The diamond drill., 1917-11-10
THE FUEL VALUE or WOOD.

Persons who plan 10 reliye the coal
shortage this winter by burning wood
can figure. roughly speaking. that
two pounds OF seasoned wood have a
fuel value equal to one pound OF coal.
according 10 experts OF the forest ser
vice While different kinds OF wood
have different fuel values, the forest
ers says that In general the greater
the dry weight OF a non-resinous
wood, the more heat 1t will give out
when burned.
For such species as hickory, oak,
beech, birch, hard maple, ash, locust,
longleaf pine or cherry, which have
comparatively high fuel values. one
cord, weighing about 1000 pounds. is
required to equal one ton OF coal
II takes a cord and a half OF short d.
leaf pine, hemlock, red gum, Douglas
fir. sycamore, or soft maple, which
weighs about 5000 pounds to a cord.
to equal ton OF coal. while for cedar,
redwood, poplar. catalpa. Norway
pine, cypress, Eastwood, spruce, and
white pine, two cords. weighing about
1000 pounds each, are required.
Weight for weight, however. there
is very little difference between vari-
Gus species. Resin affords about
twice as much heat as wood. so that
resinous woods have a greater heat
value per pound than non-resinous
woods. and this increased value var
les. of course, with the resin content.
The available heat value OF cord
OF wood depends also on the amount
OF moisture present. When the wood
is green part OF the heat which il Is
capable OF yielding Is taken up in
evaporating the water. The greater
amount OF water In the wood the more
heat is lost
Furthermore. cords vary as to the
amount Of solid wood they contain,
even when they are of the standard di-
mension and occupy 12s cubic feet OF
space. A certain proportion OF this
space may be considerable in a cord
OF twisted, crooked. and knotty sticks
Out Of the l2S cubic feet a fair aver
age OF solid wood Is about so cubic
feet.
This, however. applies to the stand
ard cord, in which the sticks are cut
to four-foot lengths and piled four
feet high and feet long Instead OF
buying the four-foot lengths, however
most people nowadays have the sticks
cut into two-foot lengths by gaso-
line saw. This results in a saving OF
both time and labor The purchaser
should. however, take care to see
that he gets full measurement when
wood is bought this way. In parts
OF New England stack OF 16-inch
wood 4 feet high and s feet long IS
commonly sold as a run but con
tains only one-third OF a cord.
Where wood is to be burned in a
stove or furnace intended for coal, II
will be found desirable. the forester.
say to cover the CRATE partly witt
sheet iron or hre-brlck, in order I,
reduce the draught II this is nol
done the wood Is wasted by being con
sumed too fast, ana makes very no
fire which in a furnace may damag,
the frebox
II Is pointed out, howeve that hea
value IS not the only test Of useful
ness in fuel wood and since 95 pc
cent OF all wood used for fuel Is con
sumed for domestic purposes. largel,
in farmo houses. such factors as rap
idty OF burning and ease OF lightinl
are important
Each section OF the country has fav
ored woods and these are said TO b,
IN general the right ones 10 use
Hickory OF the non-resnous wood.
has the highest fuel value por uni
volume of wood, and has other adyar
teges. II burns evenly and as hons
wives say holds the heat Tho oak
) como next followed hy becch hirc.
ana maple THO White pincs hayo
relatively ioW heat value pof uuit vo
. June hui haVo otHor advantages THE
. ! ignite roadIly and give out q Quick hi
( fame. but one that soon dies dowl