Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-03
THE ruRpENT1NE INDUSTRY.
A Few Facts Bearing Upon the soAu-
ton of a Great PrOblem-The EVIL OF
Decentralization and the Remedy TO
be Applied.

Over-Production and the Remedy to
be Applied.
Editor Morning Neles: / have READ
with special interest the articles on the
above subject. that have from time to time
appeared in your columns, and while IN
clined to agree with the principal conclu-
sions of the writer's, it nevertheless ap-
| pears to me that they have overlooked
few facts of very important bearing on
the ultimate solution Of the economic
problem involved. To supply these SEEM
| inglv omitted features Of the situation has
been my aim in preparing what follows;
The Weld OF spirits of turpentine, rosin,
| etc. products of our native pine forest,
| deserves after all to be considered from
other than a purely commercial point OF
view. In summing up the pros ana cons
of the question, we should by no means
forget that this industry sustains toward
| the arts and trades of our modern CIVIL
cation a relation of mOmentOus import
ance Indeed. so invaluable is the pro-
ductiOn. so we'll is it adapted to our pres
ent wants. that at present nothing IS
known which could replace II, were IL
suddenly withdrawn from our commerce.
1t is therefore an article of modern ne
cessity: but this necessity gives rise only
to limited demand, nor is it perceptibly
enhanced by production. which at
present seems to be the prevailing evil.
If we assign to spirits Of turpentine an
importance in the arts and trades equal
to that of the oils, ETC., commonly USED IN
combination with it as paint-Vehlcles and
for other similar purposes, we nave goOd
reason for naming price for the spirits,
exceeding the market value of these oils,
inasmuch as the latter are produced from
seeds. of annual growth, and the supply
! is capable of increase at any time, and
practically unlimited, while the former
| is really limited in realization lit cannot
be properly termed production }, as we
shall endeavOr to show further on; and
! turpentine is not merely not OF annual
reproduction, but not liable to be replaced
| by ANYTHING which is so reproduced.
| The facts of the case can evidently be
| obtained in no better way than by enter
| ing into careful analysis of the sources
whence turpentina and It's analogues are
! derived. A mental glance at the area OF
productive pine forests OF the world VIII
| show how limited are the means OF supply
| i'm proportion to the varied uses for which
! that valuable material is at present de-
| manded.
The pine forest of the United States.
am informed by reliable authority, eX-
tends on the Atlantic coast from the north
ern border of North Carolina to the south
! ern limits Of Alabama, with width vary
! inc from 60 or so to 100 miles. There is
also a small forest of turpentine produc-
| inc trees in Mississippi and Arkansas,
and perhaps narrow fringe along the
! Gulf through Louisiana and Texas, but
! insignificant both in extent and practlcal
| yield.
Outside of the United States, there is,
! am informed, small forest in Central
! America. and several of more Importance
! N. oil ET1rn
| countries. though commercially OF less
\ value than our North American variety.
! The pine of these forests Is not freely pro-
| ductive. and spirits can only be obtained
! by an expenditure of labor not in any way
! consistent with the present prices. These
! sources of supply have consequently
| purely local value. The American COM
| monty hears of the European tufpenClnes
| for the first time when he swallows some
variety of them as an infallible cure, pro
! tenn. for some incurable malady. The
| chan kind was 4 specific for consump-
ton last year. l may add it is not so con-
! sidered now.
/ The rosin and turpentine BUSH
ness first assumed commercial pro-
| portions in this country about 20
i years ago: and | believe, to Amer
| lea is due the honor of Introducing splr-
! its Of turpentine, and its kindred pro-
! ducts. to the worlds notice as an article
| of commerce. The demand at that time
was of course quite limited, and probably
! depended to a large extent upon the price
| of the article. But the yearly yield in
creased in quantity, and the price was
! brought down. until finally it came within
! the reach Of all, and cheap enough to per-
| nit its use for every purpose to which It
/ was applicable. Thus the maximum OF
! the worlds demand for the article has
| been practically ascertained, and any
/ production beyond such present necessl-
| ties must be pronounced waste:
| The production Of the spirits Tor the
! present year. it is believed, Will be about
/ 800. O0O casks, while the annual demand
/ for the same from the whole civilized
/ world is estimated at not over 100000
| casks, or quantity equal to last years
production, thus leaving an Over-produc-
| ton of from 900 to $4,000 casks for the
present year; and of course this surplus
powerfully operates to keep down prices;
yet the same system goes on.
1t is worth while to remember that
while the industry has risen 10 these pro-
portions within the last quarter OF a CEN
| tury. within the same space OF time
nearly one-halt of the magnificent yellow
pine belt of the United States has been
| worked over, and at the present rate of
extraction, with the gradually increasing
demand always anticipated by the yearly
| surplus, which is more or less waste.
| the natural resources in this country must
be exhausted within the next twenty or
| twenty-five years. The result OF this eX-
| haustiOu will naturally be the withdrawal
| of this valuable substance from the arts
| and trades and from commerce; since the
worlds supply will then be exhausted,
and can be renewed no more, on the basis
| with which we are now familiar.
The turpentine producing pine forest of
this country is a natural product, indt-
genOus to the soil; as it came first into the
| light fresh from the waves of the receding
waters, These trees cannot be cultivated;
| they do not grow where the agricultural
| implements OF modern civilization have
| torn their native soil. Old and worn out
fields cannot be planted with them with
any hope of success. Our wonderful
natural pine forests are therefore doomed
to destruction, and with them must fall
| the turpentne industry, which, as if
these facts were not evident, is at present
carried on in a lamentably reckless and
wasteful manner.
The exhaustion of the forests means the
| failure of two Of our great sources Of local
wealth, viz: yellow pine lumber and
naval stores as the rosins, etc, are gen.
orally called }, thus putting an end to the
side resources by which the dull season is
/ at present ''tided over'' in Savannah and
similar places.
| Whence the evil? and what the remedy?
The evil is not hidden far from the sight
| of those who wish to have it in their
power to check this waste of wealth, but
| the remedy evades the grasp. There are
| too many RichmOnds in the field. Too
many are tempted to embark in the manu-
! facture of turpentine by the desire to
! make money, combined with a knowledge
of the business, and Of the absence of re-
| qusite information on the subject on the
! part of the land-Owning element in the
| country concerning the true values in
volved. Many of those thus engaged,
though hardly making a living, flatter
| themselves that they are doing quite as
! well as at any other enterprise they could
| engage in; therefore the remorseless de-
| struction is continued to the detriment of
| all, the benefit of none, and the certain
| and not distant ruin of our resources.
| The farmer or land owner has been
| taught to hook on his pine trees as Of lit
| tie or no value. This impression, coupled
with the fact that every effort is made to
! convince him that boxing the trees does
not injure the TIMBER induces him to lead
his consent to the devastating enterprise
/ for the sake of the emOluments accruing
| therefrom. Labor, cheap in comparison
with the profits and local advantages, as
| sumed or real, are not without their intu-
| ence in extending the evil.
This remedy, then, remains to be found.
| The worlds demand being no more than
| 270. 900 or 100000 casks per annum, no
| more should be made in one year. This is
| the cardinal principle. How the over
| production is to be checked rests with