The Monmouth inquirer., 1924-12-04
OLDEST INDUSTRY
FIGHTS FOR LIFE
Naval Stores Trade Finally
Heeds determination DaTfs
ger Due to Prodigality.

Westinghouse strong effort is be-
ing made to save one of the oldest
American industries.
If you should ever happen TO delve
into detailed accounts of our colonial
history you would find that in 1910,
when business In this country was de
cidedly in its infancy, instructions were
drawn up in London regarding "such
things as are to be sent from Vir-
ginia." These instructions explained
in picturesque spelling how turpentine
was to be obtained from "pyne and
fire trees" The trees were to be
wounded within a yard of the ground
and, so the paper said, shat which
ISSUES owte WILDE turpentyne worth
Els tonne. When the tree beginneth
to rune softelye vt is to be stopped
yp agayne for perseverance the tree"
The Virginia colonists and the Pill
grim fathers did get pitch and tar and
crude gum turpentine from the pine
trees when they were not engaged In
other more urgent or alluring pursuits
Gradually the business became estab-
ished in this country.
Used for Wooden WarshIps.
The wooden ships of commerce and
war were always In need of quantities
of tar and pitch. In fact, they used
most of the tar and pitch on the mar
ket so that the production Of these
materials was known as the naval
stores industry, and though ships use
comparatively little Of the pine tree
products any longer the industry has
retained its old name.
The longleaf pine forests of our
southeastern coast proved an especially
prolific source of naval stores 0per-
ators, seeing no end to the miles Of
pine forest stretching away through
the south toward the Gulf of Mexico
worked trees of one section for a
very few years recklessly, so as to
get the biggest yield of turpentine in
a hurry. When the trees were bled
dry, the workmen broke camp and
Travelled on to new territory. The
instructions of 1910. urging that the
trees be preserved, were never taken
seriously.
The industry rose toward peak in
the last century as improved methods
of distilling spirits of turpentine were
invented. But since the beginning of
this century, the end of the endless
pine forests has been in plain view.
Some 100000 of the original $780,
100000 acres of southern pine forest
are yet to be worked, and they are
being used up at the rate of about q
100000 acres q year.
Industry Now Dying.
The United States still dominates
the worlds trade In turpentine and
rosin, but the industry is considered
to be dying in this country. AS condi-
lions look now the country shall soon
be fortunate If it can make enough to
mix its own paints and to supply the
numerous industries that use impOr-
tant gum products of the pine.
Heretofore there has been little or
ganization in the Industries which use
the southern pine forests. The turpen-
tine man has been interested only In
getting the turpentine. Sometimes a
lumberman ,salvaged the trees that
were left before they rotted some
times not. Sometimes the deserted
land has been left idle, covered with
stumps and brush, and again land has
been taken over for agricultural pur-
poses.
Turpentine operators have never
thought seriously of investing money
in the planting of new forests that
would not be mature In twenty years.
While one man was enthusiastically plant
ing trees for the next generation his
competitors would have been hurry
ing through the virgin forests making
money.
Now that the nomadic days Of the
industry are obviously numbered, 1t
Is beginning to be worth while for
the operator to consider planting trees
and conserving those that he has.
This spring, the naval stores indus
try held a "get-together conference
and decided to send committee to
France to study their industry there,
because the French turpentine farms
are known to be thriftily managed
clAAQ
French Use Reclaimed Forests.
These French farms are on small
triangular stretch of land along the
southern Atlantic coast. A hundred
years ago this section of 100000
acres-the size of few counties In a
state like Georgla-consisted of
swamps, pools and dunes. To save it
from the ocean the French government
planted forests of maritime pine, one
of the few forms of vegetation which
seemed to thrive there. The reclaimed
forest tract now yields the French
people an annual income well up In
millions of dollars.
approximately what the French are
doing in their limited area the Ameri-
can naval stores industry will have to
copy If the industry Is to retain its
Importance permanently. The French
trees are carefully Clipped in ways
! that do not injure them for timber
| r,Yrrnococ Tho cIachoS ORC cha110ur and