The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-05-19
SLACK cooPERAGE STOCK.
Official Report of Census Bureau Find
ings in 1911.

Washington, ID. c., May 10 Statistics
relating to the production of slack coop
erage stock for 1911 are presented in
a bulletin soon to be issued by Director
Durand of the bureau of the census, de.
partment of commerce. II was prepared
under the direction of w. NJ. Steuart,
chief statistican for manufactures.
The production of slack cooperage
stock reported in 1911 by l,ls2 mills
amounted TO S,90S,000 slaves, l08,.
407 900 sets of heading, and 3532l5 900
hoops, a. compared with AGO 1878 900
slaves, 97,037 900 sets of heading, and
295,7l2,O00 hoops reported by ,29s es.
Establishments in 1910. These figures rep.
resent a decrease Of Q per cent in pro.
duction of slaves and increases of OF
per cent. and 1914 per cent, respectively,
| in production of heading and of hoops.
/ Slack cooperage, includes the materials
essential to the manufacture of barrels
for all purposes other than for contain.
ers Of liquids. emitdght cooperage
stock used for making vessels required
for butter, lard, paste, paint, mince.
ment, etc, and also packages called
woodenware, such as candy and tobacco
pals. buckets, tubs, firkins, and churns,
are included in this report, together with
barrels generally considered slack coop
erage, containing such solid and powdery
substance as dried fish, leaf tobacco, ce.
ment. lime, powder, paints, hardware,
chemicals, -four meal, sugar crackers,
starch, resin salts, cranberries and veg
etables.
Since 1909, when the production of |
beech slaves first exceeded that of elm |
slaves there has been no change in the |
ranking of the four important stave
woods. Comparing 1911 with 1910, not |
only has the order of the leading woods |
remained the same, but the percentage /
each forms to the total remains fairly |
constant
For tight cooperage stock, woods Of
particular qualities are demanded; on
the other hand, the choice of slack bar
rel material is governed more by the
availability Of the timber than by the
special qualities of the wood. Elm is
the best stave wood and is preferred
above all others for -four barrels. The |,
1906 statistics showed that elm was
more largely used for slaves than any
other wood, but in 1911 it ranked fourth,
the per cent. of decrease as compared
with 1910 being greater than for any
other important wood. Pine slaves,
which showed the next greatest decrease, I
included not only the white pine used
in the north largely for semi-tight coop
erage, but also the yellow pine of the
south, which served for packages for .
tobacco, resin, truck produce, and hard
ware. II
The trade name hardwood slaves"
includes principally those made of beach, |
birch and maple. They are becoming .
more and more the active competitors f,
II elm slaves. Their most extensive use I
probably is for sugar barrels. Beech 5
IS not only the most conspicuous OF 4
hese, but for three years only two stave
xoods-red gum and pine-exeeled II \
n the amount used. In 1910 maple. :
which up to that time had been one of
he five important stave woods, took
sixth place, and went lower in 1911
when it fell to eighth.
Ash Is an important stave wood, be- L
ause it meets an exacting demand for 7
utter tubs, firkins, ehurns, etc. Coinei- :
lent with chestnut's rapid rise as \
lumber wood was its increase in i'm 6
'prIhHce as sIHNe HiAtfTlhl. bOth ltS a
bundance and its suitability contribut r,
d TO its usefulness; but the manufac- d
ure of. as well as the market for, chest
ut slaves has been localized in the mid
lie Atlantic states, principally Pennsyl-
ania and Virginia, where they are used =
lostly for cement and lime packages. r
led gum is prominently the leading
tave wood and has held first place in
reduction since 1907 Red gum slaves r
re shipped far and wide and are pat y
D a greater number of uses than those e.
lade from any other wood. In the -
outh this timber is practically the
My wood used for molasses and sugar
arrels.
There was an increase in the total =
of heading in 1911, as COM ci
AIRED with 1910. but certain kinds, beech, eli
m, maple and cottonwood, showed ~ ~
Iarked declines. while pine, oak and ash =
ade most substantial gains. In the
ew England states white pine and 81
,ruce were, in 1911, the leading woods; ?.
the southeastern states yellow pine. r.
second growth loblolly and J.,
lortleaf; in the Mississippi valley, red -
Inn, ash and oak; and in Lake states,
lsswood Rosewood heading is the ~ ~
ost valuable and is the wood desired Ca
,ove all Others for -four barrels Bass -
God showed an increase over the amount N,,
ported for 1910, of more than "a per -
mt.