The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-12-06
to the time of the year at which the
sap is gathered
GEORGIA PINE.

10 the Time or the year at which the
sap is gathered.
GEORGIA PINE
The Georgia pine forests are fast be-
ing cut away. There are big saw mills
here and at different points through
out the lumber regions. l visited yes
tefday cypress mill, which ships vast
quantities OF shingles all over the
north, and in which the great cypress
logs are carried IN by4machinery at one
end and cefne out at the other in the
shape OF finished boards and shingles
The saws used are what are known as
band saws, which work like a band of
leaIher and cut their way straight
through the logs with hardly a seconds
cessation. They cut faster than the
gang Saws which are SO largely used
Ia the northern lumber regions and are
the latest Improvement in the saw line.
This l find to be the case with all the
machinery of the South The big es-
Establishments have the newest designs
and the best of labor saving tools. The
fact that labor is cheap does not lead
them to use the old methods and the
man whe expects to sell old machinery
to the South will fail
A great quantity of Georgia cypress
Is now being gotten out. Much of that
Of the future will come from the Okee-
finokee swamp, which is now being re-
deemed. This swamp is, with the prob
able exception of the Dismal swamp,
the largest in the United States. 1t has
vast quantities Of good timber. and
when the present improvements are
completed it will be one Of the most
valuable agricultural parts of the state.
Today 1t is to a large extent a terra
incognito. Some parts of it are as
dense as the jungles of India It is
filled with quagmires. 1t contains all
sorts of snakes, and there are aligators
IL,
muddy waters. 1t has some islands.
upon which the soil is so rich that the
finest crops of cotton, sugarcane and
rice can be grown. and there are indi-
cations that a short distance below the
surface of the swamp there are i'm
mense coal beds. The timber will be
one of the most valuable products Of
this region. and 1t will probably soon
be thrown upon the market.
HOW LUMBER Is BOUGHT.
At present the lumber of Georgia is
{ one of the most valuable properties of
the state. The long leafed pine. or
Georgia yellow pine, still left is worth
millions of dollars. and this lumber
furnishes the bulk of the freight car
ried on many Of the railroads. Many
of the lumber men are getting rich by
buying these forests and shipping tim
Der to the North They buy the woods
build railroads to get the timber out.
Their agents first go through the coun-
try and take options on the property
! they want. If they meet man who
will not sell they may run their rail-
road just to his estate and then stop:
or they may get him to sell them
right of way through it, which he does.
thinking sooner or later they will be
obliged to purchase at his price. After
they have gotten out their own timber.
they tell the man that IL he does not
come to terms they will take up the
railroad In some cases he refuses,
and. 7 am told, that such roads have
been torn up, leaving man with a
small lot of timber a long distance
| from any line of railroad. Much of the
! timber which comes here is cut by log
gers in the winter and f1oated down
! when the rivers are high by the early
spring rains The Southern lumber
men have not the advantage of the
SHOWS over which to draw the logs, as
is the custom in the North. The logs
are either dragged by OK teams OF
raised UP between the wheels or
curious wagon which is used In lumber
ing here, and thus hauled under the
axIes of the wagon to the streams.
OUR LUMBER GIVING OUT.
1T is hard to realize how fast the
lumber Of the United States is being
consumed. Nearly every country OF
Europe has some laws for the preser>
walton of it's forests. We have prac-
tically none It is true that some of
the states have passed acts for thu
preservation Of forests and small
amount Of forests has been set aside
by the national government. These
reservations are however compare.
lively small. and the probability Is
that we Will at nc very distant day be