Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-20
THE PENCIL INDUSTRY
Dearth of Red Cedar Will Close
Many Mills.
SUPPLY OF MATERIAL Low
Factories Now Using Knotty Stumps
and Old Rails.
HOW THE CEDAR WOOD GROWS
Where It Is Found at It's Best and
Some Suggestions for
It's Cultivation.

day use is the lead pencil. Something like
315.GO.0CO pencils are manufactured in the
United States each year. and the industry
is steadily growing. In the manufacture Of
these 315.O00,OO0 pencils there are required
100000 tons or 100000 cubic feet of wood.
SO that each day in the year 300 tons or
10000 cubic feet of wood are used for PEN
ellis. By far the greater part of this wood
Is red cedar. It's softness. straight grain
and freedom from defects render 1t peculi-
arly adapted to the purpose. and suitable
substitute has never been found. Indeed. it
is doubtful IL any other wood-using industry
is SO dependent upon a single species as
the pencil industry is dependent upon red
cedar
To realize the scarcity of pencil material
1t Is only necessary to visit the cedar mill
yards where are now being used old rails
and small and knotty logs. which a few
years ago would not have been considered.
How long the supply will last Is hard to
say. but it Is certain that some of the mills
now in operation must shut down inside OF
dozen years. and this regardless of any
measures which may be taken in the mean
time to protect the young growth,
The requirements for lead-pencil material
are very exacting. soft wood. even and
straight grained. free from defects, and one
which will not check or warp, Is essential.
The heartwood of red cedar fufilIs these
requirements and is, besides, very durable.
The quality Of the heartwood however.
varies widely throughout the trees range.
Even local conditions influence its texture.
AS an example of local variation. the heart
wood Of cedar which grows nummocks
and on low ground Is decidedly of better
quality than that of trees which grow
the upland. 1t has a more uniform dark
red color, is softer and contains very little
white rot. or "polecat wood, which occurs
frequently in upland cedar
Its Commercial Range.
The commercial range of red cedar extends
from the Ohio river on the north, as far
east as eastern Tennessee and central
Georgia. as far south Tampa bay on the
west coast of Florida. and as far west as
eastern Texas and western Arkansas. The
tree almost invariably grows in mixture
with hardwoods, and only in rare instances
Is it found in pure stands In the Florida
hummocks the chief associates of cedar are
live oak. hickory, magnolia, red gum and
palmetto. Among these. ceda- once grew
to large size, but excessive cutting has
taken out most of the large trees, leaving
seedlings and saplngs scattered beneath
a dense cover of hardwoods and vines.
where the young growth notwithstanding
its tolerance, has little chance for develop
ment On the uplands farther north the
principal associates are oaks. hickory and
elm. Only rarely is It found with pine.
Among the hardwoods. ceda- often forms
~ 10 o. per cent OF the stand, ana
this proportion. under normal conditions.
Is increasing.
In the hummocks. where the soil Is deep
and fresh and the stand unbroken, red
cedar is tall straight. narrow crowned and
has wel-pruned. gradually tapering boIe.
1t is here that it reaches its greatest size.
Since all the largest trees have been re-
moved, the only basis upon which to de-
termine the size which the tree will attain
was the dimension of logs in mill yards.
where some measured thirty-sx inches In
diameter at base. The used length of many
OF these was eighty feet, and when the
top is added. this would make total
height of at least 1GJ feet. Cedar trees in
stands of similar density on upiands. in
good soil, are usually shorter, wider
crowned and have shorter clear lengths
due to the presence of smaller number
of mtoltrant species that are crowding
them.
Open grown cedar is Of little value for
commercial use except for posts and poles
II has wide and heavy crown, bola that
is rough and fluted with almost no Gear
length, ard limbs So close together that no
pencil block can b. obtained between them
The root system of cedar varies with the
soil depth. but is usually very shallow and
widely brancheJ.
A Hardy Tree.
For its actual existence red cedar is mod
est in its demands upon soil and moisture
1t will grow on the driast exposures where
the soil is but a shallow layer or even in
rock crevices. Such situations. however
never produce good trees For its best de-
velopment cedar requires a fresh, moder-
ately deep. Well-drained soil which may
vary In composition from loamy clay. the
usual upland soil. to sandy. cacareous
one.
A tree like cedar. which can adapt itself
to the varying conditions found in wide
range, is necessarily hardy. Fire Is cedar
greatest enemy, since the thin bark of the
OffarS hut ljff1a 10 fha
flames. The damage from this source is
confined chiefly to the hummocks. where
during the dry season fire In the infiam-
mable forest floor needs only a start to
spread over large areas and to kill all
seedlings and saplings in it's path. Cattle
men who burn over grazing areas in the
upland pinerfes are usually responsible for
the fires. Goats and hogs harm young
cedars These animals should be excluded
from cedar lands If the forest is to be
managed on paying basis.
The diseases of red cedar few and do
little harm except to cause greater mill
waste The cedar apple is frequent, but of
no serious consequence. Red rot is COM
mon disease Of upland cedar. and fully Is
per cent Of trees seventy-five years old
affected by it. The rot seldom extends
more than eight or ten feet up the tree
from the base. White rot Is another dis
ease found mostly In the upland trees. 1t
shows in the heart wood of the trees as
white streaks from one-fOurth to two
inches wide. and often runs two-thirds the
length of the boe. The streaks appear
perfectly sound. but they are usually cut
out waste.
t How It Reproduces.
The amount of seed borne by red cedar
Is governed largely by locality and density
of stand. The best trees which fruit are
located on the higher and more open areas,
where the crowns have had full develop
ment. Trees so situated may begin bear
ing when twelve years of age, but maxi
mum production is reached much later.
+ The seed ripens In the fall of the second
year and begins falling soon afterward,
though much remains on the trees until the
following spring. Since the fruit IS one
or two seeded berry, it cannot be scattered
by the wind. like that of other confers
For the most part seedlings are found
near seed trees in abundance. but else
where they are widely and unevenly dis
tributed. principally by birds. Thorough
seeding cannot be depended upon for any
definite area and an attempt to secure a
new crop entirely by natural methods is
certain to fail.
1t cannot be expected that the private
owner who now controls tho supni.