The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1922-11-10

'H~@ ,-5liI;fT}T, = H.,
Group Of Hickories-Pignut in the c
80 H:1ts7ot!ssi% 81 ....: County,
tp4sppaeed ti1ypa by tHs United States Departm.n.
nSW -, Irof Asricultqre.l
+ Hickory timber, although held In
seemingly vast, amount by the forests
of the country, may soon become in:
sufficient to meet American manufac'
! turing sand wood working needs. The
increasing demand for this valuable
species, together with the scattered
character Of it's growth in the forest,
r. has resulted in merchantable stands
tbecoming more and more inaccessible
: and sdificult to log.
= Stands Are Widely Scattered.
The Forest Service, United States
Department of Agriculture, puts the
country's present supply of hickory,
distributed through 2OO,00O,OO0 acres
: OF forests, at 15,7S4,O0O,O0O board feet.
OF .this the Central states have 1,791,-
100000 feet, the lower Mississippi
states Sill, 100000 feet, the South At
lantic and East Gulf states 3,1S3,OOO,.
GOO feet, the Middle Atlantic states
n2, 100000 board feet, the Lake states
: 100000 feet, and the New England
states 100000 feet.
, 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 is much waste in getting the
select stock necessary not only for
spokes but also the rims Of wheels.
, Industries Compete for Hickory.
For the most part vehicle and agri-
cultural implement industries compete
with the handle industry for hickory
ana asflef 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
siye hardwood tracts some years ago,
from which they are now able 20 draw
at least a part of their wood supplies:
To secure hickory, which grows scat
teringly over large areas, the vehlcle
and yehicle-implement industries orig
inally maintained extensive buying,
logging, and milling organizations IN
the South. They draw upon every con-
ceivable source-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 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
aud pay the price, but it is necessary
to 20 farther and farther away for it..
Many inquiries received by the forest
service from vehicle implement maxi
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-
ouate supplies at the present time and
Of uncertainty as to the future.
Ten Different Kinds Of Hlckories.
Hickory is often referred to as If it
were q single species, like.red gum or
yellow poplar. In reality there are 10
different kinds of hickory treesl' For
hickory-handle purposes those known
as true hickories are most valuable.
The pecan hickories include the water,
nutmeg, and bitter nut varieties. The
tr,1e hickories comprise shagbark, pig
shellbark, pignut, and .mocker nut.
The handle industry is largely depend
ent on this last group Of trees for its
raw material. q
The annual consumption Of hickory
nv the handle trade is something over
,12O, ,00O,O 900 feet. board measure. Little.
If any, Of this material passes through
the sawmills, for it is ordinarily cut
and Shipped to the handle factories IN
the form of log bolts or billets..' AlP
,hickories do not give the same service
when made into handles. The various
parts of the same tree may show diff
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 a young
hickory tree is Of greater average
toughness than it is when the tree is
old. 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 second-growth hickory,
which consists Of young stock Of rapid
growth.
Best Material for Handles.
Hickory iss the, best known material
for certain classes Of tool handles,
such as the az, .adz, pick, hammer, and