TREE CHANGES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21456, 1 April 1933, Page 6 (Supplement)

TREE CHANGES

SOME MODERN MIRACLES

Already trees are being turned into stockings and socks, neckties, underwear, and other clothes of what is called artificial silk; and most of ua know that every newspaper and magazine and almost all books are made of wood pulp from the spruce forests of North America, Russia, and Scandinavia. Fewer realise, however. that the " enamel " on the new car, the handles of " ivory " knives and forks and piano keys, films for the camera, tho " ebony " on tho back of hair-brnshes, the "amber" of beads, and the " tortoisesliell " of combs, not to mention the navy's gun " cotton." are but ingeniously treated cellulose obtained from trees". Sugar from sawdust is now possible; there are five ways of carrying the process into effect. It seems almost certain that before long sawdust glucose-sugar will be a practical commercial proposition. Already it has been found possiblo to make 651b. of it from 1001b. of sawdust. As the world needs about three million tons of glucose-sugar a year, and, according to the chemists, 20 per cent of all the timber cut in the world is wasted as sawdust and firewood, the significance of this new source of supply is obvious.