Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1917-10-12

been working for six years. Engineer
Of little-known branch of government, the forest
products laboratory, situated at Madison. Wis,
Mr.. Hallauer and his associates hope to teach this
country how to save two billions of dollars an
nually.
He is confident that it can be done; that is, that
the annual cut of wood valued at two bill
lions, can be made into articles of use which at
present prices would bring double that amount.
It is man-sze job, but the confident engineer
points proudly to unbelievably vast economies al
ready effected in the wood trades through the
work of the forest products laboratorys chemists.
They are in such terms that it would be hard to
tabulate the exact savings but there is little
doubt that they run $1O0,00O0O0 year.
Few persons outside the wood trades know of
the laboratory the first of it's kind ever to be es
tabished, but which has been initiated in a NUM-
Der of countries since it began operation. Its
annual appropriation is small for the work it
does something less than S200,O00
The laboratory is looked upon to save the
paper situation Of the country, and it cheerfully
tackles the job. Only recently announcement was
made in Washington that the laboratory had dis
covered that good grades of paper can be made
from number of far Western woods and that
Wisconsin paper mills already ordering
trainloads of wood chips from the West for paper
pulp. The cost of freight to Wisconsin is more
than offset by the cheapness of the chips, and the
paper thus made is expected to prove consider
able factor in relieving the paper anime
A visitor who Naves Mr. Hallauer
y believe that there is anything which calSlot be
made from wood.
'How about the cabled story that the Germans
have discovered food they make from wood
which they are feeding to Russian prisonersw
was the first question asked
almost surely not true" he said. "The hui
man stomach cannot stand it. 1t is possible to
convert sawdust into cattle food, and that was
probably the foundation for the story
But Germany from her forests is obtaining such
great results that if, an English writer recently
suggested impractically, England were to destroy
Germany's forests, the war would surely end
very soon Artificial cotton is of the things
which are being supplied from wood. Paper shirts
are also being used, but then Japan is supplying
these to the Russian soldiers.
Germany has been driven to extreme use of her
forests by necessity, but country with the ex-
ception of Germany has made such systematic
effort at developing forest products as the United
States.
Charcoal for the manufacture of black gun
powders is being obtained from dogwood. willow
and alder. Great quantities of alcohol and ether
made from imported molasses but if we were
cut off from this material we could depend
upon the forests. Alcohol could also be made from
grain, but in times grain would be required
for food. 1t is estimated that during the present
year 100000 gallons Of denatured alcohol will
be used at home, while huge quantities are being
exported
The use of wood for gunstocks is generally IA
miliar Our supply of seasoned black walnut the
most suitable wood for the purpose, has been en-
tirely exhausted by the heavy demands of Europe.
Heretofore the practice has been to let gunstock
material air season for months before it would
be worked up Time became important that
artificial seasoning resorf ed to, but improper
methods destroyed too much of the material.
The forest products laboratory has per-
fected dry kilns which overcome the trouble, and
as further aid is perfecting methods of using
other woods, notably birch, for gun stock. Then
there is the relative of the gun stock, the
wooden leg making heavy demands for willow.
Millions of feet of lumber and heavy timbers are
required in war times for structural purposes,
such as the erection of docks bridges, trenches
and temporary shelters.
Disinfectants now a necessity. They can
be made from wood. Pure wood alcohol is the
only substance that be converted into for
maldehyde~ universally used for disnfection
against such contagious diseases smallpox,
scarlet fever diptheria and tuberculosis 1t is
also used to prevent crop diseases by disnfecting
the Seeds.
But the importance of forest products for
supplies in no way compares with their import
ance for industries. The largest OF these the
lumber pulp and paper, naval stores and dis
tillation industries. They employ more than