The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-10-11
WOOD LOT AS A FUEL HOPE.
Government Sees a Way to Make Up 14,OOO,0OO-Ton
 Coal Shortage.

T country woodlot and even in isolat- ed dumps of trees in towns and cities and in territory where deforestation took place many years ago great op- portunity for helping out the nations fuel supply during the war, and even rzfterward It is estimated that on a fairly large farm a moderate-s1zed woodlot properly managed will supply all the fuel that farm needs, or, in other words that the tree growth each year on each farm may be made to equal the fuel consumption on that farm, with possibly some to spare. This, of course, presupposes annual replanting and intelligent methods of tree culture, as well as proper selec- ton of the trees to be cut
 Besides the woodlots maintained on many progressively conducted farms and country estates, there are, all over the country, clumps and groves of trees that receive no attention and grow and are allowed to grow merely because the land owner has no im- mediateu SC for the space they occupy. No one, unless the war should create a much more acute fuel situation than now exists or is in reasonable prSspeot, would favor cutting away all these groves and clumps or any con- siderable part of them. However, these isioated bits of woodland usu- ally receive no attention in the mat ter of upkeep, and most of them would be greatly improved if some of the trees were out away to give the more vigorous more root space and sunshine.
 In an instructive letter sent out by the Fuel Administration jointly with the Department of Agriculture, the coal shortage for next Winter Is esti- mated at about 14, ,000, 900 tons, which, it adds, makes 1t necessary that wood should be used to save both coal and transportation Country districts and small villages are in position to greatly help coal conservation by burning wood Farmers now use on their farms SS,o0O,OOO cords of fuel wood annually, and all farms should use 1t during the war or emergency periods. Any kind of coal stove or furnace can be used for burning wood in a pinch. With careful attention to drafts and grates the change can be made with little trouble
 On the average, according to the Forest Earvice, a cord of wood Is about CQuHA VO B5RS1l-Sc11L4Ao OA O SSAA va coal Two cords of soft wood are re- quired to equal a ton of coal, but cord of wood from number of we'll known kinds of trees will equal ton of coal in heating value, and for three varieties -Osage orange, canyon, live oak. and black 1ocust-a cord has a higher heating value than a ton of coal. Most of tho oaks and htekortes, as well as western Sew, honey locust, blue gum, sweet birch, and a number of others, arc the equivalent of nine He1ths of one ton of coal. The fol- lowing have a low. heAting value, but are approximately equal to one-ha1f a ton of Ooa1l Yellow buckeye, black cottonwood, zasswood, red cedar, AL pine fir, and Englemann spruce, black willow, ba1sam fir, Satka spruce, as- pen and white spruce.
 Methods of cutting cordwood are also discussed The most common method of making eordwOod is to cu' ---' -' +reas Into foot lengths with the ak and split the larger pieces The pieces are then piled in @ standard cord, which Is feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide The contents are I2S cr1Aoip feet. of which about TO pel oent h wood and 30 per cent air Wood cut feet long can be used fl brickyards, Hnaki1ns, metal-work1ns plants, and other industries, but is toC large for household use- This meth cd is used chiefly where the tre' growth is comparatively small, as fl second growth, because such woot splits easily.
 Another mathod, and one bettei adapted for old growth hard woods which are difficult to split, Is to say the tree into logs of convenien lengths, say from 10 to 15 feet Thes are "snaked" out to the edge of tn woodland and there sawed and spli into length proper for the stove o furnace. The saving is usually don by machine driven either by gasolin or by electricity. The wood is piled feet high and feet long. such a pil being called a "stove wood or run ming" cord or run" When tn wood is sawed into 1s inch lengths as is customary with stove materia. three runs are theoretically equiva lent to one cord Actually they con tain somewhat more wood, since sma pieces can be packed more closet than larger ones,
 Wood can be made into fuel muc more cheaply and quickly by machir cry than by hand Officials of tn VI Forest Service estimate that three man crew will cut ten cords a da with an outfit consisting of a gasc Hine engine of six to eight horse power, costing $275 to $500, and
 twenty-six inch saw with its fram oostin7 $75-
 .ie If a double-act1on 300 pound powg splitter costing $500 is added to tn equipment, a four-rnan crew will aI craze twelve to fifteen cords da : sawed into sfxteen-inch stove length and split ready for use This Is the rate of three to four cords a ma i1l a day, while by hand labor or to two cords cut into four-fo lengths is the average
 While these costs arc prohibited e. cept where fuel Is produced on con merctal scale, it is pointed out tn one outfit would have capacity
 serve maybe a dozen farmers, al Y community ownership is suggested,
 some regions where wood is avaiiah villages have bought outfits to c wood at cost for the inhabitants
 The Boches aren't really alarnt