The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1909-07-02
sAwM1LL OUTPUT.
Lumber Cut of United States for
the Year 1908.

the Year 1908.
During the year 1908, 1921
sawmills in the United States man
ufactured 33,2S9,369,OOO feet of
lumber, according to a preliminary
report just issued by the Bureau of
the Census. These mills also cut 49,
1O6,4S3, 900 shingles and 1885,
6S4,000 lath. Lumber manufacture
ing like every other industry felt
the effects of the business depres-
sion which began In October, 1907.
Consequently the production in 1908
was below that for the previous
year. In 1907 the cut Of 2S,85O.
sawmills was 40,256,154,OOU feet,
the highest production ever record
ed. notwithstanding, therefore,
that in 1908 reports were received
from eight per cent more mills than
in 1907, the decrease In lumber cut
reported by them was slightly oyer
seventeen per cent.
Washington, as for several years
past, still ranks first Among the
states in lumber production, it's cut
in 1908 being 2,915,928,0 900 feet
a decrease of 22.S per cent over the
cut in 1907. Nearly all the lumber
manufactured in Washington is
Douglas fir, the market for which
was seriously affected by the panic.
Louisiana ranks second, with 2,722,-
$4,000 feet, a decrease of $50, OO0,-
900 feet of 8.4 per CEN over the
cut in 1907. Louisiana is first in the
production of both yellow pine and
cypress. Cypress is a particularly
useful and valuable wood, and APP
%parently, the manufacturers Of it
did not suffer as severely from dull
times as did the manufactures of
yellow pine and Douglas fir Miss
issippi was the third state in lum-
Der production in 1908, with a total
of 1861, DIG, 900 feet a decrease
of eleven per cent from the cut in
1907. Arkansas ranked fourth, with
1,656,991, 900 feet-a decrease pf
nearly seventeen per cent over the
previous years output, and Wiscon-
sin fifth, with 1,613,315,0O feet
against 2.OO3,279,0 900 feet in 1907.
In Texas, where the lumber indus
try is confined almost exclusively to
yellow pine, the falling off was very
heavy. The total cut of the state in
1908 was 1,524,OO8,000 feet de-
crease of 31.6 per cent over the cut
i'm 1907. Eight other states man
u%factured o than one billion feet
each Of lumber last year. In order
of Importance they were: Michigan,
Oregon, Minnesota, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina,
and West Virginia. California and
Maine, other states which reported
more than one billion feet in 1907,
went just below that figure in 1908.
The totals for a few states were
greater in 1908 than in 1907, but
Isis was chiefly due tas the larger
numbaT" Of reports secured in those
states in 1908. In Georgia, for i'm
stance, a particularly close canvass
increased the number of mills re-
porting nearly. one-third. while the
resulting increase in reports of to-
tai production was only six per cent.
In Massachusetts, 61O mills report
ed a cut of 384,526,OOO feet in 49,
0S as compared with a cut of 1884,
231,000 feet by SIS mills in 1907.
In Colorado 254 mills cut of 1897
036,000 feet in 1908. while in 1907,
23O mills cut 134,239,0OO feet. A
particularly large gain in mills re-
porting was made in Oklahoma. In
1907, 1923 mills in that state cut
14O,O15.GOO feet, while In, 1908, 214
mills cut 1%5S,756.0O0 feet.
While there are very many large
sawmills in the United States, the
small mills far outnumber the large
ones, and 1t is particularly interest
ing to note how many pf these
small mills there are in the states
which r now Of first rank in lum-
Der production. The statistics for
New York were collected by the For
est, Fish and Game Commission OF
that state. which secured reports
from 2,,291 mills. In Pennsylvania
2,224 mills reported to the Census,
and in Virginia, LAO mills, and in
Kentucky from 1880 mills. The
number of mills reporting from Ten
nessee was only forty less than from
Kentucky. In West Virginia, Georg-
la, Missouri, Ohio, and Indiana, be
tween 1000 and 1,100 miles each
were engaged in cutting lumber last
year. The average output. per mill
was 100000 feet In New York, and
5,260,000 feet in Louisiana, these
two states presenting nearly the ex-
tremes Of production by small and
large mills.
Yellow pine. Douglas fir, white
pine. oak, hemlock. and spruce, in
the order named, were the woods
cut into lumber in the largest guam
tity. Yellow pine has ranked first
since 1t surpassed white pine in.
the latest nineties, and 1t is still far
I'm the lead. More recently, white
pine has also been superseded by
Douglas AR, 70 that nov It occupies
third place.
Washington has been the princi.
pal shingle producing state since
the use Of red cedar shingles became
general, and It supplied three-ifths
OF the total output Of shingles las,
GEAR. Among the other single pro
Iducing states. Michigan. Louisiana,
IMainA and sG~at1fnrn3a v,orn unn.t