14 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE 



Hickory has been cut in small amounts for spokes and 

 handles, but there is a large amount left. Red gtim is the 

 most plentiful species, and is being cut on a very small 

 scale because of the low price of its lumber. 



The largest mill sawing hardwood lumber in the region 

 is located on the Tombigbee River in Monroe County. 

 The company owns several thousand acres of timber land 

 along this river and its tributaries. Much of this land was 

 bought for from Si to $5 an acre; some of it is now worth 

 $40 an acre. The company also purchases stumpage and 

 buys logs delivered at the river bank. The logs are floated 

 to the mill during the time of high water, in the late win- 

 ter and early spring. 



East of the Tombigbee River, toward the Alabama 

 line, the country becomes quite hilly, and, owing to the 

 poor, sandy soil and rough land, is sparsely settled. Lob- 

 lolly pine and upland hardwoods constitute the forest. 

 There are many small tracts of excellent white oak, hickory 

 and other hardwoods in this section. 



Stave and Heading Operations. — Through most of the 

 region the choice white oak has been largely cut for staves 

 and heading. This early logging was very wasteful, espe- 

 cially in the case of stave cutting. Twenty years ago only 

 the finest staves were cut for tight cooperage. Since the 

 white oak of the uplands is of very much better quality 

 than that of the overflow bottom-lands, it was the first to 

 be exploited, and was taken from all accessible localities. 

 Whiskey and wine barrel staves 36 inches long and pipe 

 staves often 20 feet in length were split in the woods and 

 hauled long distances to railroad points. They were almost 

 always for export to France, Germany or England. Only 

 the finest white oak {qnercus alba) trees, 30 inches and 

 more in diameter at the stump, were cut. Stumps were 

 invariably cut 3 or 4 feet high. Seldom as much as 12 

 feet of the trunk was utilized; the remainder usually con- 

 tained excellent lumber, but was allowed to decay on the 

 ground. Unfortunately this practice in stave cutting still 

 prevails in localities far from railroads, where timber has 

 little present value. 



