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Show nfinaH Chemists Strengthen Low Grade Lumber, Promise Profitable New Field for Farmers 8- Treated Wood Almost Hard as Metal. By BARROW LYONS (WNU Washington Correspondent.) The alchemy of modern chem- istry suddenly has prepared a new field of profit for farmers. By the use of relatively inexpensive equipment and by the application of certain cheap chemicals, ordinary soft woods can be transformed into material of almost any desired hardness and color. The wind oes humming through tke ?ur Like poetry unbound. - t.and New Jersey, Pennyslvania and New York on the east. Three lf and million acres are desirable for shelter belts. The soil conservation district program, under which the farmers themselves decide what lands are suitable for woodlands, today offers a practical opportunity for giving the Du Pont process a real tryout. By means of the process, wood can be made for the manufacture of doors, windows and drawers that will not swell and stick, or contract and become loose. Wood can be made strong enough to substitute for even steel in certain machinery parts. In a few days woods harder than ebony, which take a century to grow, can be made at small expense. Poplar becomes harder than hard maple, which in turn can be made one-ha- con-sider- ed sary vacuum and pressure in which the wood is placed. A steam jet ejector is an effective, simple means of producing the vacuum. The chamber should be equipped with a pressure door or removable head, and with a source of vacuum and of pressure. A tank for preparing the solution, an auxiliary overflow tank, and means for drying the wood are also needed. Mild steel equipment jnay be used. The chemicals are no more corrosive than water, and are neither flammable nor poisonous. To prevent rusting, it is desirable to apply a waterproof finish to the exposed surfaces of the equipment. This type of equipment could be set up and operated in almost any lumber handling concern throughout the country. A chemical change takes place in the actual fibers of the wood under treatment. Methylolurea in solution enters the wood structure. In the course of drying it gradually reacts with itself and with the components of the wood, first to form insoluble but fusible products. Given sufficient time or heat, the reaction is completed and an infusible product results. If the wood is subjected to Not only does this multiply the uses for which wood may be used in building and furniture manufacture, but opens possibilities for its use of conditions under pressure, humidity and moisture that formerly only metals and plastics could satisfy. Also, the decorative value tf many woods can be vastly enhanced. And fast growing species of trees, use of which was formerly limited, tfen now be grown like crops to replace the slower growing varieties. These facts were revealed resufficient heat and pressure while cently by Dr. J. F. T. Berliner of the resin is still in the fusible stage, the ammonia department of E. I. du the resin will melt, flow and allow Pont de Nemours and company, who the wood to compress. This treatrecently told a group of scientists ment converts the resin to the final about and writers the development infusible form, maintaining the wood of the chemical called methylolurea, the reagent which transforms the inner structure of wood into new substances. The chemicals used in this process cost only 3 cents to 4 cents per board foot treated, although the cost of equipment and labor will add to that figure in producing the new product. For the average veneer the cost of chemicals used amounts to of a cent per less than square foot. This development assumes unusual significance in view of recent efforts of the department of agriculImpregnating apparatus in the Du Pont experimental laboratories is ture to bring about a new realiza- rather simple. The wood is placed in the horizontal cylinder. The overtion of the potential importance of head tank contains the solution of methylolurea, which flows down and the woodlot to the farmer. John F. impregnates the fibers of the wood. A vacuum is first created in the Preston, U. S. soil conservation cylinder, then pressure. service, estimated a few weeks ago that the income to farmers from harder than the hardest tropical in the dimension resulting from the farm woodlands could be increased woods. The compressive strength of press. Thus, treated wood may be comto $500,000,000 a year, or more. The wood is so increased, and other to produce a stable, exa in fact that pressed discovery of the Du Pont chemists properties imparted, can which tremely hard, dense product with a may considerably raise this esti- new material is created, wood. transmuted called be By consolidated closed surface requirmate. d this ing no filling, sanding or polishing. species process, Income from Woodlot. on your own of woods that It is possible to apply moderate grow Farmers are interested in wood- woodlot can be made as useful as sufficient to compress and pressures lands not only as sources of income scarcer the many varieties, consolidate costlier, only the surface or outer with which to pay taxes, buy seed, of which are imported from distant zone of the treated wood to produce lands. a hard finish. If polished or emWont Warp or Shrink. bossed platens are used, these Furniture made from the trans- finishes can be reproduced on the muted wood can be shipped through- surface of the wood. As far as is out the world to humid tropics or now known, the treatment does not dry areas with assurance that it will have any adverse effect on the not warp, swell or shrink. A built-i- n gluing and finishing characteristics finish is imparted so that scratches of the wood. Flame resistance is may be removed by simply smooth- improved, and the wood is also more ing and rubbing. By mixing dyes resistant to fungi, rot and pest inwith the impregnating chemicals, festation. d But from experiments made in Du pine may be given the color of cherry, mahogany or Pont laboratories, it appears certain ebony; or the wood may be made that a process has been developed green, purple or any bright color which will give new value to the trees standing on every farm wood-lo- t. throughout. Veneers sufficiently treated beThat should give an impetus to come requiring no reforestation of many marginal adhesive to be formed into ply- farms, bringing back a woodland woods, since het and pressure fuse the product into a hard, dense subTop Compressed treated wood stance. Even sawdust, shavings and becomes very hard and dense. The similar woodwastes may be moulded three balsa blocks in the picture into articles with dyes incorporated. were all originally the same size, pronounced Methylolurea but the second and third from the is compounded by addleft have been subjected to heavy ing urea to dimethylolurea. Both mapressure. The thinnest, at the right, terials are white and soluble in is now harder than any known wood, water. They are produced from amand 10 times as heavy as the origi- monia, carbon dioxide and methnal balsa. Balsa is one of the soft- anol, which are synthesized from est and lightest woods known. coal, air and water. Urea results Below Remarkable resistance of from the reaction of ammonia and treated wood to warping is shown carbon dioxide. Formaldehyde, by this test, the result of which is which is derived from methanol, Treated wood doesnt swell while pictured. Two strips of veneer, one condenses with urea to form treated and one untreated, were dimethylolurea. wet, or shrink when dry. In this same placed on wet towel. The untreated These chemicals are being pro- test, two dowels of exactly the brass fitted with were while the curled diameter impregbut strip up, duced cheaply on a large scale, off. Then nated remained flat. are under allocation by the war pro- rings that would just slip for about were soaked dowels duction board. Small quantities for the shoes, clothes and put up buildings, tests, 24 hours. It was found that the Mr. Preston said, but also as investigation and preliminary without obtained be ring on the treated dowel would slip can means of building up wood re- however, the war off as easily as before, but the unserves to create an income balance formal allocation. After treated dowel was so swollen that be obtained. large quantities can wheel. We might call it an the ring could not be removed. be may The equipment required woodbin. Farm forestry has most of the quite simple. In fact, will conserve long served such a purpose in Euronow used in impregnating cover to the soil that apparatus the lessen and pean countries. rainfall danger of wood with various substances, such Originally there were 913 million as creosote and flameproofing floods. acres of forest land in this country, The scientists who perfected this with but 60 per cent of this was converted chemicals, can be adapted say there are in the United process alterations. into farms, and farms now occupy minor some fifty species of tree now Because of shorter treating pe- States fully half of the land area of the industrial for used purposes, and scale equipsmaller United States. The move now is riods, however, used. An ingenious nearly 1,000 types for which no pracbe can to reconvert much of this cleared ment found, largely bemechanic who understood the prin- tical use has been land to farm woodlands. With this new softness. of their cause could new rig process On farms today, 12,500,000 acres ciples of the the to very soft applied equipment from elements on magic all to the be added now can mostly abandoned fields and gul- up chemists woods, the lies are suitable only for refores- hand in most plants, which will help to make resources tation. Of this large acreage, only declare. a victorious postwar America someEquipment Simple. 15 per cent is in the south. Sixty chamber a is thing like the dream which the techAll that is required per cent is in the central region - nicians have envisaged. necesthe of withstanding between Iowa and Missouri on the capable two-tent- THE CHEERFUL CHERUB hs near-at-han- And when it Artificially Bred . Stock Often Better to comes obstacle s It simply oes rovncl Plan to Restore European Herds Postwar Europes barnyard babies may never get to see their fa- thers. Test-tub- e livestock breeding may, in fact, solve the problem of quickly rebuilding depleted herds and flocks in the regions, acthis week to issued a report cording by the American Foundation for Animal Health. This method of livestock breeding which was first developed on a broad scale in Russia, has already been used extensively in this country. To Europe it offers the advantage of avoiding the delays and transportation difficulties which would be involved in shipping breeding animals from this country to the reclaimed battle areas. Instead, male germ cells of various species of farm animals could be collectecb-ir- f this country, flown by fast planes to Europe, and used to fertilize cows, mares, and ewes of the devastated countries. Experiments by American veterinarians have shown that male germ cells for breeding purposes can be kept active and potent for as long as 130 hours in transit, at a temperature of 40 degrees. For such shipment, the semen is diluted with egg yolk and mineral salts. In this form enough for breeding thousands of farm animals could be flown to Europe in a single plane. Already Widely Used. This practice of artificial insemination is already widely used in the United States. In many areas, groups of dairy farmers have banded together and formed cooperative organizations acquiring the use of high quality bulls and the services of trained veterinarians, thje latter supervising the breeding animals and doing the inseminating. In this way, hundreds of herds in an area are able to utilize a proven sire of a type which would be beyond the financial reach of the average farm- WNU Features. war-devastat- ed CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT CHICKS FOR SALE WHITE LEGHORN SPECIALISTS Over 30 years production of superior chicks. A 100 pure, top ranking, money making Leghorn strain. Straight run, $14.00, or pullet chicks, $28 00 per hundred or cockeqd chicks, $5.00 per hundred. Volume discount. Order now. Write for factual folder. & HATCHERY GRAHAM FARM PULLET Hayward, Calif. OFFICE EQUIPMENT WE BUT AND SELL Office Furniture, Files. Typewriters. Add. Machines. Safes, Cash Registers. lng SALT LAKE DESK EXCHANGE SB West Broadwsy. Salt Lake City, Utah. Used Cars Trailers 0ULOOLQBJLES rfi.i SUV .CARS. TRADE: USED SEU ' ) Rapidly Growing Yeast Few forms of plant life approach yeast in its ability to grow. When given sufficient food and air and kept at a temperature of 86 degrees F., any quantity of yeast will increase in weight more than 2,000 times in 24 hours. er. Carefully kept records of various artificial breeding associations show xoiuri UASIST MUR At UK that this test tube method may be actually more efficient than natural Sabs Dive Under Equator methods, producing a higher perof it has Also, centage conceptions. Submarines, according to navy been shown that some of the test-tub- e custom, never cross the equator. heifers become better milk pro- They always dive under it. ducers than their mothers. Just how practical this applicaDONT LET tion may be to postwar Europes needs is indicated by the fact that a cow in Argentina was recently bred SLOW YOU UP to a bull in Maryland, by the test-tub- e When bowels are sluggish and you method. feel irritable, headachy, do as millions CONSTIPATION do chew chewing-guFEEN-A-MIN- FEEN-A-MIN- the modem laxative. Simply chew before you go to bed, m T taking only in accordance with package directions sleep without being disturbed. Next morning gentle, thorough relief, helping you feel swell again. Try Tastes good, is handy and economical. A generous family supply light-colore- FEEN-A-MIN- T. FEEll-fl-Mlim- S self-bondin- g, meth-il-ol-ur- ever-norm- al rMMrMOs Do You Hate HOT FLASHES? 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