The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-06-04
FORESTRY T


Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
IMPROVEMENT IN THE LUMBER MANNN
It is frequently said that the lror
trade NAV be taken as an index 70 the
prosperity of the country, and IL Is also
true that the condition OF the Iumoel
market in a Measure indicates WIN q
considerable degree OF accuracy tne
general outlook for business
The Southern States occupy an IN,
croosinolv important position in both
these Industries, and it is encouraging
to note the fact that both the iron and
I1nobor markets indicate something OF
q return to activity. Concerning the
latter the Northeastern L"mbeTman'
. rocopnized authority on the subject
in its issue of May 4th says:
sTike a heavily laden vessel whlcn
hoe toiled through a dubious ana lnGrI
cote channel, all the time IN danger Oh
founding or striking sunken ROCKS,
sandbars, or jutting headlands, but
which at length sails forth on the
spreading and profound deep, SO the
lumber business of the country seems
to be waiting into a smoother and
ampler sea of prosperity.
1.-The ushering n OF May brings al
most universal assurance that b
period of extreme depression has Deen
passed. From nearly every leading
market this week come reports of IN.
creased demand and Frightening pros
pects. These conditions are emphasized
bv the general uprising in industrial
- .o.ao-AS1n nntTuItU all 0VHF G06
country"
The same paper also notes as one OF
the evidences that the lumber business
of the country is approaching renewed
prosperity, the charging demand for
Southern pine and the recent advance
in prices.
In Texas, a recent large order for
railway timber was placed at an ad-
vanceo of 81 so per thousand over values
which PREVAILED during the winter, and
at a recent largely attended meeting in
Memphis, of the yellow pine manufac-
turers, it was decided in that region to
advance the price of yellow pine by
from 30 cts. to 81 90 per thousand feet.
Concerning the market for hard
woods, the Lumberman further says:
Parallel with the rising tide of
movement in the softer woods, hard
lumber for manufacturing and finish
ing purposes is coming into better con-
dition. From st. Louis, Philadelphia,
Buffalo and other points come reports
of increasing demand and strengthen
ing prices.
Quarter sawed oak in particular,
has lost none of the gain it made dur
ing the winter. The expectation of
dealers that the opening OF spring
would be accompanied by q supply too
large for the maintenance of prices has
not been realized. The demand con-
tinues equal to the supply, and values
are firm"
During the past few years through
out the entire country, but especially
in the Southern States, a large proper
ton of the lumber has been sawed by
small mills scattered through the forest
region; but, all along there has been a
tendency, and this tendency is still the
prevailing one, towards the establish
ment of larger plants operated with
large capital; and doubtless in the near
future these large plants will replace
the small mills almost entirely, the
larger mill concerns forming companies
for the handling Of stock and the main
tenance of prices.
THE LUMBER TRADE IN NORTH CAROLINA
is deserving Of careful consideration.
1t has been growing rapidly during the
past few decades; and already serious
inroads have been made on our forest
supplies.
Our timber trade is developing along
much of the same line as that in other
Southern States, except that we are
making larger uses of the loblolly and
sap pine, which is indeed now known
on the market as North Carolina pine
For many years much of our timbe,
has been shipped out of the State in tn,
log to be manufactured elsewhere. Il
the northeastern counties many thou
sands of logs are annually shipped t
Norfolk and to other points to be pu
through the cav mill and the planin
mill, and in the Western counties of tn
State, many thousands of hard WOO
logs are annually foated down tn
streams into Tennessee. This custor
results in great loss to the State, an
there appears to be no way to proven
it except by encouraging the locatio
of saw mills planning mills and othe
manufacturing establishments With
the borders of the State, and this shout
be done in every possible way.
The value of the crude timber mr.