The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-04
HOGS DESTROY MUCH WEALTH
DOING MUCH TO EXTERMINATE
THE LONG-LEAF PINE.

the " oOds the state Is Being
Robbed of Great Natural Source
of WeaIth-Wise Statesmanship
and Courage Needed in the Legis-
Iature to Prevent This WantOn De-
structiOn, Says Mr.. j. p. Williams.
How Two Great Industries Are
Threatened.
In the opinion of naval stores and lum-
Der men, the Georgia Legislature would
enttle itself to the everlasting gratitude
Of the public interested in the states best
welfare, if it would pass laws prohibiting
the razor back, long>snouted hog from
wandering at sweet will through the pine
forests, and making it a misdemeanor at
least, to set fire to the woods more than
once in three years.
If such laws were passed, in their opin-
ion, Georgia's lumber and naval stores re-
sources would never be exhausted. In
dustries that mean many millions of dol
lars yearly to the people of the state would
be perpetuated indefinitely, perhaps for
ever As it is, through these agencies, the
reproduction of the valuable long-leaf pine
is being largely prevented. AS a result,
great sections that have been visited by
the naval stores operators and mill men
are to-day covered with growths of the
short-leaf or lob lolly pine a practically
worthless tree in comparison with the
long-leaf pine. Sooner or later, under a
continuance of such conditions two of the
states greatest industries will
disappear AS the naval stores
products of Georgia In year
are worth probably $7500OOO and the
products of the saw-mills aggregate many
millions more in value in twelve months,
II can be appreciated what serious dis
aster this would be-
Men who are well acquainted with The
growth of the long leaf pine, and who have
worked it for many years, hold that the
theory so largely entertained by the gen
eral public that the tree will not repro
duce itself is without basis. Freed from
the destructive and comparatively worth
less hog, and saved in its infancy from
the ravages of fire, the tree will repro
duee itself abundantly and soon fill Up
the waste places caused by those who
have converted its progenitors into tur-
penune, rosin and lumber. Mr.. ]. P. VIII
lams, who has been a leading operator
and naval stores factor for over thirty
years. is firmly convinced that all that is
of the tree is 10 give it a chance for eX-
istence.
1T is the destructive spirit of man and
not the fault of nature" said he yesterday
in discussing the matter, that prevents
. second growth of the long leaf pine.
Left to itself, and not subjected to the
depredations of the hog and the wood burn
ers, il will soon occupy the waste places
and in thirty years give us a growth suit
able for the naval stores men TO work
and the saw mills to cut up for market.
If the Georgia legislature viii turn its
attention to this matter and legislate in
diligently on the subject, it will do more
for the real good of the state than any
of its predecessors have done. 1t is, s
regard it, a crime, TO go along destroy
ing the provisions made by nature for our
benefit and wantonly preventing their re-
production for the benefit Of the genera
tons that are to come after us. Through
culpabihty a 50-cent hog is allowed to des
troy young saplngs that if permitted to
grow would in the course of time reach
a value of perhaps thousands of dollars
and afford employment to many men.
When we do this, as we are doing it, with
our eyes wide open, not caring whether
this is the result or not, do not see now
we can expect TO escape the righteous
condemnation of those who are to come
after US.
"A law that would force the owners of
pine roofing hogs to keep them within
proper limits instead of allowing them to
range at the widest liberty, would do much
toward preventing the wholesale eXterml-
nation of the valuable long leaf pine All
that is needed is a little wise statesman
ship and sufficient POLITICAL and moral
courage. As 1t is now, the hogs range
through the woods, uprooung the young
aaphngs to get at the bulbs at the roofs,
which contain saccharine matter, of which
they are fond. In one day hog that
would not bring 80 cents may destroy
scores of saphngs. It's destruction may
be said to be only limited by its appetite
for the juices in the tap root have seen
lot of young saplings, green, thriving,
and with every prospect of growing to
valuable maturity, and passing by a few
days later found them uprooted and dead,
with the ground showing that the hogs
had been there and caused their death.
Such a thing should not be tolerated. In
European countries they are spending
large sums to preserve the forests they
have left and to plant new ones. Trees
are TO be used for the benefit of man, but
man should if l take the right view of ii,
reproduce as well as destroy, and especial
ly so when ali he has to do is to let nature
have a fair working chance.
over in South Carolina, where they
have a stock law continued Mr.. Viii
lams, the effect is seen in some fine sec
ond growths of the long leaf pine, demon
stratng clearly that the hog is TO be re-
garded as the first and greatest enemy of
the tree in its infancy. In sections of North
Carolina, where the naval stores industry
has been largely driven out by the des-
tructon of the trees, l have seen fields
which were enclosed grow up in a new
and fine forest of the turpentine pine. The
result would be the same in Georgia, or
anywhere else where the long leaf pine is
native.
The burning over Of the woods in the
spring time is another cause of the eXter-
mination of the long leaf pine over a large
section. To give the cattle grass it is the
custom in Georgia, and some other states,
70 fire the woods. The young saplngs,
foot or 80 high, are tender and are unable
TO stand the heat. They are burned To
death. / remember my attention being
strikingy called TO this a couple Of years
ago on "trip to Jacksonville. l noticed in