The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-05-26
THE YELLOW PINE AGE.
Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.


Georgia pine has come to be
very fashionable wood for interior
decoration, and is constantly grow
ing in popularity as building ma
teriaI. Ii has always been the
main building staple in The South,
but not until recent years has the
beauty of The natural wood when
oiled and polished come so promi-
nenlly into public favor.
But now ii seems that the pine
is 10 have new commercial value
from the finding of certain com
missions and the report from Off
cial sources concerning its adapta-
billiy not only as a building mate
rial, bul for use in the conslruc-
ton of many Implements Tor
which oak, ash ami hickory have
heretofore been considered indls.
pensable.
The commission of arborculiure
of Harvard College was commits
stoned by the government few
years ago to conduct some careful
experiments with a view to ascer.
tanning the comparative qualities
and behavior OF ,he principle wood
used in manufacturing. testing
them under various kinds of
strains with scientific apparatus
capable recording exact results.
The apparatus used for The pnr-
pose is located at Water,own Ar
senal. and cost the government
over $l5O,0O0. With this machin-
cry, specimens of wood thorough
ly seasoned, from different paris Of
The trees, were tested with results
which have been noted ior the
benefit OF the public.
Commenting upon this the Man
chester On, II J Union says ''The
long leaf yellow pine, il was found,
is The peer Of any wood for gener'
al purposes, and particularly icI
structures. machines, implements
ETC., subjec, to great lead tran.
verse strain, and could, therefore,
be substituted for oak and ash foi
many purposes for which these
woods have been specially EN-
ployed on account OF their sup
posed superiority in tins respect
In the report of the chiet Of the di
vision of The United States depart
ment of agriculture for 1891, it i
stated, "that the long leaf yelo,
pine is superior wherever strength
and durability are required )" tha
sin textile strength it approaches
and may surpass cast ir0n," an
that ''in cross breaking strength j
rivals the oak, requiring 1000
pounds per square inch to break il
, while in stiffness it is superior t.
The oak from 80 to 100 per cent.
! The Harvard College authorit
, says further, that contrary to th'
/, general belief, "lhe tapping of tn
pine for lurpenline was found, b.
! a large number of tests made TN
! der direction of he division, no
l to weaken but to strengthen th'
t timber in cross breaking, and L
!. increase its stiffness"
. These findings should give ne,
value TO the pine lands of th
I South, and the day may YET com
. when the man who considere'
. himself "land poor" and regarded
his pine timber valuable only 70
;. firewood and rails shall find min
I self made rich by what he belle,
, ed almost an incumbrance on III
ground. 1t used to be the cas-
3 when A tract of land was more {
less valuable in proportion to til
amount Of "cleared land" it col
: tanned and The acres which had a
the thinner cleared of were wort
u more than those which were CO.
! cred with pine. II IS possible tn;
!. before a great while our peop
will look at this question in dl
y ierent light,