The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1909-12-04
NAVAL STORES IMPORTANT M
SoUTH'S INDUSTRIAL HISTORY


THE naval stores industry IS one
Of the oldest Industries in the United
states. deriving It's name from the
fact that in the early d2vs pitch from
pine trees WAS commonly used To
make wooden vessels Watertight." says
r. :. Kellogg OF the United States
Forest Service The term has per
sisted to this day. though the pro-
ducts long ago found other and more
Important uses.
1.-THE turpentining of pine timber
began in New England with the
pitch Of yellow pine. OF fllat region,
but it was in North Carolina that
the first extensive develomaent of the
naval stores industry occurred The
records show that from 1868 to 1870
tie average exports o: naval stores to
England included SS,111 barrels of
crude turpentine, 20,646 barrels OF
pitch, and SS.366 barrels Of tar Most
OF the crude was shipped to England
for distillation through the ports of
Wilmington and Newbern.
The supplanting Of the iHon retort
by the copper still in 1894 greatly in
creased The output Of volatile oil and
gave much impetus to the industry.
However previous to lS44 not over
one-half of the production in North
Carolina was distilled at home Then,
because Of the poor market for rosIn,
the stills were transferred from the
ports To the woods. and a heavy on
slaught upon longleaf pine forests Of
the South began.
North Carolina reached its maxi
mum I'm naval stores production in
1S59-S0. with an expectation Of s.,
279,250 gallens of turpentine, and
663967 barrels Of rosin. A COMPARE
son Of this great expectation with a
total production in North Carolina in
1908 of 732.3G0 gallons of turpentine
and 13l, 800 barrels Of rOsin tells the
story of the exhaustion OF sthe long
leaf pine i'm that state South Caro-
lima attained its maximum output Of
naval stores i'm 1852, only two years
after that of North Carolina. The
invasion Of new forests of virgin tim
Der brought Georgia to the front a
few years later. but recently that
state has been surpassed by Florida
which now IS producing nearly one
half of the total value of the yearly
output of the naval stores industry.
After following the long leaf pine
forests to their southern limits. tur-
pentining swung to the westward
across Mississippi, Louisiana and
Texas. the latter state having become
a considerable producer only within
the last seven years.
Until recently the naval stores
were entirely produced by one of the
crudest and most destructive sys-
TENS OF forest exploitation ever de-
vised. Great damage by fire and
form has always followed the tur-
2ntine box. Thousands Of acres of
llendid long leaf pine forests have
on abandoned and destroyed after
zee or four years of turpentining.
j the valuable timber which they
obtained not utilized. The earlier
perations of the turpentiner were
comparable in their destructiveness
Aiy to those which swept the buffalo
from the western plains The buffalo
was killed for the hide and horns;
the long leaf pine tree for a gallon or
two of turpentine and a few pounds
a rosin.
"'The destructiveness Of the box
system at last became so apparent
and widespread that to perpetuate
their industry, the operators were
forced TO turn to other methods. Var
Gus substitutes were proposed, and
detrimental work of the Forest Ser
&c in methods of conservative op-
alton dates from 1901. when DR..
o 'rty undertook the studies with
splendid results you have long
amiiar
effects OF DR.. Herty and other
.menters have demonstrated
,lusively that improved methods.
which a cup is used to catch the
lie turpentine and the box done
\. way with. result in the production
larger quantity of tUrpentine and
n. higher grades of the latter.
ger life 10 the timber, and greatly
ned damage from FIRE and wind.
Introduction of these methods is
go step in conservative turpen-
IF the equipment. such methods
mEglot appealed TO the smaller op-
who have little capital. and
operations extend over only
three years in a given local
~ are Unquestionably profit
he larger operators and es-
those who. working upon
timber. have the most in
49, ii 10 handle it carefully. Only