It may be observed that the percentage of increase in the use of wood-pulp of all kinds for the decade 1899-1909 was 111.6, and of rags, 50. Approximately four and one-quarter millions tons of paper were produced in 1909, for which the fibers used figured in the following proportions: Per Cent. Wood-pulp 61.6 Old and waste papers 21.4 Rags 7.8 Straw 6.6 Manila (rope) 2.6 Of the total amount of wood fibers, the various proportions were approximately as follows: Per Cent. Ground wood 47 Sulphite pulp 42 Soda pulp 11 A further investigation as to the species of woods used shows that, while spruce is still the most important, contributing nearly 60 per cent, other woods are being increasingly used. Another noteworthy fact is the mighty increase in imports of wood-pulps, which jumped from 33,319 tons in 1899 to 307,122 tons in 1909, an amount equal to 12 per cent of all that is used in the United States. ===========================+==============+==============+============= | 1909 | 1904 | 1899 ---------------------------+--------------+--------------+------------- MATERIALS | | | Total cost | $165,442,341 | $111,251,478 | $70,530,236 | | | Pulpwood, cost | $33,772,475 | $20,800,871 | $9,837,516 Wood pulp, purchased: | | | Tons | 1,241,914 | 877,702 | 644,006 Cost | $43,861,357 | $27,633,164 | $18,369,464 Ground-- | | | Tons | 452,849 | 317,286 | 261,962 Cost | $9,487,508 | $5,754,259 | $4,361,211 Soda fiber-- | | | Tons | 154,626 | 120,978 | 94,042 Cost | $6,862,864 | $5,047,105 | $3,430,809 Sulphite fiber-- | | | Tons | 626,029 | 433,160 | 273,194 Cost | $27,184,726 | $16,567,122 | $10,112,189 Other chemical fiber-- | | | Tons | 8,410 | 6,278 | 14,808 Cost | $326,259 | $264,678 | $465,255 Rags, including cotton, | | | flax waste and sweepings: | | | Tons | 357,470 | 294,552 | 234,514 Cost | $10,721,559 | $8,864,607 | $6,595,427 Old and waste paper: | | |