The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-04-14
TUNG OIL TREES
IN SOUTH GEORGIA
SEAROARD RAILROAD EXPER-
IMENTING WITH 10 ACRES
AT KINGSLAND.

SAVANNAH, Ga.-The establish
ment OF an industry which may de-
velop to the point OF being a twin to
the naval stores business in the south
east is in prospect, according 10 de,
velopment officials OF the SeaDoard
Air Line railway. who are conducting
experiments in the planting OF tung
oil trees. the source OF China wood
oil. This oil is widely used in the man
rfacture OF paints and varnishes. -.
Experimental paintings OF tung oil
trees have been made in northern
Florida and southeast Georgia, which
# successful. will be the means OF add
ing a paying enterprise to this section
and make possible the utilization OF
thousands OF acres of land otherwise
unfit for profitable agriculture.
AT present the entire supply OF Chr
ma wood oil comes from China. Ac-
cording to the report OF Consul Gener-
al P. s. Heintzleman, OF HankoW,
China. the imports OF China wood oil
into the United States for 1923 and
1924 were 100000 and $1,000, 900
rounds respectively. To quote from
Florida Experiment Station bulletin
III; The Tung Oil Tree in Florida:
From the nuts Of this tree IS eX-
pressed wood oil or tung oil one
OF the best drying oils known. When
used in varnishes this oil tends TO
make the varnish waterproof and re-
duces its liability to crack 1t IS SAID
that strictly waterproof varnish as
we'll as varnish which will not turn
white under long exposure to water
cannot be made without tung oil as
one of its constituents According to
David Farchild the varnishes made
with this oil and southern rosln as two
of the constituents are superior to
those made with the high priced and
rapidly disappearing gums, such as
kauri Manila, Zanzibar, etc"
In view of the fact that the rosin
industry is centered in this section the
above facts are of particular interest
to south Georgia.
Pleased With Prospects.
1t is doubtful if many people know
that there is already commercial
planting of tung oil trees in Georgia.
r. E. Price, manager of the Bertha
Mineral Company, OF Kingsland, has
ten acres. These trees have made good
growth and are doing well. The soil
on which they are planted is ordinary
cut-over pine land common to this
section The Bertha Mineral Company,
which is a subsidiary corporation of
the Jersey Zinc Company has 1000
acres OF such land in Camden county.
AT the instigation of the Seaboard's
development department in the spring
OF 1924 the Bertha Mineral Company
was induced to make certain expert
mental paintings of trees and crops
looking toward the ultimate develop
ment OF the entire property. AT this
time fifteen acres were set in pecans,
six acres in satsuma oranges and ten
acres in tung oil trees, the first ever
planted in this section. The tung oil
trees have made splendid growth and
are in good shape Mr. Price states
that he is we'll pleased with the results
so far.
Estimated returns from a full bear
ing of tung oil trees run as high as
5000 per acre a year. Seventy-hve dol
lars per acre is very conservative
return. The crop is not perishable and
the expense OF harvesting is very
light. The trees will stand any tenn
perature recorded on the Georgia
coast. 1t simply remains to be deter
mined by experiment whether the tung
oil tree is adapted to the soils found
in Georgia. II the planting near Kings
land continues to do we'll Mr.. Price
intends to greatly increase the acre
age The Seaboard will also establish
further experimental paintings along
+I,a coaE+