Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-30
SOUTHERN PINERIEs,
What Keeps Down the Prices of Rosil

Correspondence OF the Morning Nesos
Travelling as some of US do every winter
through the pine regions of the South, we
must observe the great havoc made by the
constant inroads of the mill men and tur-
pentiners on the virgin forests of this sec
ton of our country. The Carolinas have
already been shorn of all in reach of trans
portation, and Georgia, Florida and Ala
bama are following suit with still greater
rapidity. Between the saw of the mill
man and the ak of the turpentlner mat
tiers seem to be going from bad to worse.
Every one tries to make up for low prices
by an increase in productiOn. This might
be wise policy if the producers were able
to hold their products until prices favored
them, but unfortunately many cannot do
so; hence, the markets are glutted, and
producers find that instead of being enG-
bled thereby to wade out they are daily
getting into deeper water. The lumber
question the writer does not propose to
canvass, but would suggest for the mu-
tual interest of all concerned that, where
practicable, to rent the round pine lands
to turpentiners ahead of the saw, at least
for two years, if no more; and we would
also like to draw the attention of turpen-
tine producers to the cut-thrOat policy
many of them are following OF
putting every dollar they can
raise every winter into new
boxes, tor il works a double injury to
them If they but knew tin the first place
by making an excess of fine rOSin over the
worlds needs, thereby lowering its real
market value, and secondly running the
market for low and medium grades made
from the second and third years dip and
scrape. ii less virgin rosin is produced
every one is aware that the prices for the
same will range higher, and give low
and medium grades chance
to advance and fill up the
gap. The soap makers who are
the principal consumers of fine and me-
dunn grades always fall back on the low
er grades as the finer grades advance in
price. In former years, before the inn
prOvement took place in straining rOsin
through cotton batting, soap makers were
satisfied if they could get Tosin as clean
and well maze as the medium and number
two grades OF to-day, but finding fine rosin
flooding the markets of the South for the
past few years at prices lower than they
formerly paid for the medium grades, it
was natural they should give the finer
grades the preference. But make fine
grades scarce awhile and you viii see the
whole soap trade Of the world taking hold
OF medium grades again at good prices.
Everyone familiar with the manufac-
ture Of laundry soaps is aware Of the fact
that the trade prefers pale soaps. All
soap made with r0sin has about the same
paleness when fir t made, but, as it ages
takes on the color of the rOsin aud greases
it is made from, for TOsin becomes |
vegetable grease or oil when subjected TO
the action Of the alkalies used while |
manufacturing 1t into soap. So work
your second and third year farms, and
don't cut boxes on borrowed capital. A
few months hence in the coming year
would soon show the wisdom Of this
course, for the shortage would also ad-
vance the price OF spirits turpentine,
which is the most sensitive of ali products,
and when sold below 30 cents per gallon
entails q positive loss to the producer.
Manufacturers using spirits turpentine
often remark to the writer that they pre-
fer to see prices ranging from 80 cents to
10 cents in the primary markets, as lower
prices demOraliZe their own trade.
Perhaps factors are partly to blame for
the present condition Of naval stores. If
they discouraged advancing on new boxes
1t would soon repay them by advancing
the prices Of the products of the Old farms,
thereby enabling distillers to pay up past
advances. Hence, ali new investments In
that direction do factors more harm than
good.