The lumber of the future is to lie
made of straw. It is to compete with
that of the better class, as there seems
to be no necessity of introducing knots
and shakes into ihe artificial material.
It is manufactured iu any desired
lengths, from twelve feet upward, and
as much as thirty-two inches in widtlu
The cost is such as to compete with
better or finished grades of pine, and
the locality of competition cannot vary
much, for straw is usually cheap where
lumlier is cheap. Some samples re
cently exhibited hold a nail as well as
wood, are susceptible of high finish and
can le polished to anv extent desira
ble. It is waterproof, and therefore must
be as endurable as pine or oak, while it
s as well adapted for roofing purposes
as for fine inteiior work. It is suscepti
ble of being worked by the onlinary
tools of the carpenter, and once fitted
for its place it will not lie apt to shrink
or swell. Samples resemble hard wood,
about as dark as oak, bnt more dense
in texture, with a specific gravity of
one-fifth more than thoroughly season
ed black walnut
For Crushing, it will not le required
to be as thick as ordinary lumlwr, as
its tensile strength is about double that
of wood. The fntnre will introduce a
complete chancre in building materials.
These will include a paper for doors
and window frames, floor, monldings
and roofs, elass for porches and pillars.
cornices and walls, iron for beams.joints
and rafters, with not a splinter oi wood
in the who'e construction, which will
ha replaced with straw iuraler. II
needed.
The A ctrUau Coup.
