Williams news., 1914-08-20

creasing' to an alarming extent in all regions where pulp-producing trees grow The latest of these discoveries has been made in Uganda, Africa, and the Imperial institute of London de scribes in report on the subject a series of experiments made with this new material, which is known as ele- phant grass.
 The marshlands of tropical Africa are thickly covered with this grass. which grows to a height of from six to ten feet and has proved a source of trouble and expense to agriculturists, as it grows rapidly after the shoots above ground have been burned or cut down. A sample of dried mature ele- phant grass was sent recently from Uganda to the Imperial institute with the object of ascertaining its suitabili- ty for the manufacture of paper. '
 The consignment, which weighed TIT pounds when received and. 145 after. being air dried. is said to have yielded after treatment in the laboratories a pulp of good color composed of ul- timate fbers rather longer than those of esparto grass and about the same length as those of bamboo pulp. It fur nished.. "a fairly good. paper which the British experts expect to be able to Improve so as to make of this material a suitable and profitable substitute for wood pulp. :.
 But papermakers have learned. ever since wood pulp was first used in their plants. ito be, rather skeptical regard ing reported discoveries of substitute raw materials. The use of wood pulp flor the manufacture of paper is of comparative recent origin, as it's com mercial application as a raw material flor this purpose dates from about 1869 But long before the first cry of con servation was heard and the first pro- tests. made against the .d4yastation of Forests men had been engaged in the search for. a new raw material. An important American corporation has for years employed experts in. an ef- fort to discover a suitable method for making paper pulp of banana stalks.
 Gplorado came, to tie front some tilie ago with the announcement that pfron wood, which grows in abund- ance in that state, could be made to supply wood pulp, andT John Fitager- aid. supervisor of the National pike forest. was quoted as stating that the government was planning to erect mills for the manufacture of paper with this new material What became of pinon wood pulp? rs.Fi, .;,..'
 New Mexico soon followed with the report that bear grass, (which grows 1uxuriantly on the southwest prairies, and with less rain than any other plant, had been found to be suitable for r'the manufacture of paper, but that was the last heard about 1t and an- other revolution in the industry failed.
 The scarcity of pulp wood appears, however, to have been. greatly exag- gerated. The problem mayabs. solved, according to good authorities, without the discovery of substitute material by the preservation of forests in wood. producing states. This important ques- tion has aroused considerable interest in ithe United States during recent years and, decisive steps have been ta- ken by the government for the refor- estation of devastated areas and the protection of standing forests.
 It has been shown that to supply a miq having an output of 300 tons of newspaper a week 2,500 acres planted with spruce and hard woods would be sufficient to give the wood pulp nec- essary for one year. If the total for est areas was 100000 acres the timber