The Lumbermen Go To Farm School

Reprinted trom the Pacific Rural Press

Like the aroused Missourian the lumbermen of California have decided that "you gotta quit kickin' my dawg around."

Perhaps you read in last week's issue Mr. Tesche's entertaining article of how the purveyors of boards, posts, studding, splinters and knot-holes went to school at the University Farm at Davis to get some ammuniti,on.

Examining probable reasons for this interesting action, we find that both economic depression and competitive products have kicked lumber.

Some one discovered that the waste product of the sugar mill could be pressed into excellent inside finishing material and the once useless bagass6 blossoms forth into a nationally advertised product. So successful has this proved that all the bagass6 has been used and it is now predicted that the corn stalks of this country will soon be manufactured either into "silk" to more or less cover the outside of the ladies or into wall material to cover the inside of buildings.

Cement, backed by aggressive selling methods and fine service has forged to the front with many, many buildrng uses.

Modern types of more or less rustless iron are being fashioned into building sheets, corrugated and otherwise, and national selling campaigns are backing them up.

Brick manufacturers have heaved their product into the ring with earnest hands.

Various forms of roof covering have blossomed forth in both black and rainbow ink.

Floor coverings have arrived with the colors of Joseph's coat and with the numbers of Joseph's brotherg.

And so on, ad ink-initum.

Which is not by the way of disparaging these competing products, but merely to state a fact.

Meanwhile the easily handled and quickly available wood, which is like the air and water, all about us, has struggled witha bad downswing of the afterwar price pendulum, and has more than kept its head up in the sea of 'competition. Here and there some big firm has swung to trade-marked wood or some association has urged the value of its particular type of lumber, but all wood has been somewhat of a step-child in the house it originally built.

Because of this, possibly, California lumbermen went to school the other day at the University Farm at Davis.

They were seeking to know more about the farmer's problems, and want to learn how to serve his needs. A commendable thing, surely.

And if this paper may presume to make a suggestion, we would urge out of our contacts with many sales campaigns, many building problems, and many farmers, that two things be stressed in California.

Those things are beauty and utility. Our readers will instantly detect the clattering approach of a hobby. And quite right, too.

Utility goes without saying. The farmer must have economical and efficient buildings. Beauty needs constant saying, because it is liable to be crowded back by other considerations. But just the same, the world expects beauty in California and many folks with money come here to buy beauty.

Let's steer the thought with an example. California can never hope to have the massive and impressive barns and outbuildings which Iowa possesses. We have no climatic need for them. One story construction fits our conditions better and blends in harmoniously with our bungalow type of farm homes.

Those ranch homes are widelv admired bv visitors. Well planned and well planted they -have a definite sales value which cannot be overlooked. for everv one must think of the sales value of their property whither their ranch be for sale or not.

So the hopeful thing would seem to be to help plan the outbuildings with such skill that they will save steps and dollars, but in addition to plan them with such taste that the whole farm plant will have a comfortable, liveable, pleasant look.

If we may venture the thought, California needs more farmstead engineers. It needs more help from the University in building plans and in building counsel.

But after all the materials dealer is closer to the problem than anyone else, and if the lumberman can go to school and learn more of the ranch's problem of utility and good taste, he will profit as he serves. Many lumbermen are doing this. More need to do it.

Lumber will find it advantageous to tell its story. This is the age of selling. That does not mean kicking the other fellow's dog, but it means stirring up your own dog and putting him on the trail.

As we aggressively, and efficiently and in good taste build our farms they will be a sounder property in the markets of the future.