The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-03

savannah. Ga. Jan. 1.--Savannah is the center of the naval stores busi- ness of the world. In the Savannah Board of Trade each forenoon is fixed the controlling prices of naval stores which will prevail for the next twenty four hours from London and Barcelona to Bombay and Melbourne.
 Yet when the secretary of that Board of Trade received letter. as he did the other day, from a gentleman in New York asking for information as to the best place to buy a fog horn for his yacht, the fact was birne in upon the Savannah people that there are many people, land-lubbers and sea- faring men. who don't know what 'na- val stores really are.
 Naval stores are turpentine and ros- in. That's all These two valuable products of the gummy sap of the long leaf pine enter Into the industrfal life of the world through so many portals that it is difficult to catalogue their multifarious uses. Just why the name naval stores" IS applied to them. and to them exclusively, is some thing about which there Is much dis putation and very little information If is the usually accepted theory that the name originated when pine tar or. pitch was used for caulking ships and was the prime necessity of ship chandlers stock in trade. But what ever the origin, 1t remains a fact that naval stores" is the universal trade name for turpentine and rosin when those useful commdfties are placed i'll the market; whether their ultimate purpose shall be to thin the paints on some masters palette and rosin the bow of some great violinist, or whether they will come to paint the sides of barn or assist circus performer to cling with his toes to the slack wire. Savannah is not only the center of the naval stores trade. but Is also the largest market for the actual stores of turpentine and rosin. Years ago when the turpentine business was res tricted to the piue forests of more northern states, Wilmington, North Carolina, was the chief naval stores port Charleston succeeded to the honor when the North Carolina pine forests were exhausted. Then Savan- nah, adjacent to South Carolina. Geor- gia and Florida, became the chief port. Florida now produces the greate part of the naval stores. and Jacksonville Is figh ting hard for the supremacy of the market.
 The business has its distinctive mo- nnenclature and measurements. All rosin is sold at a-rate based upon @2s0 nOunQS. ana one oOcSH AhOW uAtA after the barrel he has purchased is weighed how much the bill will amount Ito. although the price quoted was for a .'barrel.", Rosin is graded in twelve different qualities, according to, color The dearest and the purest made, from the sap of a newly tapped tree, is call- ed water white." Then comes win dow glass" both of these terms being self-explanatory. The next highest grade is Nancy" then come Mary, Kate. Isaac. Harry, George. Frank. Edward, Dolly and Bob. It is odd to hear a man quoting prices on Nancy and Dolly. at so much per barrel. over the telephone. But the mystery is soon cleared away when one is informed that the three lowest grades, formerly designated as A, B. and C. were com bfned te form grade B. There was confusion in talking over the telephone in using the grade letters. so grade B, became Bob" Grade D was called polly and so on up the list to the aristocratic Nancy" who is almost as clear as crystal as 'windowglass."
 Spirits of turpentine, on the other