Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-01-11
Many Farmers Can Relieve
Heavy Demand for
Freight Cars.
NEEDED FOR WAR SUPPLIES
In Many States 1t Is Entirely Practi-
cable to Replace Coal with Wood
Saving Would Amount to
10000 Cars.

1OE COAL.
A maximum price for coal has been
fixed by the Government. This does
not mean, however, that the railroads
will be able to transport all Of the
coal which the consumers may desire
or want. Every freight car is per-
forming a heavy duty; and the fewer
the cars that are used for coal the
greater will be the number available
for carrying other war commodities.
Manufacturers, of course, cannot
substitute wood for coal; neither can
city people, because this would result
in even greater railroad congestion.
Nor is it likely that in either the South
or the West the use of wood for fuel
can be greatly increased. But in
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont. Mas
sachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey. Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan. Wis
cOnsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri
it ought to be entirely practicable in
many cases to replace coal with wood
for fuel. In these II states is a rural
population of about 20,0O0,0OO, which,
it is estimated, uses annually about
100000 tons of coal. If, by substi-
/ tuting wood, one-quarter of the coal
burned by farmers and One-tenth of
the coal burned in villages could be
saved, the total saving would amount
to nearly 100000 tons, or between
$4,000 and 10000 carloads.
Reduce Coal Consumption.
1t is where team-hauled wood can
! be used in place of railroad-hauled
coal that the change should be made.
| Farmers who own woodlands and peO-
| pie in villages who can purchase wood
from nearby farms are the ones in the
best position to reduce their consump-
/ ton of coal. 1t is not expected sub
| stitution of wood for coal will be COM
/ plete or universal; for many purposes
coal is much more convenient. But
for heating many kinds of buildings
wood is the more convenient and
cheaper fuel. This is particularly true
in the case of churches, halls, summer
cottages, and other buildings for which
heat is required only occasionally; but
is then wanted in large volume ri
short notice.
Furnaces are built especially for
burning wood in 3 or 4 foot lengths
Short lengths, of course. can readily
be burned in an ordinary coal furnace
Or in box stove though this is rather
wasteful Of fuel Many furnace manu-.
facturers, however, make a special
wood CRATE for use in their furnaces
One advantage in burning wood is that
on moderately cool days the furnace
can be run at a lower ehb than when
fuel to remove the chill. When wood
is used in round pot furnace, care
should be taken to have each piece lie
fiat.
If a stove CRATE is too coarse fol-
wood, sheet iron cover over a gooG
part of the surface will make it suit
able. or a few fire bricks can be used
Relative Heating Value Of Wood anc
Coal.
In the matter of heating value, one
standard cord of well-seasoned hick
cry, oak, beech, birch, hard maple, ash
elm, locust, or cherry is approximately
equal to one ton $1,000 pounds) o1
anthracite coal. 1t takes a cord and {
half of soft maple and two cords Of
cedar, poplar, or Eastwood. however
to give the same amount of heat.
One cord of mixed wood well sea
soned equals in heating value at leas
one ton (2O00 pounds) of average
grade bituminous coal.
If the consumer can buy coal at $S ;
ton, it would hardly be worth his Will
: to burn first-class wood at $S a cord
except in an open fireplace, becau%
coal is a more Dconvepient fuel. ],
however, coal becomes so scarce th;i
it cannot be secured in sufficient quar-
titles, the consumer will, in Sonl
cases, have to burn wood at $40 Q
even SIS cord.
.. Methods of Making Cordwood.
The most common method of maxim
: cordwood is to cut the trees into I
/. foot lengths with the ak and split tn
larger pieces. The pieces are the
piled in q standard cord, which is
, feet long, feet high, and feet wide
n The contents are 12S cubic feet, c
q which about 70 per cent is wood an
o 80 per cent air. Wood cut 4 feet Ion
can be sold to brickyards, nmekiln
Woodworking plants, and other indu
a tries, but is too large for househol
6 use. This method is used chiefly wher
p the tree growth is comparative
! small, as in second growth, beeaus
= such wood splits easily.
n Another method and one bette
q adapted for old growth hardwood
which are difficult to split, is to sa
@ the tree into logs of conveniel
Il lengths, say from 10 to Is feet Thes
t are "snaked' out to the edge of IL
d woodland and there sawed and Spl
into lengths proper for the stove
furnace. The saving is usually dor
by machine, driven either by gasoliI
t or by electricity. The wood is save
r into 16-inch lengths, as is customal
y with stove material, three runs a
e theoretically equivalent to one cor
a Actually they contain somewhat mo-
e wood, since small pieces can be packt
e more closely than larger ones.
9 Wood Profitable Farm Crop.
IS Firewood ought to bring a bett
8 profit this year than ever before, {
account of the higher prices whi
n are likely to prevail. Wood is a nut
t. less perishable crop than many whit
n the farmer raises. When proper
l. piled, the better kinds of wood W
e last from two to three years, thou;
IS 1t steadily deteriorates after the fiji
"a Raising Calves.
f Time and patience are requir