The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-23
PAPER MAKING IN TAE SOUTH.


PAPER MAKING IN THE SOUTH.
There are several paper mills in the
South, and they are doing fairly profit
able business. But the number of them is
comparatively small. The South has given
the most of its attention, during this cur
rent renaissance of industries, to cotton
mills and iron furnaces leaving the pa
per making industry to be taken care of
by the North and the Northwest The
high prices charged by the paper trust
and the diminishing supply of spruce trees
in the North and Northwest, however,
have served to draw Southern attention
to the very inviting possibilities for pa
per making in this section. It would not
be surprising, therefore, if within the near
future promoters and investors In the
South should take up the paper mill and
repeat with 1t the successes of the South
ern cotton mill and iron furnace.
The field for paper is very large, and
is constantly growing. The total annual
output of paper in this country approx
mates $500 600 tons, with the consumption
constantly growing greater. These figures
when IT is stated that they represent
more than the annual average production
of cotton. In other words, if every pound
of cotton grown in this country We're
turned into a pound of paper, il would
fall short of the demand. The value of
this great output of paper is not less
than $2OOOOO. 900, of which only an insignif-
cant fraction comes into the South why
shouldn't more of this money come to us?
Is there any good reason?
Mr. A. D. Little, author Of a book,
1.-The Chemistry of Paper Making" and
one of the highest authorities in the coun-
try on the subject gives a list of the
fibers that are suitable for making paper.
He divides them into four kinds, as fol-
lows:
Seed fibers as cotton, which is the only
representative of its class.
Bast fibers as linen, jute, manila, etc.
Those derived from stems or leaves. as
straw. espapo, sorghum, bamboo and
cornstalk.
Those derived from wood.
At the head of the list stands the great
staple in the production of which we have
an American monopoly. while the whole
list is made up practically of products
which we not only can but do grow. or
which nature grows for us, but which we
do not utilize. In the case OF many Of
the products we permit them actually to
go to waste. This is true of straw
bagasse, corn stalks, etc. Bagasse
is the sugar or sorghum cane
after 1T comes from the press. after the
juice has been squeezed out of it. At
one or two places in Louisiana and Texas
a good quality of paper is being made
from bagasse, but the most of the stuff
goes under the furnaces as fuel or is
burned on a dump heap 1t needs no
further statement therefore, to show that
tons upon ions Of available paper stock
go 10 waste every year i'm the South.
As for wood stock. we are particularly
rich in it. It is a great mistake to sup
pose that spruce is the only wood from
which paper can be made. In the Tenth
Census Prof Sergeant gives a list Of
woods which are suitable for paper max
ing. AS follows: Gray pine White pine
and thirty-thrcc other varieties Of pine;
white fir; balsam, which is found in great
quantities In the mountains Of North Car
DINA and Tennessee; hemlock; larch pop
lar, very abundant in North Carolina,
kentucky and Tennessee; aspen; cotton
wood found in vast quantities through
out the South; sweet gum found in the
valleys Of the Lower Ohio. White and Wa
bash rivers and as far south as Tampa,
Fla, throughout Missouri Arkansas. In
dian Territory and the valley OF the Trim
ity river, Texas; cypress found through
out the Gulf states and good many
others. beech silver maple; basswoo1;
white birch. buckeye, black willow. lo-
| Gust, chestnut"
Almost every tree in the list is familiar
throughout the south The majority of
them could 100 doubt Boz found in GtOr-
eia u large quantities. This ffafe mas
aUoui i2oU square miles of wooded ferfl-
tory. Florida more thau Uu0 square
miles. South Carolina $1,000 square miios
ana AlaOama sog0 square mike ln these
four States il ls rskng nothing ~ coy
ihofe age millions of tons Of available pa
1or material Awaiting utilization
d would sefm shat paper makiHg ought
! io an.r qp.e as tempting nriq NJ enc
irrprse as cotton m.u4fariIluf an1 va
should n0i be- surDrh,i 81 within ue usat