The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-09-13
OSCILLATION
IN THE SOUTH
FIGURES ON WOOD
DISTuUATION IN THIS COUN-
TRY-FLORIDA is SECOND IN
THIS NEW INDUSTRY.

The Bureau of the Census with the
assistance of tne Forest Service of
the Department of Agriculture. has
for some years collected statistics
concerning the annual production of
| various forest products, and the pre-
Iiminary figures on wood diStiIlation
for the year ending December 81, 1907.
! have Just been made public
Hardwood distiIlation: In the dis
tillation of hardwOOds, charcoal, gray
acetate. and alcohol constitute the
( leading products. During 1907 the in
dustry passed through its first years
experience under the working or the
so-called free or denatU-ed alcohol
law. While this law exerted no dis
turbing influence on the market value
of such products as charcoal acetate
of lime; pyroligenous acid. etc, its eff
feet on wood alcohol was Immediate
and striking, resulting in a decline of
more than 30 per cent in the market
value of this commodity-frOm an av-
erage value per gallon of "a cents il
1906 to 10 cents in 1907. Otherwise,
however, little or no evidence of the
laws operation is discerEible in the
statistics Of the industry for the coUn-
try as a whole In fact, the demand
for charcoal has been sufficient to
value of this commodity, along with
substantial increase in production,
and this in a measure compensated
for the fall in the price of alcohol
There were 100 active plants report
ed for 1907, an increase of il over
1906. The total consumption of wood
Chiefly birch, beech and maple-in
1907 was 1,219,771 cords, as against
1,144,S96 cords in 1906, an increase of
/ T4,S75 cords. The production of char
coal increased from 1861, 721 bushels,
valued at S2,965,940, to 50,772,233
bushels, valued at S3,S3S.3 1872; that of
valued at $2,017,331, to 1884 941
pounds, valued at 81, 565, 93S-- and that
of brown acetate from 6,960,933
pounds, valued at SS7,777, TO S,152, S4S
pounds, valued at S94 ,446. The report
ed yield of crude charcoal on the 9TH
er hand. decreased from 1871 ,469 gal
Ions, with a value of S2.676, 191, TO
7,741 .645 gallons, with a value of 81
153, 307, loss of 129.S49 gallons, or
1.6 per cent in quantity, and of $I,522.-
SS4. or $50 per cent. in value.
The leading states in hardwood dis
tllation on the basis of wood consum
ed were Michigan, Pennsylvania. and
New York, in the order named. these
states consuming in 1907 S9.2 per cent
of the total amount of wood utilized in
this branch of the industry OF these
states, Michigan and New York show
substantial gains over 1906, both in
the quantity of wood consumed and
its products. winile a slight decrease
appears in the total for Pennsylvania.
As is the case with Softwood distiII-
alton, the location of this branch of
the industry is determined largely by
the distribution of the woods which
constitute its raw material
Softwood distiiIation. In the dis
tillation of pine and softwoOdS gen.
orally turpentine is the leading pro-
duct. with charcoal, oils and tar as
products of secondary Importance.
Longleaf pine supplies the bulk of the
raw material, though other species
of pine as well as other co1ifers are
used. On the whole, the showing for
1907 in this branch of the industry
was satisfactory. While the inquiry
disclosed only 81 plants in operation
as against 80 in 1906, the quantity of
wood consumed increased from 81, PA
cords to 61.149 cords, or 21.7 per cent.
This increase was accompanied by an
advance in the average cost per cord
from S25S to $344 The total Weld
in 1907 of turpenttne, the leading
product, was 654,711 gallons. as
against 5e3.427 gallons in 1905. an in
crease in quantity of Isl .2S4 gallons,
or 30.1 per cent. while the average
value per gallon remained substantial
~ the same-aboUt 81 cents. The
production of tar and oils increased
from 773,t2s gallons. valued at SSH
797, to 1.152. 752 gallons, valued at
1927 .531. The production of charcoal
also showed marked increase. from
79t .SS7 bushels. with a value of S44,-
3S1. to I,15S,364 bushels, with value
of sIO2,411.
The leading states in this branch
of the industry are North Carolina,
Florida and Georgia. in the order nam
ed Georgia and Florida having ex-
changed places since 1906.