The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-10-24
BETTER UTILZATiCN
OF YELLOW PINE.
Wise Utilization OF Whole Tree Will
forestall Shortage In South.
ern Yellow Pine.
TREES WASTE PRODUCTS VALUABLE,

of the longleaf yellow pine of tn
South, one of Americas most usefu
forest trees, will be nearly exhaust
, ed,' say the experts of the Unitet
a States Forest Service. If these pin,
l forests are wiped out one of the
, South's important industries viii
die-the production of the so-callec
naval stores.
The lumber of the Southern yellow
pine brings SIS to s35 per thousand
. feet, its turpentine Sc cents per gal.
Ion, its rosin from $4.35 to $6.95 pei
28O pounds, and its pitch 1925 per
280 pounds. All of these prices are
gradually becoming higher and high
er on account Of the increased de-
mand and the scarcity of the pro-
products. Formerly, turpentine
could be purchased for 80 cents a
gallon. Now Sc cents must be paid
at wholesale, and the consumer of
gallon lots will pay at times as high
as s1.OO.
In the face of these fast increasing
prices, people are still found who
say that there is yet an inexhaustible
supply of yellow pine in the South,
and that all talk about a famine is
unwarranted. Such statements are
not justified by conditions and the
yellow pine numbering industry will
soon be in the face of serious short
age unless decided changes are made
In the present methods, and unless
valuable products now going to waste
are utilized, The lorgleaf Pine is &
slow-growing tree and does not max
timber with anywhere near the
rapidity that it is being cut. The
situation calls for making the very
best use of the present supply.
There are at present in the woods
of the South vast quantities of pine
logs and tall stumps left as a result
of careless numbering in the past.
This material is rich in turpentine
and could be made to yield from ten
to fifteen gallons of refined spirits
per cord. Besides this, there is a !
great waste at the sawmills in the
form of slabs, edgings and sawdust, |
all of which must have a value, but |
at present is, for the most part,
simply burned to get it out of the
way. In fact, not more than so per
cent of the tree as it stands in the
forest comes to the market in the
form of valuable materials.
In the year 1906 the reported cut
of southern yellow pine was some
IL billion board feet. A conserva-
tive estimate of the actual amount /
Of turpentine alone, to say nothing
Of wood fiber and other materials,
which could be produced from the
of this one year, would
place the amount at not less than 80
million gallons. This is surprising
igure, when it is remembered that
t represents an amount almost equal
% the present annual production Of
gum spirits in this country. If this
product were extracted from the
wood and sold at even the current
orice of good wood turpentine, the
gross saving would be easily $14,-
LOO, 900.
Men have realized for some time {
hat an enormous waste of valuable
is going on, and few t
AVE succeeded in extracting the -,
and placing on the mar !,
,et material of fairly good quail 6
ty. In the majority Of cases, how !
ver, the article has been of an in t
erior grade, due generally to the
act that the technical methods used .
ave been faulty. AS a result of
his, wood turpentine is at present 6
ften considered as an adulterated
Material, or at best poor substitute
or gum spirits. 1t is true that in /
ONE cases these opinions are we'll c
but inferior products have +
ut an unnecessary dampcr on the c
7hole industry.
The section Of wood chemis try IF
he forest service ;s,s lately been Il
estigating this subject, ard SOL 9 {
results have been obtained. +
has been found that for the re-
overy of turpentine from waste
7ood, the steam distillation process j..
5 far superior to that of distilling !;
he wood destructively. The crude 5
is in all cases more uni t
orm, and the final refined materials q
re- as rule of better grade and can :
smand higher price. When prop
rly made and refined, experiments
ave shown that the steam turpen- :
ines are in many cases even more