American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-12-16
California's Wealth in Timber.

An enterprise has been begun in Cal.
ifornia which promises to add immense
ly to the wealth of the State, and at the
same time to afford employment to
from 500 to LOGO people. A brief al
fusion was made in my correspondence
from Plumas, Butte and Tehama Coun-
ties to the immense resources which
California possesses in the extensive
forests of pine, spruce and fir which
belt the slopes of the Sierra Nevada.
1t is question, which after years will
only demonstrate, whether this vast
tract of timber country or the precious
metals stored away in the bowels of the
earth on the sides of the mountains, will
produce more material wealth to the
State. Both are. enormous, both but
little known, and still less developed.
For nearly 100 miles in length, in the
counties of Plumas, Butte, Tehama and
Shasta the slopes of the Sierra are COW
cred with q growth of timber of the va
rieties before mentioned; tall, stately
trees, to the height of from 80 to 1926
feet, with a diameter at the base of
from six to nine and ten feet. II the
pine and fir of this region do not reach
the majestic proportions of the Sequo-,
sra gsgantea found in Mariposa, Gala
veras, Fresno and more southerly
sections Of the State, they attain an ex-
traordinary size and are perhaps more
valuable as articles of commerce and
for administering to the wants of man.
This belt of timber land before describ-
ed varies in width from twenty to forty
miles, according to the spurs of the
mountain chains. OF this area Of coun-
try, considerably more than one-hah is
occupied with timber which can be
manufactureds into understandable lum-
Der. The remainder consists of scrub
timber and cord wood, and at intervals
occur those valleys or basins of tillable
land and meadows met with on the
western slope of the Sierra. The best
timber is found at an altitude of from
three Thousand five hundred to six thou
sand feet, up to the snow line. Until
. comparatively recent period nothing
but the very fringe of this timber coun-
try was explored. No use was made of
these magnificent forest trees which
abounded in such quantities, except
where they happened to be located near
q mining camp; and then only such
small parts were felled as were neces-
sary for the purposes of snoring up
tunnels or other mining work, or for
fuel. This whole tract of coun-
Try, with its wonderful sugar pine,
yellow pine, spruce and fir, was re-
garded as comparatively worthless. 1t is
only recently that the light began to
dawn upon our lumbermen, that Cali
Iornia had within its own borders, ly-
ing neglected, a class of timber
equal to any imported from the East
Ior the manufacture of flooring, doors
and window sashes. The well known |
and useful redwood was supposed to
the valuable lumber resources |
# the State. To Register of the
Land Office at Shasta belongs the cred
t of introducing sugar pine into the
lumber market of California. And he
,ame very near losing money by the
venture and getting laughed at for his
mbecility in believing that the sugar
md yellow pine were useful to the lum-
,erman and mechanic. For the first
Dad of sugar pine he sent to Sacra-
nento he could find no immediate pur-
chaser. and had to wait months before |
lie could dispose of his goods. Bat
When once TIED by carpenters for the
inside work of dwelling houses, its ad-
nirable qualities were apparent, and
ugar pine lumber was pronounced
hyperion for that purpose to any other
lind of timber.-Red Bluff (Cal.) Cor.
San Francisco Bulletin.