Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-02-05
SOME WOODS HAVE
HIGH FUEL VALUES
Two Pounds, as a Rule, Are Re-
quired to Equal One
Pound of Coal.
HEAT DEPENDS ON WEIGHT
Figured on This Basis There is Little
Difference Between Various Spe-
cles, Say Uncle Sans
Experts.

Persons who plan to relieve the coal
shortage by burning wood can figure,
roughly speaking, that two pounds OF
seasoned wood have a fuel value equal
to one pound of coal, according to ex-
perts Of Uncle Sans forest service.
While different kinds of wood have
different fuel values, the foresters say
that in general the greater the dry
weight of q non-resinous wood the
more heat it 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.
1t takes a cord and half of short
leaf pine, hemlock, red gum, Douglas
fir, sycamore or soft maple, which
weighs about 5000 pounds 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 resin
Gus woods have a greater heat value
per pound than non-resinous woods,
and this increased value varies, of
course, with the resin content.
Value Depends on Moisture.
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 it is
capable of yielding is taken up in evap-
Grating 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 12S cubic feet
of space. A certain proportion of this
space is made up of air spaces be-
tween the sticks, and this air space
may be considerable in a cord of twist
ed, crooked and knotty sticks. Out OF
the 1913 cubic feet, q fair average of
solid wood is about so cubic feet.
This, however, applies to the stand
ard cord, in which the sticks are cut
to 4-foot lengths and piled A feet high
and feet long. Instead of buying the
4-foot lengths, however, most people
nowadays have the sticks cut into 2
. foot lengths by gasoline saw. This
results in a saving of both time and
labor. The purchaser should, however
take care to see that he gets full meas
urement when wood is bought in this
way. In parts of New England 6
stock of 16-inch wood 4 feet high and
feet long is commonly sold as 6
, run" but contains only one-third o.
a cord.
! Where wood is to be burned in {
+, stove or furnace intended for coal, i
will be found desirable, the forester
E say, to cover the CRATE partly will
e sheet iron or fire brick, in order t,
e reduce the draught. If this is no
/, done the wood is wasted by being con
e sumed too fast, and makes very no
+ fire which in furnace may damag
n the firebox.
OhncT r dStoTb 10 DC OoUStuSicu.
|. 1t is pointed out, however, that hea
d value is not the only test of useful
G ness in fuel wood and since 50 pc
y cent of all wood used for fuel is cor
sumed for domestic purposes, largel
?, In farm houses, such as rapidity G
e burning and ease of lighting are in
l. portant.
l. Each section of the country has ii
e favored woods and these are said
q be, in general, the right ones to US
Hickory, of the non-resinous wood
has the highest fuel value per unit vo
ume of wood, and has other adval
lie tages. 1t burns evenly, and, as hous
sr wives say, holds the heat. The oai
N come next, followed by beech, birc
le and maple. The white pines have
to relatively low heat value per unit vo
lie ume, but have other advantages. The
n ignite readily and give out quick h
to flame, but one that soon dies dow
Id This makes them favorites with rur,
In housekeeperS as a summer wood, b
k, cause they are particularly adapte
e. for hot days in the kitchen. The san
In is true of gray birch, or ''white birch
H. as it is often called, in the regions
on which it abounds. With the resinol
pines a drawback is their oily blat
smoke.