The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-26
ARE THE PINES BLIGHTED?
n.NAGE TO FORESTS AFFAIR
~ rxr FROM FEBRUARY FREEZE.

,hling BIight-The Conditions
81 a. TO Cause Apprehension to
- stores PrOducers-May Not
onIv CurtniI Next Years Output.
n,t VIA, Mean Serious Loss to This
,,fon of the south.
-s. nrs.ent high prices of naval stores
generally conceded to be due to the
&c Of the crop, resulting from the
60 10 the trees by the freeze of last
r,.triarv. Whether similar conditions
I'll next year is the question which in
t.Hgent naval stores producers are now
..nsi5eripg II is not the danger from a
.rosnectye freeze that is feared, but the
r,r+bsr Elects of the freeze of last Febru-
.ry which are now manifesting them
selves
I'm to last February it was not thought
tbs- nine frees could be affected by cold
won can't hurt pine trees and razor back
hogs" was a common expression in this
seton Of the country. The old adage
has been knocked into a cooked hat so far
.s tbe pine trees are concerned. This is
vsv fully demonstrated by the present
bigh prices prevailing for spirits turpen-
line As late as last spring experienced
naval stores men hooted at the idea that
the pine trees were affected by the freeze
They realize their error now.
Reports have been received from the
timber sections that further damage the
result Of The freeze, is making itself man
fest After the freeze of last February
the needles on many of the trees began
turning yellow, and later turned brown,
indicating a lifeiess condition. The per-
centage Of trees so affected was small,
and the reduction of 10 to Is per cent in
the Weld was due not 10 the number of
trees killed outright, but to the fact that
all of the trees had been more or less af-
feeted This cloud upon the naval stores
Industry proved to have a golden lining.
however. as was evidenced in the increase
in the price of spirits turpentine by more
than 50 per cent Whether the lining of
the cloud now lowering over the industry
will have a golden or silver or just a
plain copper lining remains to be seen.
Experienced investigators, who have re-
Gently been in the timber section, report
that more trees are dying, also believed to
be due to the February freeze. Mr.. c. b.
Townsend. VINO has charge of the naval
stores department of the Standard Oil
Company in this section, was in the city
Yesterday and was asked about the matteV.
servations on his own account, but that he
had discussed the question with leading
naval stores producers, and the opinion of
the most intelligent of the producers is
that very serious danger now threatens
the industry. The danger may not prove
so serious as is apprehended, but leading
producers. who have studied the situation,
ere becoming apprehensive, and there is
disposition to curtail operations for the
al - vxrna
or not their fears are well founded.
THE destruction of pine trees as the
result of the freeze, said Mr. Townsend,
was from one to one and a half per cent.
last spring Ii was thought that this was
the end of the matter, but more trees are
beginning to show the same evidences of
decay as were manifested by those which
died last spring. AS is well known by
those who know the nature of the pine
tree, the sap begins to rise in the spring
and continues rising until August when
begins to fall A farmer clearing his
land may belt a tree all the way around
In the spring, and It will live until the sap
begins TO go down in the fall, when it
dies. Pretty much the same thing seems
to be occurring as the result of the freeze.
The trees which were most seriously af-
fected died in the spring, but they are now
being followed by others as the sap re-
turns to the ground"
The loss from these directions would
hardly be sufficient to materially affect the
Industry" said Mr.. Townsend. 1.-THE real
cloud upon the horizon is in the tendency
toward blight or something similar to 1t
in the pines. Il has much the appearance
Of the disease which struck the lie Conte
pear orchards in 1890. Scattered tufts of
needles, usually on the lower branches
Of the trees will begin turning yellow and
then brown. Later another circle of such
tufts will be seen higher up. This is so
general that the effect is noticeable from
the car windows In riding through the tim
Der sections Not only trees which have
been tapped, but round or virgin trees are
affected in some instances. Intelligent
operators are beginning to study this man.
hesitation, and ponder over the meaning
Of 1t. They have never had any expert
ence of this kind before and they are at
a loss as to what steps to take. They fear
that it indicates not simply the death of
a percentage of the trees, but a decreased
Weld on the part of those which survive
Some Of the more prudent operators are
delaying operations in order to observe the
eHects of this blight, and the extent of the
INJURY before embarking fully upon the
years operations"
50 far as I could learn" said Mr.. Town
send these symptoms have been mani
,C YEA py me p mes throughout Georgia,
fIorlda and Alabama. The menace is
very serious one as should the damage to
We mnes be great it would mean very
ht'aFy loss. not only to the naval stores
Ou, TO the eX ensive lumber interests"
M'' Il. F. Billiard vice president of the
s7Vnrah Naval Stores Company, was
sc about he reports. Mr.. Billiard recfn'-
returned from a Iip TO South Georgia
a'u ne stated that he observed similar
gTololuons there to those mentioned by Mr.
I1o"us' nd. AS to what is the extent of
is Damage or whe her there Is any real
NluSer o the industry it is too early 10
Say SAID Mr. Bullard. THE percentage
uees which We're killed by fast years
ti.se@e was very small, ard as much addi-
o'9udl ilss could result without seriously
,ir1{ the industry. Whether he p ne
o,' generally has been affected is The
,S rs H. l am inclined to think that the
Go.I .' IS rot permanent, though it is f.
NIX rt' 10 say Until LAST February 1t was an
h. OF thing that a pine tree should
do,,t .JI.ed by cold. The injury was I'M
10y due to the fact that there had
rn 81 spell of very warm weather and
m, me- sap had begun TO rise in the tree s.
ao,. u were caught in tie sap The
Ler. 't was temporarily retarded and
dTt tne decreased yield"
T. 1' .oHdltiOn is one which has never