The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-08-02
SCARCITY OF NAVAL STORES
And Resultant High Price, II Due to
Wasteful Practices In the
BualneAs

Charleston, s. c., Aug. 2.-Lack OF
conservation Of the pine forests OF the
South-wasteful methods OF boxing
and "scraping" the trees in turpentin-
ing operations and the recklessness
Of the yellow pine manufacturers-has
brought the country face to face with a
crisis In the naval stores industry, ac-
cording to reports from operators in
this section. The present shortage in
the production OF spirits OF turpentine
and rosin. with the consequent high
prices, has resulted in serious consider
alton being given the suggestion that
substitutes for these products must. be-
fore many years. be placed on the
market.
The quotations On spirits turpentine
and rosin have been higher this year
on a legitimate trading basis than the
trade has ever before known. Turpen-
tine has ranged between 68 and Il
cents per gallon the past week, closing
here Saturday at ssAc. while the av-
erage price for rosin in that period has
been about $3.50 per barrel
Surplus Wiped Out
decade ago, before the develop
ment Of the yellow pine lumber indus
try in the South, turpentine was selling
for one-third this price, with a glutted
market; while rOsin was so cheap that
it was allowed to go to waste around
the stills. where great beds of 1t lay
for years untouched. The present price
OF turpentine represents an increase
OF more than ten cents a gallon within
the past month, while rOsin has jump
! ed more than one dollar a barrel in
that period.
The present record prices are at
tributed solely to scarcity of supplies
and not to any speculative element in
the market. Last years surplus has
been entirely wiped out and the trade
| is forced to depend upon the current
crop to supply the demand. which has
| been steady to strong from the opening g
| OF the season
The once unbrOken belt of long leaf
pine. which extended from Virginia to
| Texas. has been so depleted by the de-
istructive methods Of numbering and
boxing. that conservative estimates
give the supply of timber now availa
bic for turpentine operations as insult
fcient to supply a normal demand fol
more than fifteen years.
| No longer are vast tracts of virgin
pine available for turpentining because
VI tIie great uepTecldtloH III the Vdlut
OF the trees for lumber purposes afte,
being boxed. 1t Is estimated that Z:
per cent. Of the virgin pine forests OF
the South are now held by lumber com
panies. who refuse any concessions tt
the naval stores operators, and it 1:
not doubted that much of the remain
ing % per cent. will eventually go Il
the lumber interests.
| AS cfj 70 Of rIo,
present methods of boxing is abou
eighteen years. it will be seen that tn.
naval stores industry will be limit et
to the present acreage under cultiva
ton or in possession OF the turpentin,
interests. unless a more conservativ.
method OF treating the trees is adopt ed
Several years ago the forestry burea,
Of the government made an effort t.
induce the naval stores operators Il
ladopt a suStem Of tapping the tree:
much after the style Of that practfcet
by the maple sugar operators: but The
same primitive, harmful method Of cut
ting three to four deep boxes near tn.
base Of the tree and then "scraping'
the surface from year to year unit
almost third Of the pines body wa:
a mass OF cOagulated sap. has contin
ued. This process makes the mair
body Of the tree fat" or pitch pine
which is not available for the manufac
iture OF the best grades OF lumber
1t has been suggested that the intro
ductiOn Of more conservative method
OF boxing may result in much Of tn,
present acreage of pines held by lum
ber companies being made availabl,
for the naval stores trade for severa
years working before the trees are Gu
into lumber. At the meeting to be hel,
in Atlanta October for the purpos,
of organizing the Southern Conserva
tion Association, the question OF
change in the method Of working tree
for turpentine is to be one Of the prin
cipal topics for discussion