24 



TIMBER PINES OF THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. 



undertake, but for wliicli tbe means at the disposal of the Division of Forestry have never been 

 suflicient. Even the amount of annual consumi)tion can only be approximated, i)artly because 

 tlie species are not always kept separate and partly because information is not alwaj's readily 

 given by the operators or sliipi)ers. 



The statistics for Longleaf Pine can be more nearly api)roximate(l, for the majority of the mills 

 eu{;ajjed in its ex])loitation cut hardly any other timber; moreover, its geographical limits are more 

 clearly defined, so that even the area of remaining supplies is not entirely beyond our ken. 



When it comes to using such statistics for a prognostication as regards avaihible sujjplies, 

 anotlier dilliculty arises in the change of standards of material recognized as marketable and the 

 change of demand or use, and hence consumijtion, of any of the varieties, lint we can now safely 

 assume that the standard ol' size and quality, which was high wheu the census figures of 1880 were 



Pig. 7. — Diaffrnm sliowini,' roniparntive progress of voliimo prowtli in avora^o trees. 



estimated and hence made them appear below the truth, has now sunk nearly to the lowest level, 

 any stick that can be placed on tlie mill down to lOinch and 8-inch being fit material. There is 

 also no danger of any rediu-tion in tlie cut for any reason exce])t a teiniiorary one due to such 

 general business depression as that experienced throiiglnmr tlie last two years. Increase of 

 consumption of Southern timber is bound to follow the imminent exhaustion of the pine supplies 

 of the North. And with the exception of Pacific Ooa.st timbers, which. owing to tJieir great 

 distance, have so far made but little competition in ICasteni markets, no new undiscovered timber 

 resource will intluence the cut of Southern pine. 



Venturing on tlie basis of the meager data furnished in thi.s publication to make a guess at 

 the probable supply and demand, we may with due reserve state that the amount of pine timber 

 ready for lumber manufacture standing in tlie South can not be above J.">0,(l(lO,(iO(i,000 feet, and 



