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THE
AUGUST 1, 1925
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
45
SUPPLY BRANCHES OF THE INDUSTRY
Government Officials Suggest the
Immediate Use of Entire Chestnut Stand
Hold That Blight Which Is Rapidly Destroying This Wood and for Which There Is No Rem-
edy Makes Such an Action Imperative to Conserve Present Resources of That Wood
'T* H E belief is becoming widespread that
*• American chestnut is doomed and will dis-
appear from the forests in another twenty
years. This wood, which for the past quarter
century has been utilized in the piano manu-
facturing industry as core-stock in upright tops
and sides, has long been attacked by a parasitic
fungus or "blight," which causes certain death
to the tree but does not bring immediate de-
terioration of the wood. This blight is respon-
sible for the predominant grades of "wormy
chestnut."
A new angle on the chestnut situation has
developed recently, following an extensive
study by experts at the Forest Products Labora-
tory, Madison, Wis. The laboratory men have
determined that no known remedy can stop the
chestnut blight, and they therefore suggest the
utilization of the entire chestnut stand of fif-
teen billion board feet as soon as possible. This
stand is located in the Appalachian region on
approximately thirty-five million acres of mixed
hardwoods, 10 per cent of which is owned by
the Federal Government.
With the dumping of this huge quantity of
chestnut timber on the American market within
the next ten to twenty years, some irregulari-
ties in hardwood consumption are apt to result
if the situation is not properly supervised. Fif-
teen billion board feet of chestnut is enough
to build a boardwalk around the world, one
hundred feet wide. It is almost three times the
size of our entire annual hardwood cut.
The most common of the present uses of
chestnut is that of core stock or filler, to which
it is particularly adapted. Even the wormi-
ness works to advantage here, if the wood is
Write for a sample can of Behlen's
Varnish Crack Eradicator and try it.
Once you learn how much it means to
you in the saving of time on your refin-
ishing jobs by eliminating the necessity
of scraping off old varnish and shellac,
and how much more satisfactory are
the results, because of the better sur-
face it gives to work on, you, like
others, will continue to use it.
Write to-day.
H. BEHLEN & BRO.
Anilines
ShalUcs
Stain*
FilUr.
properly dried in the kiln. The larvae must
be killed of course by steaming, but the holes
filling with glue in the press give it an un-
usually strong grip in the core. The wood is
moderately light in weight, even but medium
to coarse-grained, works easily, takes a good
finish (if required), is resistant to weathering,
and very durable in contact with soil. Chest-
nut weighs about five-eighths as much as oak.
It dries satisfactorily either in air or kiln.
Heartwood cannot be treated satisfactorily for
preservation. Sapwood absorbs preservatives
readily, but forms only a very small portion of
the tree. At present chestnut has at least two
hundred uses beside that of corewood. Accord-
ing to the laboratory writers, there is some op-
portunity for discovering new uses, but the
real progress will be made by expanding con-
sumption for known uses.
"From a strict timber saving standpoint,"
states a laboratory writer in the "Wood Work-
ing Industries," "it would be desirable to har-
vest all the timber on infected areas to-mor-
row, store and market in an orderly way, and
have plans to exploit in like manner all unin-
fected areas the day before the blight struck.
"In practice, however, we believe that a com-
promise course will be adopted, having in mind
the more complete utilization of timber which
must be cut; an orderly and efficient plan of
marketing; the supplying as far as practicable
of all consuming industries from infected areas,
and such expansion of industrial exploitation
as is necessary to keep proper pace with the
blight.
"Recognizing the question as one of national
importance, perhaps sufficiently pressing to war-
rant the consideration of the National Commit-
tee on the Utilization of Forest Products, the
laboratory, as a beginning, is initiating a study
designed to evolve a plan for accomplishing
the above objectives. Obviously any plan for
meeting the emergency must have the active
support, both moral and financial, of the majority
of the owners, operators and consumers as well
as the State and Federal Government. It will
require an immense amount of educational work
before real interest is aroused. This is not sur-
prising since it would be hard to get people ex-
cited about war if it were 20 years hence, not to
mention chestnut timber exhaustion.
"The available laboratory funds for carrying
on the work are inadequate. All we can do is
to initiate the study in a small way, with the
hope that later through increased appropriations
and co-operative assistance the project can be
expanded so as to really solve the problem.
"In any extension work, concrete examples
win the most converts. The laboratory study
will attempt to show how and where and when
chestnut should be used so that the greatest
saving of timber will result and the greatest
financial return accrue."
Wood Gluing Course
From September 14 to 19
Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wis.,
Announces Date of Next Instruction—Quick
Dividends From Investment
MADISON,
10-12 Christopher St., New York
WEICKERT HAMMER AND DAMPER FELTS
GRAND AND UPRIGHT HAMMERS
2T*»r «th AT*., and 8th I t .
Made of Welckert Felt
25.—Announcement
has
Mahogany Misbranding
WASHINGTON, D C, July 27—Continuing in its
activity against lumber companies who are mar-
keting "Philippine mahogany" in competition
with true mahogany, the Federal Trade Com-
mission has issued complaints against the Rob-
ert Dollar Co., of San Francisco, and the Pacific
Southwest Import Co., of Los Angeles, Cal.,
alleging unfair trade practices.
The respondents, it is alleged, have been sell-
ing certain hardwood lumber under the name
and designation of "Philippine mahogany," the
commission adding that "in truth and in fact
said hardwood lumber and other hardwood
products so sold are not mahogany wood." Such
representations, it is alleged, have the effect
of misinforming manufacturers of furniture.
Several other similar cases have recently
been brought.
PHILIP W. OETTING & SON, Inc.
213 East 19th Street. New York
Sole Agents for
W I S . , July
been made by the Forest Products Laboratory
that the next course in the gluing of wood,
open to piano superintendents and wood-work-
ing foremen, will be given September 14-19. In
connection with the announcement, a communi-
cation from the laboratory cites an example of
a quick dividend to be returned to a concern,
on the tuition costs of sending a representative
to one of the recent courses.
At the end of the third day of instruction a
representative of a company making an im-
portant automobile part of wood sent his com-
pany a long night letter instructing them to
alter certain phases of the gluing operations
then in use. The company stated that the in-
struction in his wire made as a result of infor-
mation acquired in the guing class would result
in a saving to the company of $300 per day.
This sum, which would be saved daily, easily
covered the entire tuition, travel, and living
costs for the representative while attending the
course.
STYLE NO. 221
"ART LINE" PIANO BENCHES
Make Satisfied Customers
Send for Your Catalog.
THE ART NOVELTY CO., Goshen, Ind.
For over 25 years Specialists
in high grade Piano Cases
Paterson Piano
Case Co.
PATERSON, N. J.