The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-11-19


osEaa1sD free. This is the only large institu-
ton of Its kind in the world, al
though a number of other countries plan
ming to adopt the idea. Rudyard Kipng once
wrote:
Twelve hundred million are spread
About this earth, and and you
Wonder, when you and are dead
What will those luckless millions do?
If we change the closing lines of this stanza
to read
And. and you,
Wonder, when all the trees are gone,
What will those luckless millions do?
The kindly sarcasm of the Kipling humor disap-
pears and we are confronted with question of
vast Importance for consideration and action.
The Importance of the broad problems would
possibly be more sharply recognized if we view
the situation from somewhat less altrustic and
international standpoint and consider only the
one hundred million people within the borders Of
the United States. Consider for moment the ex-
tent to which forest products enter into the COM
forts conyenences and pleasures of many If not
all Of this vast multitude Of people.
You rise In the morning from your wooden bed
and walk about on the wooden floor Of your wood
en- home; you battle with soap probably contain
ing or produced In part with a product from
wood, anoint your face with lotion containing
alcohol very likely produced from wood waste put
on your hose manufactured from wood fiber, step
lutO YOUR leather SHOES requiring tannln from
wood for their manufacture, and then proceed to
breakfast where you sit upon wooden chair, In
front OF wooden table and read the daily news
received over telegraph lines supported by wood
en- poles from paper made of wood pulp and
printed with ink manufactured from forest
product II reasonably prosperous you now jour
ney to your Office in automobile with wooden
spokes in the wheels probably travel at least part
of the way over wooden pavement and finally
settle yourself IN your office surrounded by wooden
trimmings and furniture and dig into the daily
letters and reports which again dependent
upon the supply Of wood pulp paper IT, by
chance, you have occasion to travel, you board
a wooden railroad Cor at least one made to
appear like woody and travel over tracks sup
ported by wooden cross-t ties The food which you
eat the clothes which you wear, the materials
and supplies necessary for the comforts OF your
home and the conduct of your business all are
received in containers, some OF wood and some
Of fiber, but practically all of forest products.
These accustomed comforts and privileges of
existence are dependent upon very wide va
riety of industries, dependent to greater or less
degree upon forest products These supply use
full and necessary occupation to some million or
people. They include 20 per cent Of the
276OO0 manufacturing plants In the country
The future OF these varied and tremendous In
dustries is dependent upon a supply Of raw ma
terial their ultimate and greatest success de-
pendent upon the wise selection and most eff
cient handling of this material. This means
that authentic knowledge OF the properties OF the
materir' and how to most efficiently utilize them
Is, In the long run, essential to their continuation
on a sound economic basis.
These considerations inevitably lead us to the
forests, and here again we confronted with a
demand and necessity for knowledge of the prom
critics and possible and utilization OF the
many available species of trees. Without IT. It Ia
impossible to know which trees to cut or which
to grow what is their value how best to utilize
them, or what to do with the enormous quantity
of waste material.
1t was such broad conceptions as these that
led to the development of the forest products
laboratory which established In 1910 nv tha
forest service, United States Department Of Agri
culture, in cooperation with the university Of
Wisconsin. Federal appropriations maintain the
organization and provide necessary supplies and
equipment. The university provides the buildings
and light, heat and power.
The forest products laboratory Is called an in
stitution OF industrial research. Its object ia RI
acquire, disseminate and apply useful knowledge
OF the properties, uses and methods of utilization
of all forest products This is broad field ri
almost unlimited scope; the surface has been but
partially scratched.
It has been said that research is primarily
matter Of men 'who work upon the frontiers Of
conquering the new domains" Re-
search may be done-as matter of fact is done
Individually, separately, dsconnectedly and prog
ress of some sort will undOubtedIr result Rut IN