The morning news., 1898-11-15
BOX CUTTING SEASON OPENS.
OUTLOOK THAT OPERATIONS WILL
BEGIN LATER THAN USUAL.

Present Season Has Becn m UnsatiS-
factory One Financially for the
Producers of Naval StOres-Rosins
Have Ruled Lower in Value Than
in Many Years and Accounts May
Not lie Reduced Mach-Only Hope
for Good Year Next Season Is 10
Hold Down the Cut-OperatOrs
Coming 10 Town to See Their Fac
tors.
To-day the box-cuthng season begins in
Georgia From. Nov. Is to March Is naval
stores operators are permitted by law to
box the trees from which the products of
their farms are drawn. The law is well
enforced, and whatever violations there
may be are of slight consequence. Nature
helps to make the law effective 20 some
extent, as operators have found by expe-
rience that there is ample time to cut
all the boxes they may need after this date
and the tree is in better shape from the
waiting until cool weather. As is prob
ably well known, Georgia is the only state
which has legislated on the subject. In
sippi and Louisiana boxes can be cut al
the operators will. Some box cutting has
been done In Florida already, 1t Is stated,
on new places, but operators with old
farms have been too busy on other work
to begin new operations The warmer
weather in that state, too. causing a later
flow of sap, induces a deferring of box
cutting until well into November as a
rule.
For the past few days operators have
been coming to Savannah from all parts
of the district shipping naval stores here.
Factors are now beginning their busiest
season, that of consultation with their
customers looking to a setting up of this
years business and arranging for the
work for the coming crop. As rule the
factors seem inclined to favor a good
cleaning up of the present
crop before operations are begun exten-
sively on the new one They desire 10 see
how the accounts stand before preparing
for advances for another season. This |
tendency on their part, coupled with the
desire many operators have for a reduced |
cut will probably tend to make a late
start at box cutting, For the next month |
there viii be a succession of visitors to |
the factorage houses and it will hardly be |
possible before the end of that time for |
any one, no matter how well informed |
to decide what the cut generally win be. |
The tendency, though, TO restrict advances |
somewhat, to let unsatisfactory custom |
ers close up accounts for good and the be |
lief among conservative operators that a |
reduction in production is necessary, will |
all tend TO limit the cut to reasonable pro |
portions. The fact that there is a great |
quantity of fine rosins stacked up in the |
country, held back because of the unre- |
munerative prices which have ruled this |
entire season, viii also have its effect. |
BY eurtailing the cut of virgin boxes this |
winter the production of fine rosins next
season will be diminished proportionately |
and better prices probably secured for |
not only the new crop, but for all the |
pales carried over in the woods.
The present season has so far been I'M |
satisfactory in its financial results. Some |
producers have made a little money, 1t is |
said, many by the most careful manage
ment VIII about come out even, and still |
others have run behind. Rosins taking |
the whole line, have been at the lowest |
level in years. Recently there has been |
a better feeling in the market for them, |
but without any Improvement of note |
in prices, small advance |
on pales not having the effect of draw
ing in much and counting but little on |
general results. Spirits of turpentine, it
As true has improved greatly in the past
six weeks, the quotations ranging higher, |
on the whole, than in some years past
at this time, but while this Will help ma
terially it will not, it is claimed, suffice
TO overcome the disastrous effects of low
values throughout the season for rosin,
the production of which Is about 31s bar
rels 10 one cask of spirits. The great bulk
of The spirit crop, TOO, was marketed be
fore the high values set in. Hardly more
than 30 per cent. of the spirits made Is
marketed in the last six months of the
year. Oct l 10 March 81. From the
present date to the end Of the naval
stores year there remains to be marketed
but about 10 per cent of the spirits crop
and about 80 per cent of the rosn crop.
The probability of the season being con-
verted into one of satisfactory profits is
accordingly not regarded as good While
high prices are expected for turpentine
from now on the same was true of last
season, spirits never going below 80 cents
after The middle of November then. Yet
with better values for all rosins through
out that year than this, factors without
exception declared it a poor season al the
close, and producers Joined in their state
ment. Almost every grade of rosin is
now 20 to GO cents a barrel lower than az
this time last year, and at various times
the difference in values has been more
striking and extended to every grade. The
following table viii give an idea of the
burden of low prices operators have strug-
gled under. Ii is for rOsin on Nov IA per