South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-11-10
TWO POUNDS WOOD
ONE POUND Of COAL
Such is Comparative Fuel
Value According to U. S.
Experts in Forestry.

Persons who plan TO relieve the
coal shortage this winter by burn
ing wood can figure. roughly speak
ing. that two pounds of seasoned
wood have a fuel value equal 10 one
pound Of coal according to experts
OF the forest service. While differ
ent kinds Of wood have different
fuel values, the foresters say that
in general the greater the dry
weight Of a non-resinous wood. the
more heat il will give out when
burned.
For such species as hickory. oak.
beech birch, hard maple, ash. To-
Gust. lOngeaf pine or cherry. which
have comparatively high fuel values.
one cord, weighing about 1000
pounds, is required TO equal one ton
Of coal.
1t takes cord and half OF
shortleaf pine, hemlock. red gum.
Douglas fir, sycamore. or soft maple.
which weighs about 5000 pounds a
cord. 20 equal a 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
various species. Resin affords about
twice as much heat as wood, so
that resinOus woods have d greater
heat value per pound than non
resinous woods. and this increased
value varies, Of course. with the
resin content
The available heat value Of a
cord Of wood depends also on the
amount Of moisture present. When
the wood is green part Of the
I 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
! dimension and occupy 128 cubic feet
Of space. A certain proportion OF
this space is made up OF air spaces
between the sticks, and this air
] space may he considerable in .
cord of twisted, crooked, and knotty
sticks out Of the 1913 cubic feet
a fair average of solid wood il
about so cubic feet.
This. however. applies TO the
standard cord. in which the sticks
are cut 70 four-foot lengths and
piled four feet high and eight fee
/ long. Instead OF buying the four
foot lengths. however. most peopl,
I nova days have the sticks cut int
! two-foot lengths by a gasoline saw
I This results in saving OF both time
and labor. The purchaser should
/ however. take care to see that h
gets full measurement when Woo
is bought in this way. Tn parts Of
New England a stack OF 16-incf
wood four feet high and eight fee
long is commonly sold as a run,
but contains only one-third Of ;
cord.
Where wood is 10 be burned in z
stove or furnace intended for coal
il will be found desirable. the for
esters say, 10 cover the CRATE partl!
with sheet iron or fire brick. in order
10 reduce the draught. II this i!
not done the wood is wasted b.
being consumed too fast, and make!
a very not fire which in a furnace
may damage the fire box.
1t is pointed out, however. tina
heat value is not the only test o.
usefulness in fuel wood and since 9;
per cent OF all wood used for fue
is consumed for domestic purposes
largely in farm houses. such factor!
as rapidity OF burning and ease o.
lighting are important. Each sec
ton OF the country has its favored
woods and there are said TO he. il
general. the right ones 10 use. Hick
orv. OF the non-resinous woods has
the highest fuel value per uni
volume Of wood. and has other ad
vantages. II burns evenly. and. a.
housewives saw. holds the heat. Th'
oak comes next. followed by beech
! birch and maple The white pines
have a relatively low heat value pei
unit volume. but have other advan