Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-11-27
NAVAL STORES IMPORTANT IN.
soUTHs INDUSTRIAL HISTORY.

: the Oldest industries in the United
! States. deriving It's name from thu
r fact that in the early days pitch from
lpine trees was commonly used to make
: wooden vessels water-tlght," says r
s. Kellogg OF the United States For.
est Service. THE term has persisted
TO this day, though the products long
ago found other and more important
uses,
The turpentining of pine timber be-
gan in New England with the pitch.
or yellow pine, Of that region, but It
was in North Carolina that the first
extensive development of the naval
stores industry occurred. The records
show that from 1868 to 1870 the aver
age exports Of naval stores to England
included SS.1l1 barrels Of crude tur-
pentine, 2O.s46 barrels Of pitch, and
1896 barrels OF tar Most of the
crude was shipped to England for
distillation through the ports OF VIII
mington and NeWbern.
THE supplanting Of the iron retort
by the copper still in 1884 greatly I'm
creased the output of volatile oil and
gave much impetus to the industry.
However, previous to 1914 not over
one-hali of the production in North |
Carolina was distilled at home. Then,
because OF the poor market for rosin,
the stills we're transferred from the
ports to the woods, and q heavy on
slaught upon Iong-leaf pine forests Of
the South began.
North Carolina reached It's max
mum in naval stores production in
1890. with an expectation OF 6,279,.
$50 gallons of turpentine, and 663.967
barrels OF rosin. A comparison OF this
great expectation with a total produc-
lion in North Carolina in 1908 of
$4,000 gallons of turpentlne and 49,
300 barrels Of rosin tells the story of
he exhaustion Of the long-leaf pine
n that State. South Carolina attained
Is maximum output OF naval stores J
n 1882, only two years after that of
North Carolina. The. invasion OF new :
orests of virgin timber brought Geor-
ia to the front a few years later,
'ut recently that State has been sur
Iassed by Florida, which now is pro.
ucing nearly one-half of the totai =
alue Of the yearly output OF the nav. ;,
J stores industry. After following !,
he long-leaf pine forests TO their !,
outhern limits, turpentinlng swung to =
he westward across Mississippi, :
louisiana, and Texas. the latter State
aving become a considerable pro-
ucer only within the last seven years.
Until recently naval stores were
ntlrely produced by one OF the larg.
st and most destructive systems of
crest exploitation ever devised.
reat damage by fire and storm has
ways followed the turpentine box.
thousands Of acres Of splendid long
aaf pine forests have been abandoned
nd destroyed after three OF four
ears Of turpentining, and the valu.
Bile timber which they contained not
tilted. The earlier operations Of the
irpentiner were comparable in their
estucuyeness only 10 those which
wept the buffaIo from the Western
lains. The buffalo was killed for the
ide and horns; the long-leaf pine
rec for. a gallon OF two OF turpentine
nd a few pounds OF rosln.
The destructlveness Of the box
'stem az last became so apparent
nd widespread that 20 perpetuate
ieir Industry the operators were
freed TO turn TO other methods.
arious substitutes were proposed.
nd experimental work Of the Forest \
orvice In methods OF conservative =
eeration dates from 1901. when DR.. ,
.erty undertook the studies, With
hose splendid results you have long
cen familiar
The efforts Of Or. Herty and other
have demonstrated
Exclusively that improved methods, ,
which n Cun il uraA - catch th