The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-12-02
THE LUMBER CUT.
1t Runs Far Above the Hall Billion Mark.

1t Runs Far Above the Hall Billion Mark.
WASHINGTON, November 20. Wash
ington, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas,
and Wisconsin, in the order named, con-
stitute the Big Five in producing the
country's lumber supply, whose valuation
for last year runs far above the half
billion dollar mark. Texas, Michigan,
Oregon, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania
came after the first five States and others
followed in decreasing amounts down to
Utah, the lowest on the list, with Nevada
and North Dakota, having little timbered
area, not rated at all.
While the total valuation of the produc
ton of lumber, lath and shingle production
reached $541, 545, GAO, this amount repre-
sents decrease of twenty three per cent
underline previous years output. The num-
Der of mills reporting was 81 ,231 and these
manufactured Sc, 224, 1863, 900 board feet
Of lumber, valued at $50, SIS, 1922 and
1886, 684, 900 lath valued at So, 791, 1923,
while the Single makers turned out 49,
LOG, 483, 900 shingles valued at $24, It's, 400.
The average value of lumber at the point
of manufacture was $15.37 thousand
feet, S2.27 thousand for lath and $500
a thousand for shingles.
Yellow pine of the South, which has
been far in the lead in the lumber pro-
duction for more than a decade, more
than maintained its supremacy last year,
contributing slightly more than thirty
three per cent of the total cut from all
kinds. Douglas fir of the Northwest
ranked second and white pine third.
Practically all kinds showed a marked
decreased cut, and for the first three
kinds Of timber there was falling off of
fifteen, twenty-five and twenty per cent,
respectively Oak and hemlock main
tanned their relative ranks but showed
decreases of twenty-five per cent each in
amount produced, and spruce dropped
eighteen per cent.
Louisiana was the heaviest producer of
yellow pine lumber, supplying nearly one
fifth of the total production. Texas,
Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama fol-
lowed in the order named. The State of
Washington, alone, supplied more than
three-ffths of the Douglas fir cut, while
the bulk Of the remainder came from
Oregon. Minnesota produced about a
third of the white pine, followed by Wis
consin with about fifteen per cent and
New Hampshire with ten per cent. An
interesting feature of the report is that
two New England States, Maine and
Massachusetts, produced more white pine
than Michigan, which for many years led
the country in producing this valuable
timber.
Oak lumber manufacture now centers
in Kentucky, West Virginia and Ten
nessee. Wisconsin comes first in the pro-
duction of hemlock, taking the position
held by Pennsylvania for so many years.
Altogether the lumber report bulletin,
which is free, by the way, contains fifty
seven pages, and gives detailed figures
upon the quality and value of forty-five
kinds of lumber manufactured in the
United States last year. The work on it
was conducted under the supervision of
committee of four, consisting of W. M.
Stewart, chief statistician for manufac-
lures and J. E. Whelchel, expert chief of
division, representing the Bureau of the
Census, and R. S. Kellogg, assistant
forester and A. H. Pierson, forest as
sistant, representing the United States
Forest Service.