The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-11-11

J; Group ], 4igke -yianut i sn..cs
L IL: '> g! :. u IS County 7
tprepassa hy. .ne United Stats Department
Of Agrtculture.l w. = ~! r.
Hickory timber, although held sin
seemingly lVast amount 81 the forests
Of the; country may! soon become in
sufficient to- meet American manufac
turing and woodworking needs. The
increasing demand fors this valuable
species, together. with the scattered
character of it's growth in the forest,
has resulted in merchantable stands
becoming more and more inaccessible
s4nd diffenlt to log $.E ~ i!
4 Stands Are Widely Scattered.
n. Tie Forest Service, United States
Department Of Agriculture, puts the
country's present supply Of hickory,
distributed through 2OO,000,OOO acres
Of forests, at Is, 7S4, 100000 board feet.
OF this the Central states: have 1,791,.
100000 feet, the lower Mississippi
states SILT, 100000 feet, the South At.
lantic and East Gulf states 3,183 '0O0,'
600 feet, the Middle Atlantic states
412,O0O,OO0 board feet, the. Lake states
1871, Goo 600 feet, and the New England
states 100000 feet. % Il II !
, One of the uses to which hickory Is
put is the manufacture Of spokes for
automobile wheels. The yearly de-
mand upon the hickory reserves by
this industry alone is tremendous, as
there Isl much waste in getting the
select stock necessary not only Tor
spokes but ALSO the rims Of wheels.
= industries Compete for Hickory:
For the most part vehicle and agrt'
cultural implement industries compete
with the handle industry for hickory
and ash. These are located mainly in
the Middle. West, but now derive most
Of their wood supplies from the South.
A large number Of far-sighted organi'
cations purchased more or less extern
sive hardwood tracts some years ago,
from which they are now able 60 draw
at least d part Of their wood supplies:
To secure hickory, which grows scat.
teringly over large areas, the vehicle
and vehicle-implement industries orig
inally. maintained extensive buying,
logging, and milling organizations IN
the South. They draw upon every con-
ceiyable sourcc-farmers' .wood-lots
small mills, large sawmills, and even
specialized operations designed to Sc
cure hickory alone These concerns IN
general carry in stock about a two
years. supply Of special-dimension
stock. = = =. .
|. Makers of automobile wheels say
that they can. still; get the material
required If they make sufficient effort
and pay the price, but it is necessary
to go farther and farther away for 1t.
Many inquiries. received BY the forest
service from vehicle implement max
ers, requesting information on possible
substitutes, for the woods used in We
hicle making, is merely another indica'
ton of the difficulties in getting ade-
quate supplies at the present time anu
Of uncertainty las to 3thef future.
Ten Different Kinds Of Hickories.
Hickory is often referred to as II 1t
we're a single species, like red gum or
yellow poplar In reality there are 10
different kinds Of hickory trees. For
hickory-handle purposes those Known
as true hickories are most valuable.
The pecan hickories include the water.
nutmeg, and bitter nut varieties The
true hickories comprise shagbark, pig
shellbark, pignut, and mocker nut.
The handle industry is largely depend,
ent on this last group Of trees tor Its
raw material. r.. So ~
The annual consumption Of hickory
nv the handle trade is something over
12O, OOO, 900 feet board measure, Little,
II, any, Of this material passes through
the sawmills, for it is ordinarily cut
Band Slipped to the handle factories in
the form gof log bolts or billets. All
hickories do not give the same service
( when made into handles. The various.
parts, of the same tree may tshowsdif.
ferent properties, and the quality OF
the wood near the center is quite likely
to differ from that nearer the bark.
The wood Of the butt of young
hickory tree is of greater average
toughness than it is when the tree is
DID,, The wood Of butt cuts Of both
old and young trees is tougher than
that cut higher up the trunk. The
handle manufacturers, for the most
part demand econd-growth hickory,
which consists, Of young stock Of rapid
growth.
Best Material for Handles.
Hickory is the best known material
for certain classes Of tool handles,
such as the AZ, adj, pick, hammer, and
| 49, err. -. 49, VIZ. < ~. eco