Burlap Sacks

By Kenneth Smith President Calilornia Redwood Associotion

Of what interest are burLap sacks to the retail lumberman in California? Very little when they were plentiful. But the looming extreme shortage of burlap sacks is going to be of tremendous interest to lumbermen.

In 1941 California growers produced about 5 million 100lb. sacks of beans (farm value $26 million); 25% million bushels of barley (farm value $18 million); 22% million bushels of potatoes (farm value 916 million); 12 million bushels of wheat (farm value 912 million) ; 9 million bushels of rice (farm value $9.5 million), and lesser crops of flax, peas, corn, oats, etc., nearly all of which moved to market, or was stored for the farmers' own use in sacks.

It took about 6O million sacks to do the job. The highest estimate of sacks possibly available for 1942 is 22 million. And it is expected potatoes will get first call on sacks because they cannot be marketed or stored in bulk without damage.

Result-a tremendous, sudden, even desperate need of bulk storage facilities. Practically all grain warehouses in California both on the farm and at terminal markets are built for sack storage. Foundation and floors will carry the weight but walls were not built to withstand the pressure of bulk grain. A few steel bins will be available (present figures indicate enough for less than one million bushels) and the rest of the job must largely be done by -wood.

Bulk storage of grain without heavy losses requires proper construction. Economical handling-in and out-is important. Walls and floor must be strong enough to carry the load. Some grains require more ventilation and control of humidity than others. All must be protected from rats. State and Federal agricultural engineering organizations have developed the most practical and economical types of structures for use in the various areas of our country where bulk handling has been the custom.

The Division of Agricultural Engineering, University of California, at Davis, California, is preparing plans suitable for California farm storage which will shortly be broadcast.

It is the hope of Dr. H. B. Walker, who is heading up this activity, that our growers will realize the seriousness of the situation and provide themselves with adequate facilities before harvest time. Dave Davidson, U. S. Department of Agriculture, is heading up the efiort of the California War Board to get the job done.

But-June is not far away. Starting now a grower can be ready with soundly constructed permanent value structures. Waiting, as many will, until the last minute, will mean hastily built roofless boxes. It will mean roadside storage bins consisting of a floor and walls on either two or three sides. Whatever lumber can be had right now will be used rather than grades and sizes which would provide best value if the job were done while there is time.

Lumber will be needed to build bodies for flat bed trucks. Bulk bins for harvesters (or on trailers) will be needed. Walls of terminal warehouses will have to be strengthened and partitions provided. Poultrymen, cattle feeders, hog growers-all who are now using grain from sacks have to prepare themselves to handle in bulk.

The job will not all get done. Some grain will be piled on the ground to be rehandled (the hope will be) before it rains. There is no reliable estimate of how much lumber will be needed to meet this demand but it takes 1200 to 14O0 feet to build a 500 bushel granary, and 3200 to 6000 feet (depending upon type) to build a 200O bushel granary. If enough farm bulk storage is built to take care of onethird of the crops, something like 20 million feet will be needed. And the job will take something like 500,000lbs. of nails (which we understand W.P.B. will make available).

So-the shortage of burlap sacks means to lumber be ready with lumber and nails and with two kinds of plans (1) soundly constructed economical wood granaries for the forehanded grower (2) emergency granaries, roadside bins, etc., for the man in a hurry. Small ready-built, easily moved granaries holding 500 bushels will likely find readv buvers.

Lumber Productio n---19 40

Lumber production in 1940, as reported by the Bureau of the Census, was 28,934,127,W board feet. This was an increase of 15.9 per cent above 1939, and was the largest production reported since 1929, when 36,886,000,000 feet rvere produced.

Softwood lumber production amounted to 24,903,000,000 feet--36 per cent of the total. The production of softwood in 1940 was 17 per cent greater than in 1939. Southern pines continued to be the largest single production group, with a production of 10,163,000,000 feet, an increase of 31 per cent over 1939. Douglas fir rvas the second important softwood species with a production ol 7,12I,@0,00O feet. an increase of 10 per cent over 1939. Other softwood species producing over a billion feet were ponderosa pine with a cut of 3,613,000,000 and white pine with 1,124,000,000 feet.

Hardwood production, as reported by the Census for194O, was 4,031,000,000 feet-an increase of 8 per cent over 1939. Oak production was 1,467,000,0@ feet. Red gum, maple, and yellow popular rvere the next hardwoods in importance with production of 479,000,00A, 463,000,000 and 376,000,00O, respectively.

Oregon lv'as again the leading state with a procluctiorr of 5,202,@l},0ffi feet. lVashington was next with 4,542,000,000 feet. There were 9 other states producing over a billion feet of lumber.

The Census for 1940 recorded, 19,986 mills producing over 50,000 board feet per year. This was the greatest trumber of mills since 1929 rvhen 20,037 mills werc leported. The number of reporting active mills has been steadily increasing since 1935. In some of the Southeastcrn states canvassed for the first time by the Forest Service. there were large increases in the number of reporting mills. In North Carolina 2,346 active mills were reportccl in 19,10 as compared to 1,876 in 1939. In Virginia there were 2,0(A active mills reported in 1940, compared to i,068 in 1939.

In the 9 coastal states from Virginia to Texas plus Arkansas and Oklahoma there were reported 12,705 active mills in 194O, compared to 9,170 in 1939.

Preliminary revisions by the National Lumber Manufacturers Association of L94l data based on I94O Census production figures indicate a production in l94I of 31.8 billion feet.

A. E. FERGUSON IN ARMY_WARREN E. HOYT IN CHARGE OF LOS ANGELES OFFICE

A. E. Ferguson, district sales manager, American Lumber & Treating Company, Los Angeles, is now in the army and left on February 1 for Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where hc is a Captain in the Field Artillery. Mr. Ferguson sa\\, active service in France during the first World War, and was a reserve officer in the Field Artillery.

Warren E. Hoyt, for the past seven years a member of the Los Angeles .sales staff, is now in charge of the company's Los Angeles office.

BUY POMONA YARD

J. S. and V. C. Murphy recently purchased the yard of O'Neill Lumber Co., Pomona.