The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-03
THE GEORGIA. PINE.

The pine belt of Georgia, which for the
past quarter Of a century has contributed
to the markets OF the word a large share
of their naval stores and Southern pine
lumber, is being gradually exhausted.
Now the small trees. ana the few scatter
ing mature ones in Isolated places that IS
capped the saw mil men and the turpentlne
operators. are falling before the man
with the ak, who is cutting crossties. The
rapid and considerable advance In the
price Of lumber, and the buying up of pine
lands in Alabama and Florida In large
tracts by capitalists and syndicates, have
made every standing tree Of merchantable
size in any part of Georgia that is accessi-
Bile by railroad or river valuable for some
purpose. The immature pine or the iso-
lated one hitherto passed over as unworthy
of the AK or the hack, is now looked upon
as a money-producer.
Possibly the clearing off of the forests
is merely one incident of the natural evo-
luton, and will finally rebound TO the great
benefit of the state and nation. 1t may be
that these rolling hills and wide fiat-lands,
once dense with towering growth of ma
jestic pines, will become fruitful fields of
cotton, corn, oats and sugar cane, and
verdant pastures and dairy farms from
which the markets will be supplied with
milk, cheese and butter. There is much
promise of their development in agricul-
ture, in the fact that thousands of acres
OF what were pine lands, even after the
war between the states. are now devoted
to the production of long-staple cotton,
while other acres of ex-pine lands are now
producing abundantly of pears, grapes and
other fruits. There is, indeed, much TO be
expected from these lands, from which
the timber is being removed. They are
good and cheap, and may be made very
productive under intelligent manipula ton
and there is room on them for tens of
thousands of persons, who may come into
the state as immigrants, seeking good
homes.
Meantime, it would be the part of wis
dom for those who are owners of pine tim
bered lands, to look to the future of the
naval stores and lumber industries In
Georgia. The limit for ruthless destruc-
ton with safety has about been reached
and an era of conservation and reproduc-
ton should ensue. Up to this time the
turpentine business has been conducted
pretty much in the nature of a grab
game, the present only being thought
of, the future being ignored II has
been estimated that, at the present
rate of destruction. there are probably
pines enough left In the whole pine belt
to last about nine years longer And then,
after that, what? The operators will have
worked themselves out of jobs, and the
factors themselves out of a profitable BUSH
ness. No thought is now given to the
future of the naval stores business, but
every effort is bent TO getting out the most
gum" in the shortest possible time The
reproduction of pines is given no atten-
ton whatever. France is also a turpen-
tine producing country, and the French do
things better. 1t is understood that a
French turpentine farm lasts and is work.
ed probably as much as 100 years. There
the reproduction of trees is carefully look
ed after. When one tree fails and is cut
down, there is another to take its place.
In Germany, too, forestry has been reduc-
ed to almost an exact science. Trees are
never ruthlessly destroyed; and reproduc-
ton is constantly going on. Would IL not
be to the great interest of Georgia, If steps
were taken to prevent the humiliation of
her pines? The pine is one of the most
majestic, useful and profitable trees that
grows, and it deserves a better fate than
extinction.