Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-06-25
Lumber Cut Of the United States
I'M 1900

|
preliminary report just issued by the
I Bureau of the Census. These mills also
cut ~, 106 ,4S3, 900 shingles and 2.9S6, 1884,
600 lath. Lumber manufacturing like
every other industry, felt the effects of
the business depression which began in
October, 1907. Consequently the pro-
duction in 1908 was below that for the
previous year. In 1907 the cut of 2S, $50
sawmills was 40,256, 154, 900 feet, the
highest production ever recorded Not
withstanding, therefore, that in 1908
reports were received from eight per
cent. more mills than in 1907, the de-
crease in lumber cut reported by them
was slightly over seventeen per cent.
Washington, as for several years past,
still ranks first among the states in lumber
production,its cut in 1908 being ,915, 99s,-
600 feet-a decrease of % 8 per cent over
the cut in 1907. Nearly all the lumber
manufactured in Washington is Doug
las fir, the market for which was seri-
ously affected by the panic. Louisiana
ranks second, with 2,722 ,42l 900 feet, a
decreas of $50. 900. 900 feet or 81 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 apparently, the
manufacturers of 1t did not suffer as
severely from dull times as did the man
ufacturers of yellow pine and Douglas
fir Mississippi was the third state in
lumber production in 1903. with total
/ of 1861 ,0l6.000 feet-a decrease of
eleven per cent from the cut in 1907.
Arkansas ranked fourth, with 1856, 99l-
OO0 feet-a decrease of nearly seventeen
per cent over the previous years output
and Wisconsin fifth. with 1913 ,3lj 600
feet against 2,003. 219 900 feet in 1907.
In Texas, where the lumber industry is
confined almost exclusively to yellow
pine the falling off was very heavy.
The total cut of the state in 1908 was
1924 ,00S, 900 feet-a decrease of 81 6 per
cent over the cut in 1907. Eight other
states manufactured more that one bill
lion feet each Of lumber last year In
the order of Importance they were; Mich
igan, Oregon, Minnesota, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, and
West Virginia. California and Maine,
other states which reported more than
one billion feet each in 1907, went just be-
low that figure in 1908. The totals for
few states were 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,
particularly close canvass increased
the number of mills reporting Yearly
one-third, while the resulting increase in
reports of total production was only six
per, cent. In Massachusetts, 6lO
mills reported cut of 1888, $50
600 feet in 1908 as compared with cut
of 364, 23l 900 feet by SIS mills in 1907.
In Colorado, 254 mills cut 1872, 036 900
feet in 1908, while in 1907, 23O mills cut
l34 .239, 600 feet. A particularly large
gain Ill mills reporting was made in
Oklahoma. In 1907, 1919 mills in that
state cut l4O,0l5,0 900 feet. while in 1908,
PA mills cut 1913, 156, 900 feet.
While there are many very large saw
mills in the United States. the small
mills far Outnumber the large ones, and
1t Is particularly interesting to note how
many of these smalls mills there are in
the states which are not now of first rank
in lumber production. The statistics for
New \ ork were collected by the Forest.
Fish and Game Commission of that state,
which secured reports from 2,29l mills.
In Pennsylvania ,, 224 mills reported to
the Census, and in Virginia, 1877 mills.
In North Carolina reports came from
l, 74O mills, and in Kentucky from $50
mills. The number of mills reporting
from Tennessee was only forty less than
from Kentucky. In West Virginia,
Georgia, Missouri, Ohio and Indiana be-
tween 900 and LOO mills each were
engaged in cutting lumber last year.
The average output per mill was $50, 900 |
feet in New York, and 5, 260, 600 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 1t 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 producing state since the use of |
red cedar shingles became general, and |
it supplied three-fifths of the total out
put of shingles last year Among the |
other shingle producing states, Michigan,
Louisiana, Maine and California were tho |
most important. The shingles cut in |
Michigan and Maine are chiefly of white |
cedar, those in louisiana of cypress, and |
those in California, of redwood. Lath |
are generally a by-product of lumber
manufacture, and are made to some ex-
tent from almost every wood that is cut
into lumber. Among the kinds of lath |
which are most prominent are white |
pine, Douglas fir, spruce, yellow pine,
cypress, and hemlock.
WEST SALISBURY.
School closed Friday for a summer