The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-31

In a recent issue Of the National Maya
zine Garnault Agassiz cuts loose with a
fuII-blooded article on GLORIOUS Old
Georgia which is not merely OF general
interest as touching upon the resources or
that State. but of special interest be-
cause yellow pine and other Georgia lum-
Der comes in for a send-0n as a para
mount factor fin the Georgia business
situation.
Mr.. Agassiz does not wander adeld into
the realm Of speculation and romancing-
It is concrete article. in part he says;
..Vith over thousand SaWmlilS in ac-
tice operation. with an army Of fifteen TO
twenty thousand men in constant service.
with an annual timber cut of from eight
hundred million TO a billion and a quarter
feet. and an approximate annual value OF
from fifteen 20 twenty million dollars
lumber rs second only TO cotton among
the native Industries Of Georgia
Has Much Forest.
some idea Of Georeia's great lumber
resources can be gained from the fact
that OF her SS.0010C1 acres more than
26.O0OO00 are in forests. forests that en-
brace in varying quantities practically all
Of the trees indigenous TO the Eastern
States.
..The chief hardwoods OF Georgia are
the oak. the hickory, the ash. the dog
wood. the black gum, and the persimmon;
her chief soft woods the long and the
short leaf pine. the poplar. and the cy-
press
"A tall. symmetrical tree, with its foil
age confined 10 its upper branches, the
I long Leaf. commonly known as the long
leaf yellow pine is by far the most beau-
tiful of an the pine family. IL frequently
attains a height of "a hundred ana TWEEN
tv-fve feet. with a diameter Of from one
to four and a half feet. Five-loot trees
while uncommon. are not rare.
THE long-leaf pine region OF Georgia
/ covers some 1900 square miles and con-
tairs at q conservative estimate over %
o0lgGO10 feet Of merchantable timber. II
is. however. in no sense Of the word In
exhaustibls. The truth Is, there is com
parativeIv little virgin pine left in the
state. virgin pine Interpreted being the
pine that has never been tapped for lbs
turpentine and rosin.
Although IL has been prominent fac
tor in the lumber markets of the world
I for a matter of twenty-five years. tAe
pine industry OF Georgia is considerably
more than a hundred years old. For the
I first seveuty-fve years Of its life, how
I ever. II was confined chiefly 10 the coast
I and IL was not until the construction OF
! a number OF important trunk lines
/ through the very heart OF the forest thai
/ any attempt to develop the industry on q
! large scale was made.
Railroad Demand n Factor.
THE railroad. which in 1905 took over 9
per cent Of the pine product Of Georges
| for. cars and other railroad material. was
I an enormous factor in the early develop
ment Of the pine industry. An iIlustra-
/ ton Of this is the Brunswick and Albany
( now part Of the Atlantic Coast Line
which three years after completion hat
some twenty-five sawmills in operation or
/ It's lines.
ITO the pioneer lumberman Is also dut
\ a large measure OF credit one OF these
/ is Capt. n. H. Tiff Capt Tiff. whose
name is as inseparably connected Wit
| Georgia numbering as 70 be almost a par
I Of II. commenced his operations In 1872
/ one year after the completion Of the rail
l road referred TO above. Starting In q
/ very modest way. he gradually extended
/ his operations. buying up all the timber
! lands that his means would allow. II
/ 1898 the Georgia Southern and Florida
/ Railroad was built, and Capt Tiff
/ thought the time had arrived 10 start q
/ town That his judgment was correct
! is shown in the Triton of to-day. which
with some $500 population, four banks, q
( large number Of stores and mercantile es
/ Establishments. and a number of importan
; industries. is one OF the most importan
/ centers in wire-grass Georgia.
THAT the greater part of Georgia
! pine is irretTievably doomed is incon
( trovertible. But it is a doom that ha:
| been made necessary by the demand o.
/ industry. and is TO be regretted onIl
/ from a point Of sentimentaiity. Refores
! taton for the most part is out OF thu
! question. and even If practical would b'
unwise In the first place, the Georgi;
/ long-leaf pine has the unhappy facult.
4 Of seldom reproducing itself true 70 tn
+ parent tree. the second-grOwth pine bein,
smaller. sappier knottier, and I'm ever,
way an inferior tree; in the second, TIN
( pine lands Of Georgia have a far create
( future as farms than forests"