The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-06-23
AMOUNT Of LUMBER
DECREASES
CENSUS BUREAU ISSUES CIR
cULAR SHOWING PRODUCE
TON FOR YEAR 1908.

During the year 1908, 81 231 sawmills
332S9,3G9,000 feet of lumber, according
To preliminary report just issued by
cut L., LOG, 4Sa. 900 shingles and 1855, $751;
600 lath. Lumber manufacturing, like
every other industry, felt the effects
OF the business depression which be-
gan in October, 1907 Consequently
the production in 1908 was below that
for the previous year. In 1907 the cut
OF 28,s50 sawrnills was 40,25G, 1874, 900
feet, the highest production ever re-
corded notwithstanding, therefore,
that in 1908 reports were received from
eight per cent more mills than in 1907,
the decrease i'll 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, it's cut in
1908 being 2,91592s,000 feet--a decrease
Of 22.S per cent over the cut in 1907.
Nearly all of the lumber manufactured
in washington is Douglas fir the mar
ket for which was seriously affected
by the panic. Louisiana ranks second,
with 2,722 .421 900 feet, a decrease of
250,000,00O feet or S.4 per cent over the
cut in 1907. Louisiana is first in the
production of both yellow pine and
cypress. Cypress is a particularly
useful and valuable wood. and appar-
entity 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 lumber production in
1908, with a total of 1,SGl,016,0oo feet
decrease OF II per cent from the cut
in 1907. Arkansas ranked fourth. with
1855, 99l 900 feet-a decrease of nearly
II per cent over the previous years
output, and Wisconsin fifth, with 1.613,-
$4,000 feet, against 1908. 279,0OO feet in
1907. In Texas, where the lumber in
dustry is confined almost exclusively
to yellow pine, the falling off was very
heavy. The total cut of the state in
1908 was 1924, 00S.0O0 feet--a decrease
of Sis per cent over the cut in 1907.
Eight other states manufactured more
than 1,O00,000000 feet each of lumber
last year. In the order of Importance
they were: Michigan Oregon, Mime
sofa, Pennsylvania. Virginia, Alabama,
North Carolina and West Virginia.
California and Maine, other states
which reported more than 1000, 100000
feet each in 1907 Went just below that
figure in 1908. The totals for few
states We're greater in 1908 than in
1907, but this was chiefly due to the
larger number of reports secured in
those states in 1908. In Georgia, for
instance. q particularly close canvas
increased the numberS-of mills report
ing nearly onc-third, while the result
ing increase in reports of total pro-
duction was only six per cent. In
Massachusetts 61O mills reported cut
Of 3S4,526, coo feet in 1908 as compared
with cut of 364,231, 900 feet by SIS
mills in 1907. In Colorado 254 mills cut
100000 feet while in 1907, 230 mills
cut 1S4.239, 600 feet. A particularly
in Oklahoma. In 1907, 129 mills in
that state cut 14O015OOO feet, while III
1908. 21t mills cut 1a8. 756, 900 feet.
While there are many very large
saWmills in the United States, the
small mills 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 produce
tion. The statistics for New York
were collected by the forest, fish and
game commission of that state, which
secured reports from 1921 mills. In
DO, nio to
the census. and in Virginia 1887 mills.
In North Carolina reports came from
lao miAs, and in Kentucky from
l $50 mills. The number of mills re-
porting from Tennessee was only 40
less than from Kentucky. In West
Virginia, Georgia. Missouri, Ohio and
Indiana between 1000 and 1,100 mills
each were engaged i'll cutting lumber
last year. The average output per
mill was $1,000 feet in New York and
5,260,0O0 feet in Louisiana. these two
states presenting nearly the extremes
of production by small and large mills.
yellow pine, Douglas fir, white pine,
oak, hemock and spruce, in the order
We're the woods cut into lum-
Der in the largest quantity. Yellow
pine has ranked first since 1t 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 nov X oceu-
ries third place.
Washington has been the principal
single producing state since the use
Of rod cedar shingles became general. |
and it supplied three tifths of the total
output of shingles last year. Among
the other shingle producing states,
Michigan. Louisiana. Maine and Cali
fornia We're the most important The
cut in Michigan and Maine
are chiefly of white cedar, those in
Louisiana of cypress. and those in |
California of redwood. Lath are gem
araly a by-product of lumber manu- |
facture and are made to some extent |
from almost every wood that is cut |
into lumber. Among the kind of lath |
which are most prominent are white |
pine Douglas fir spruce, yellow pine.
cypress and hemlock