The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-09-28
PRODUCTS FROM THE PINES.
NORTH cAROLINA's GREAT IN
DUSTRY AS A BRITISH
AGENT SEES 1T.

-
pentine industry in the United States,
Mr.. Bell, British commercial agent,
says the gathering of rosin in the
United States dates back to the time
of the early settlers of that part or
the country which is now North Car
DINA. From there the industry has
extended, ana is now carried on IN
all regions where the long leaf pine
- found in sufficient abundance, and
more especially in the South Atlantic
and Eastern Gulf states. In addition
to the rosin and turpentine, the IN
dlstry includes the manufacture OF
tar and pitch, the distillation OF splr-
its of turpentine and other by-pro-
ducts. The process, in brief, Is as
follows: The trees are tapped and
the sap allowed to flow into recepta-
cles prepared for the purpose. This
sap Is distilled, and spirits OF tlrpen-
tine and rosin are obtained. Tar is
obtained by the destructive dist1lla-
ton of the wood itself, and oil OF
rosin, oil of tar, common pitch, brew
ers' pitch, etc., are obtained by a re-
distillation or combination of the
above named products.
Rosin is obtained chiefly from the
long leaf pine of which there was
formerly an unbroken forest extend
ing from Southern Virginia through
the South Atlantic and Gulf states to
Eastern Texas. More than one-half
of the original forest, however, has
been exhausted, and there has been
little or no renewal. For number
of years the seat of the naval stores
industry continued near the forests
of North Carolina at a later period,
and within recent years, owing to the
increased demand for spirits of tur-
pentine and rosin having caused
large growth of the industry, the dis
tricts have been very much extend
ed, and now the centre is in Florida,
and reaches into Alabama, Mississip-
ri and Louisiana The Southern
States abound in sandy soils suitable
for the growing OF pines. These
tracts were at one time covered with
what were supposed to be boundleSs
forests. Though there are etill large
areas which have been untouched, the
greater portion of the primeval for
ests have had their best timber re-
moved. Forest fires and the opera
lions of the turpentine CATERERS have
greatly damaged the remainder. Un-
der the present methods of cutting
the trees it is merely question OF
comparatively short time before the
supply will be exhausted. 1t has been
at last realized that the timber sup
plies are not unlimited, and 1t is abb
solutely necessary that there should
be some modification of the present
treatment if continued reproduction
Is to be insured instead Of the COM
plete exhaustion which threatens to
despoil the magnificent forest re-
sources.
AS "bleeding' pine trees for the
purpose of extracting turpentine and
rosin has been regarded as injurious
to the timber, the, Agricultural De-
partment undertook special 1nves-
tigation involving mechanical tests;
physical and chemical analyses were
made of the wood of bled and unbled
trees from the same locality. These
results proved conclusively, first, that
bled timber is as strong as unDled II
of the same weight; second, that the
weight and shrinkage of the wood
are not affected by the bleeding:
third, that bled trees contain practi-
caIly neither more nor less rosln
than unbled trees, the loss of rosin
referring only to the sapwood. and
therefore the durability is not AFFECT
ed by the bleeding process. This re-
suit was entirely satisfactory, as pre-
yiously many architects and large
consumers, such as railway compan-
les, refused to employ bled timber.
According to the United States cen
sus returns for 1900, the area occu-
pied by pure pine forests in the
Southern States was at that date ap-
proximately 100,O00,000 acres. The
average stand in timber on this area
was estimated as not far from 5000
feet to the acre, giving a total stand
of 100000, 0O0, 900 feet. The cut in
JlaL wear WAS O,OSOJOVoBONN ASNSS
nearly per cent. of the estimated
stand. There would therefore appear
to be sufficient yellow pine to last
for thirty-three years, without allow
ing for increase in the rate of con-
sumption or anything for growth in
the interval.
The resinous product of the long
leaf pine furnishes the bulk of the
raw material for the production OF
naval stores, which consist OF resin,
turpentine, pine tar and commoN
pitch. In addition to the above pro-
ducts charcoal is obtained by burning
the logs after the larger useful tim
Der has been removed. the green
leaves of the trees furnish by distiE
lation an essential oil, and pine wool
is made from their cellular tissue.
The resin of the long leaf pine re-
Gently exuded is almost colorless, or
Of a pale straw color 1t has tere-