The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-07-10
BYPRODUCTS OF WAR
LONG LIST OF ARTICLES DEPEND
ENT UPON THE FOREST.
Powder for Munitions, Charcoal, Wood
Alcohol for Disinfectant, Artificial
Silt, Paper and Dye Few Of Many
Wonders Developed From Wood

U. S. Forest Service Bulletin: In ad.
dition to the ordinary uses of wood with
which we are familiar, we are depend.
ent upon the forest for variety of
products whose appearance does not in
dicate their origin. Science is constant
ly learning of new constituents which
enter into the makeup of wood and is
finding new uses to which these con-
stituents and those already known can
be put. Powder for munitions or blast
ing. disinfectants for protection against
contagious Diseases and artificial silk
for clothing are among the products OBJ.
tanned in whole or in part from wood.
Charcoal, as everyone knows, is es.
sential for the manufacture Of black
powder. The acetone used as a solvent
in making nitrocellulose powders is de-
rived from acetic acid, product of hard
wood distillation. Great Britain It Is
said. Is dependent upon the United
States for acetone used in making cor
dite Black walnut is q standard for
gunstocks, and has been so much in de-
mand for the last two years that our
supply OF this valuable wood has been
considerably reduced and other woods,
notably birch, are being substituted.
From Europe comes the complaint that
there is shortage Of willow for making
wooden legs.
Into Disinfectant.
Pure wood alcohol is the only sub
stance which can be converted CONNER
cially into formaldehyde, which is uni
versally used for disinfection against
such contagious diseases as smallpox,
scarlet fever and tuberculosis. The ex-
perts at the forest products laboratory
have conducted extensive experiments
on the production Of grain or thyol al.
cohol from wood and have been sue
cessful in experimental work In raising
the yield and lowering the cost of pro.
duction. IL this process can be put on
commercial basis, the foresters say It
Will result in putting the millions OF
tons OF coniferous sawdust and other
material which is now wasted every
year to profitable use.
By converting cellulose, one of the
elements Of wood into gelatinous ma
terial, known as vlscose a wide field Is
opened for the utilization of wood waste
and a new line OF products, VARYING all
the way from sausage TO tapestry, is
added to the already lengthy list Many
OF the so-called silk" socks, neckties
and fancy braids now on the market
contain artificial silk made from wood.
Source OF Most Paper.
About nine-tenths OF all the paper
which we use is made from wood. Be.
sides the detailed investigations of the
methods Of making newsprint paper,
and of the production of paper from
woods hitherto used for that purpose
which have been conducted kraft paper,
which compares favorably with the best
on the market. has been produced eth.
er experimentally at the Forest Prod
ucts Laboratory from long leaf pine
mill waste. The kraft paper is brown
in color and is very much stronger than
ordinary papers. II Is used for a va.
riety OF purposes and cut into strips,
spun or twisted into thread which is
then woven into onion and coffee bags.
mating. suitcases and wall covering
similar TO burlap, and furniture closely
resembling that made from reeds, as
well as ether articles OF common use.
Within the last year the Forest Prod.
ucts Laboratory has, by cooperating
with manufacturers. succeeded in get.
ting a dye made from mill waste OF
Usage orange put on the market as
substitute for fustic, which we import
from Jamaica and Tehuantepec.
These are only few examples of the
various lines OF work carried on at the
Forest Products Laboratory. Other ac
tivities, ranging all the way from the
study Of decay In wood to that OF the
resistance OF wood to fire. are In pro.
gress, and new discoveries are constant.
ly being made incidentally. the Forest
Products Laboratory. at Madison. Wis,
was the first OF its kind in the world and
Is probably still the best equipped With
the possible exception Of Germany. no
other country has done as much as the
United States systematically to investi.
gate the possibilities OF It's forest re.
sources.