12 Miscellaneous Circular 39, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 
believe something like three times carries Douglas fir lumber from 
across the American continent. This Washington to Maine can, in some 
is probably the most difficult waste way, move much of the low-grade ma- 
problem in the entire gamut of our terial and inferior lumber Species now 
forest industries, difficult because of abandoned in West Coast and south- 
market limitations on low-grade ma- ern logging to some plant or market 
terial, because of the risks which sur- where they can be used. Our trans- 
round new plant investments neces- portation system ought to play a more 
sary for utilizing such wastes, and effective part in bridging the gaps 
because of the uncertainty of what is which now separate useful material 
economically convertible into some from specialized plants or specialized 
form of commodity that will pay re- markets. 
turns. On the other hand, there are The preventable waste in sawmills 
notable examples where aggressive and other manufacturing establish- 
merchandising has removed market ments also piles up an enormous 
prejudices against little-known or yearly aggregate, a large part of 
supposedly inferior timbers, and which ought to find productive utiliza- 
where new products or by-products tion at some point in our demands for 
have been successfully developed from wood. Much of what I have sug- 
material that formerly was burned gested for the utilization of logging 
up in the slash fires. waste, through the diversification of 
I believe that large possibilities for forest industries, applies equally to 
industrial benefit lie in the diversifica- the utilization of mill waste. There 
tion of wood-using industries. Owing are, however, several other develop- 
to the original abundance of our vir- ments which offer more immediate 
gin forests, it has been characteristic application. 
of forest industries in the United Let me cite the instance of a hard- 
States that each has cut its own path wood mill at Memphis which could 
into its own particular patch of old- not move No. 3 common oak at $9 per 
growth stumpage, utilized what it thousand feet. This plant finally 
could, and discarded the balance. secured an order from a refrigerator 
Hence high-grade virgin stumpage has company for small dimension stock at 
gone and is still going indiserim- $75 per thousand feet. It took 4,000 
inately into lumber, matches, box feet of the No. 3 common to make 
shooks, pulp and paper, railroad ties, 1,000 feet of dimension, and the con- 
mechanical distillation, bobbins, verting cost was $14. A clear profit 
clothespins, and 57 other varieties of of over $6 per thousand on the origi- 
forest products. At the opposite ex- nal material was secured, utilizing 
treme stand such forms of correlation what had previously been unmovable 
as have been attained in Sweden, stuff. If this plant had been equipped 
where an annual product of about to convert mill waste as well as low- 
3,000,000 tons of pulp and paper is grade boards into dimension, the yield 
manufactured almost wholly from would have been much higher and the 
logging and sawmill waste. The de- profit greater. 
velopment of forest industries in The refabricating plants in this 
America during the last 10 or 15 years country still largely buy boards of 
has brought out notable examples of standard dimension and resaw them 
the same type of correlation in using to suit the purposes of the particular 
timber, with a group of factories mak- factory, resulting in a material waste 
ing varied products taking the place of raw material on which both the 
of a single plant or group of plants manufacturer’s price and freight have 
manufacturing but a single product. been paid. At the same time, back in 
Where this type of industrial develop- the sawmill, much mill waste which 
ment has come about, the problem of could yield small eut stock still goes 
utilizing logging and mill waste dis- unused. 
appears. The same principle holds in ‘the 
The balance type of forest exploita- utilization of lumber of short and odd 
tion ought, whenever it is economi- lengths, which merges into the dimen- 
cally sound, to displace the single- sion stock problem, on the one hand, 
product factory or the single-product and into the standardization of lum- 
mill town. But the physical prox- ber grades, on the other. 
imity of a series of plants designed to The broad principle of adapting 
make use of everything “except the primary manufacture to the actual 
squeal” is not necessarily the only requirements of the refabricating 
form which this industrial evolution plant or consumer, with mutual sav- 
may take. To refer again to trans- ings all along the line, has a wide 
portation, it seems to me reasonable range of possible applications. There 
that the economic system which now are obstacles in its way. Probably