Because of the insatiable appetites of our large newspaper printing presses and because a newspaper is not intended to be an imperishable document but a fleeting record of passing events, quality is of little importance in the preparation of pulp for newsprint and everything must be sacrificed for speed. The pulp is made of “ground” wood as distinguished from the chemically prepared wood pulp known as “sulphite.” The wood is first stripped of its bark and then cut into pieces running from two to four feet in length, depending upon the size of the magazine of the grinder. The wood is pressed against a revolving grindstone by hydraulic pressure and at such an angle that the fibers torn off will be as long as possible. The fibers are borne off by a stream of water which carries them through a set of screens. These remove any unground slivers, and eventually the pulp is drained of water and pressed into laps, or, if it is to be used immediately, it goes directly to the beating engine. Here it is mixed with a certain amount of “sulphite pulp,” usually from 20 to 25 per cent. To correct the yellowish color of the pulp, a small amount of blue and red coloring is added. To give body to the paper from 5 to 15 per cent of clay is mixed into the pulp and, to bind the fibers together and give the paper a finish that will be at least partly nonabsorbent, a quantity of rosin and soda ash is added with enough alum to precipitate the rosin upon the fibers. The beater thoroughly mixes the mass of material and converts it into a fluid of the consistency of thin milk, which then passes on to the Fourdrinier machine. GETTING DOWN TO THE “BONES” OF THE WOOD Paper made from ground wood pulp soon discolors and becomes brittle owing to the presence of the lignin and resin of the tree. The superiority of sulphite pulp is due to the fact that chemical processes are used to remove these disturbing ingredients, leaving only the “bones” of the tree, that is, the pure cellulose fiber. Spruce wood is usually used and after being freed of its bark and thoroughly cleaned, all knots are cut out and it is sawed into short lengths which are then split and cut up into little chips from ¼ to ½ inch long. These chips are boiled under pressure in a solution of sulphur dioxide and slaked lime. The “digesters” in which the chips are boiled are large steel cylinders lined with brick set in cement and coated with litharge and glycerin, so as to prevent the sulphite liquor from coming into contact with the metal. A steam pressure of seventy to eighty pounds is maintained for eight to ten hours and then the digesters are discharged into vats. The sulphite liquor in which the resinous matter is dissolved is drained away and the pulp is washed.