Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-03-28
Our Pine Forests.

A late dispatch ia the GAZETTE
noted the presence at one of The towns
i'm Eastern Texas of II number OF cap'-
talists from Michigan, VINO were look
ing to an investment In the plneries oil
that part of the state. They wished
to secure large trnct OF pine land'
upon which they proposed to put up
the latest perfected lumber mills and
get rich on their products.
Not many years ago the pine lands
of Eaet Texas were without value.
The demand for lumber, 1t was
thoupht was too remote for their util-
ization. They might be valuable after
awhile, people said, but that time was
far Of, and they would not wait. But
the demand came sooner than IL was
looked for. and the worthless pine
lands began 10 look up. Railroads
were built through them, ard saw
mills put to work, The growth OF
West Texas and the springing up OF
scores of towns in the newly deVel-
oped regions made heavy drafts on the
resources of the pine-tree districts, and
lumber production became staple
and leading industry. From being
looked upon as worthless, the pine
lands are now the most valuable in
the state, not for the land alone, but
for the richness Of building material.
Western and Northwestern TeXos
IL bare of building timber, and
! the pineries Of the eastern part
of the state will be its source
OF supply. Western and Northwestern
Texas Is just beginning to grow.
From Fort Worth to El Paso, with
the Panhandle on its northern hand,
is u stretch of country an empire in
vastness and in possibilities. More
than 100 GOO square miles of territory
is nude Of timber, and just beginning
to want lumber. No other part of The
country capable Of supplying that
want is SO accessible rs Fast Texas
and East Texas must meet the de-
mand. As West TeXts grows, East
Texas must furnish the lumber to
house her increasing population. The
railroads that are projected through
these treeless districts will be built and
create new towns in every county,
and WHY old towns with the inn
pulse Of business. These all swell the
demand upon the pine trees, and
lumuer-producing machinery must be
increased to keep up with the de-
mand. with every saw-mill added,
the drain becomes greater, the trees
fewer, the competition mercer, and
the value of the pine lands more and
more enhanced. These Michigan cap
italists understand all this better than
we do, !or they have the eNpei ience o
the Northwestern states TO teacl
them. There, regions MS rich in ium
Der pine IA East Texas are being fas
, exhausted, and 1t does not re
quire prescience to ioresce the deforest
alton of the pine regions. With n lill
, demand for lumle r tie same condi
/ tlons must come TO rass In the South
and IL Is with this knowledge in min,
/. that Northern men are shrewdly buy
: ing up the only lands In Texas whicl
are able 10 supply lumber, They ca
: control the mprlS,t hen they ohtai
: possession Of The iinsrles, for. they ar
5 nearer to the market and freight rate
i will lie less than from more dlstan
t lumber regions Our native capitalist
G seem not have perceived this source {
E wealth, and ARE allowing II to be take
= up 10y others, who will donude tn
country Of Its timber and enjoy tn
profits.