that the work
for his department would be done by
the forest service, instead of splitting
the Investigations up between several
bureaus, as has been the case hereto
fore. The experiments are to be prac-
tical in every detail, and for this rea-
son they will be carried on in large
part on a commercial scale. This fea-
ture is made possible largely through
the cooperation of the American Pa
per and Pulp association, which will
work with the government in getting
the results which are hoped for.
That part of the experiments which
it is not necessary to carry on in the
commercial plants win be conducted
in the new products laboratory of the
forest service, at Madison, Wis. Assist
ant Forester William L. Hall, in charge
of this branch of work, has returned
to Madison after trip to this city to
confer with other officials of the de-
partment concerning the investigation.
PROHIBITION By CANADA
Henry S. Graves, the chief forester,
is much interested in the plan for the
work, and thinks that the experiments
will give the government the best op-
portunities it has had to help solve
one of the most important problems
connected with the utilization of for
est products. 1t is likely that he will
make a number of trips to the Madi-
son laboratory and to the mills after
the work has begun. In speaking OF
the proposed work today, Graves said
THE demand for this extensive in
vestigation into the manufacture of
paper pulp from American woods other
than the fast dwindling spruce was
brought about partly out of the in
creased consumption of products by
the paper using industries and partly
because of the prohibition of the export
of pulp wood cut from crown lands by
several of the Canadian provinces.
CONSERVATION NECESSARY
ITO insure permanent supply of
paper pulp for the making of news,
wrapping, and other cheaper grades of
paper it seems certain that this coun-
try must depend principally upon the
conservation and economical utilization
of the forests within its borders.
1.-The method known as the ground
wood process, consisting of pressing
two foot stick of wood by hydraulic
pressure against a revolving grind
stone, is the cheapest process of pulp
manufacture and besides produces a
much larger quantity of pulp than the
chemical. processes. The Spruce is prac-
tically the only kind of wood used in
the ground wood process. The de-
mands upon the remaining spruce sup
ply are very great, and as the cheap
production of the lower grades of paper
depends largely upon the cheapness of
the processes, one of the most impor-
tant lines of work of the government
experts will be directed toward deter
mining how far the more abundant
and cheaper woods can be used to pro-
duce commercially a good grade of
ground wood"