The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1916-02-10
MUCH TIMBER IS
WASTED ANNUALLY
FEDERAL DEPARTMENT FINDS
LOSSES EACH YEAR REACH
BILLION CUBIC FEET.

Waste in the logging industry in the
United States amounts to Is to copper
cent of The timber cut, or about bill
lion cubic feet of wood annually.
Sawlnilf waste also amounts to sew
eral billion cubit feet of wood, al
though not all of it is absolute waste.
A bulletin on the subject of lumber by
products just issued by the bureau of
Foreign and Domestic Commerce.
Depart ment of Commerce, makes the
claim that only $50 feet of lumber is
used for each 900 feet that stood in
the forest.
1t was the prodigious waste of
American forest resources that led
the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce TO plan a thorough study of
the methods of utilizing the waste
products of the lumber industry, here
in the United States and in those Eu-
ropean countries that have made the
most distinct progress in this line. In
the older and more thickly settled
countries of the old world necessity
led to a careful utilization of the for
ests many years before the subject
was seriously discussed in this coun-
try. And in these older countries
many methods have been worked out
that should be of value in this country
now that the old-time wasteful meth.
DDS have been brought into disrepute.
The plan was to have the American
industry profit as much as possible by
the hard earned experience OF the OLD
err countries.
Unfortunately the war upset the
plan completely, and there is no i'm
mediate prospect of making the pro
posed investigation. But as the bU
reau had already engaged Prof II. X.
Benson, a well-known authority on
the subject, it was decided to go ahead
and make study of the industry in
this country. The bulletin just issued
is the result of this study. 1t gives q
definite idea of how far the manufac-
ture of lumber by-products has been
developed in this country, how far il
may reasonably be expected to de-
velop in the future, and just what
some of the problems are that con
front the industry.
There is complete review of the
wood-distillation industries, the manu-
facture of the various kinds of wood
mlp used in the paper industry, the
production of ethyl alcohol from saw
dust, the manufacture of producer gas
and a number of other minor products.
The extent TO which these industries
are carried on is outlined, and in
cases where an industry is not pros
Dering discussion of the causes for
such a condition is given. Import and
export statistics are included when
available.
The annual production of wood pulp
N the United States is valued at over
$50 100000 Sulphate-pulp makers
are considerably interested in the pos
sible utilization of the sulphite waste !
liquor for the recovery of sulphur or !
other profitable utilization. This would
result in a lowering of the cost of sui /
phite pulp. The manufacture of kraft !;
pulp is also becoming well establish !
ed, and is bringing about the utiliza- !
ton OF cheaper wood.
The utilization of wood for the pro-
cesses described in this report is not |
extensive The manufacture OF alco- !
hol from sawdust has hardly passed
the experimental stage, although tech
nical men are optimistic as to the
ultimate success of the process. One
Of the most interesting possibilities
les in the use hydrolyZed sawdust as
I carbohydrate cattle food. The use
Of wood for producer gas deserves
more extended introduction in indus
rial plants. The. manufacture of plas-
les from wood is still enyeloped in
secrecy, and, like the manufacture OF
wood flour, has apparently been de-
-eloped to much greater extent in
European countries.