130 Journal, of the Mitchell Society \_Decemher 



With our warm southern climate the prospect for rich returns 

 from such investments should be even greater than in France. 



Third, the greed of man. If we are to have a self -perpetuating 

 industry, even stock laws and the reforestration of waste lands 

 will not avail if a practice on the part of turpentine operators 

 during the past two years continues. The abnormally high 

 price of spirits of turpentine two years ago led to a wild scram- 

 ble for timber for increased operations. At the same time the 

 efficiency of the cup system was just gaining wide recognition. 

 Realizing that a tree too small to have a "box" cut in it could 

 be worked with a cup hung upon it, the operators throughout 

 the whole region proceeded to cup every small tree to which 

 access could be gained. In many cases new farms were opened 

 on old abandoned territory where natural reproduction had fur- 

 nished thrifty young forests. The result was over-production 

 of crude turpentine. The temporary benefit to the consumers 

 in the drop in values following this over-production was dearly 

 bought, for the price was the destruction of young forests which 

 in time should have produced their full share of the world's 

 need of spirits of turpentine and rosin. Common sense must 

 'and will govern in this matter. It is only necessary for the 

 operators to realize that the yield from such saplings does not 

 meet the cost of production, then the practice will cease. 



Surely the above considerations justify an optimistic view of 

 the future of the naval stores industry. But experiment, dem- 

 onstration, statistics, and knowledge of progress made in other 

 lands, must lead the way for the man in the woods. 

 University of North Carolina. 



