Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-07-14
LAST YEARS LUMBER CUT.

Government Estimate of Total Cut
Of United States.
During the year 1908, 31,231 sawmills in
the United States manufactured $780,
369,0OO feet of lumber, according to a re-
port issued by the bureau of the census.
THESE mills also cut Il, 106, ass, 900 shingles
and 2,9S6, 6s4 900 lath.
Lumber manufacturing, like every other
industry, felt the effects OF the business
depression which began in October, 1907.
consequently the production in 1908 was
below that for the previous year. In 1907
the cut OF 2S,S50 sawmills was 40, 256, 154,-
600 feet, the highest production ever re-
corded. Notwithstanding, therefore, that
IN 1908 reports were received from per
cent. more mills than in 1907, the decrease
IN lumber cut reported by them was
slightly over II per cent.
Washington, as for several years past,
still ranks first among the states in lumber
production, its cut in 1908 being 2915, 928,-
600 feet-a decrease OF 22.S per cent. over
the cut in 1907. Nearly all the lumber
manufactured in Washington is Douglas
mr., the market for which was seriously
| auecteo Dy the panic.
Louisiana ranks second, with 2,722, AL
900 feet-a decrease OF $50, 600 900 feet or 81
per cent. from the cut in 1907. Louisiana
is first in the production of both yellow
pine and cypress. Cypress is particu-
larly useful and valuable wood. and APP
parently the manufacturers Of it did not
suffer as severely from dull times as did
the manufacturers Of yellow pine and
Douglas fir.
Mississippi was the third state in lum-
Der production in 1908, with total OF
1851 ,016, 900 feet, decrease of eleven per
cent. from the cut in 1907. Arkansas
ranked fourth, with 1856, 991 900 feet-a
decrease Of nearly II per cent. from the
previous years output, and Wisconsin
fifth, with 13,315, 900 feet against 2,OO3,-
279 900 feet in 1907.
| In Texas, where the lumber industry is
confined almost exclusively to yellow
pine, the falling OF was very heavy. The
total cut of the state in 1908 was 1924, OO8,-
600 feet-a decrease Of 3l.6 per cent. over
the cut in 1907. Eight other states manu-
featured more than one billion feet each
| Va AAhbSA kooe JSats Al VIC OA0CH VI III
portance they were: Michigan, Oregon,
Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ala
bama, North Carolina and West Virginia.
California and Maine, other states which
reported more than one billion feet each
in 1907, went just below that figure in
1908.
The totals for few states were greater
in 1905 than in 1907, but this was chiefly
due to the larger number OF reports
secured in those states in 1908. In Georgia,
for instance, particularly close canvass
increased the number Of mills reporting
nearly one-third, while the resulting in
crease in reports OF total production was
only 8 per cent. In Massachusetts, $40
mills reported cut OF 1884, 526 900 feet in
1908 as compared with cut of 1854, 231 900
feet by SIS mills in 1907. In Colorado, 25l
mills cut 49,, 036, 600 feet in 1905, while in
1907, go mills cut 1874 ,239 900 feet.
particularly large gain in mills report
ing was made in Oklahoma. In 1907, 129
mills in that state cut 14O,015,OOO feet,
while in 1908, PA mills cut 15S, 756, 900 feet.
| While there are many very large saw
mills In the United States, the small mills
far outnumber the large ones, and it is
particularly interesting to note how many
| OF these small mills there are in the states
which are not now of first rank in lumber
production. The statistics for New York
were collected by the Forest, Fish and
Game commission OF that state, which Sc
cured reports from 2,291 mills.
In Pennsylvania 2,224 mills reported to
the census, and in Virginia, 1887 mills.
In North Carolina reports came from ,74O
| mills, and in Kentucky from 1880 mills.
! The number of mills reporting from Ten
nessee was only forty less than from Ken
lucky. In West Virginia, Georgia, Mis-
souri,, Ohio and Indiana between 1000 and
1 100 mills each were engaged in cutting
lumber last year.
The average output per mill was 100000
feet in New York, and $3.50, 900 feet in
Louisiana, these two states presenting
nearly the extremes of production by
small and large mills.
Yellow pine, Douglas fir, white pine,
oak, hemlock and spruce, in the order
named, were the woods cut into lumber in
the largest quantity. Yellow pine has
ranked first since it surpassed white pine
in the later 'nineties, and it is still far in
the lead. More recently, white pine has
also been superseded by Douglas fir, SO
that now it occupies third place.
Washington has been the principal
shingle production state since the use of
red cedar shingles became general, and it
supplied three fifths of the total output
of shingles last year. Among the other
single producing states, Michigan, Lou
isiana, Maine and California were the
| most important.
| The shingles cut in Michigan and Maine
are chiefly of white cedar, those in Louis
lana OF cypress, and those in California OF
redwood. Laths are generally by product
OF lumber manufacture, and are made to
some extent from almost every wood that
! is cut into lumber. Among the kinds OF