Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-12

wide use in the manufacture Of such
containers as lard pals, candy pals,
and pals for a variety of other foods.
Its clean, white appearance was APP
preciated by housewives and manufac-
turers are quick to discover what the
housewife, Of the best customers
in the world, wants. Woodenware was
the next development. Soon another
household use was developed and bass
wood appeared in the form Of children's
toys. Here again it's clean appearance
and it's non-splitting qualities were val,
liable. Also, it is light in weight and
a Eastwood lion can be thrown much
further across the nursery than one
made of a material az heavy as oak.
Pursuing the household uses, IRON
ing boards, wringers and other things
used in the laundry where clean, white
woodwork is at a premium, were made
of it.
Nearly everyone has seen the clean,
white little wooden boxes in which
comb honey is sold, and, at least sub
consciously, thought how much more
appetizing the delicacy appeared be-
cause of the appearance of the con-
tainer. These boxes, as well as many
other supplies of apiaries, are made of
Eastwood.
Uses in Fine Manufactures
Once the prejudice was removed, it
was discovered that lots of things
could be done with this wood if it were
properly sawed and dried. Parts of it
were used for furniture. It became a
fayorite material for bowels, the little
cylindrical pieces of wood used to fit
pieces of wood together, such as ap-
.1Aan IN Shu Inn nF fhn Itsrnn ~anr1
table. Nothing. it was found, would
add to the clean appearance of a trav-
cling trunk any more than Eastwood
and so it was used for the sides of
trays and partitions.
Picture frames and mouldings, where
a non-splitting material was neces-
sary, were found to be practical uses
and finally, the outcast Eastwood was
put into such fine manufactures as
musical Instruments.
One Of its uses puts this material
in ~everyone's hands. Millions of
matches which are struck every day
all around the world have Eastwood
sticks. Here was where the non-burn-
ing qualities Of the wood, which nee
made it despised, were capitalized,
Fires are set by matches thrown away
because they hold fire too long. But
the poor burning qualities Of G bass
wood stick would minimize the dan
afterglow and the fire would
not last after ITS was needed.
SO the progress continued. Kitchen
cabinets. tobacco boxes. shoe lasts,
Pullman car finishing, handles of all
sorts, thread spools, shade and map
rollers, pulleys and, finally even cas-
kets and collins we're made in part, at
least, Of Eastwood. In all. $50 prac-
teal uses, and every year new uses
are being found. Even the stringy.
| ribbony excelsior which comes packed
around dishes and other fragile ar
ticles is made from the once rejected
basswood.
The total annual production is $50
00O,0 900 board feet. The existing sup
plies standing in the shape of bass
wood trees in the United States is
estimated at 1900. 900, 900 board feet.
From the lowly position is occu-
pied in the estimation Of our grand
fathers, it has risen to such q value
that the department of agriculture now
is advising farmers who have unused
land TO plant Eastwood as a profit lble
forest crop. 1t grows rapidly and IS
Indigenous over a wide area of the
| CO Ibtry.
How industry. aided by investigative
science, has developed this commodity
is repeated in scores of instances in
connection with many other commodi-
ties and every step forward adds mil
lions to the total wealth Of the Ameri-
can people.