48 PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE 



lands. The remaining timber land, which is located for 

 the most part in the eastern half of the county, is being 

 rapidly exploited. 



In Wilkinson, Jefferson and Adams Counties the pure 

 type of longleaf pine does not exist, but the mixed pine 

 and hardwood type is found on the roughest hill lands. 

 Much of this forest has been culled of the merchantable 

 longleaf pine, so that loblolly and shortleaf pines often 

 predominate in the stand. 



The chief timber industries in the counties bordering 

 the Mississippi River are those which use hardwood tim- 

 ber. Stave and heading mills and sawmills cut a great 

 deal of oak and other har(|woods from the bottoim-lands 

 of the river. 



FOREST MANAGEMENT. 



The Approaching Exhaustion of the Timber Supply. — 

 According to the Census Report for the fiscal year 1908, 

 Mississippi ranks third in the production of lumber in the 

 country. It ranks third also in the production of yellow 

 pine lumber, being surpassed in this respect by Louisiana 

 and Texas. In the production of hardwoods it ranks tenth 

 in oak, second in gum, fifth in tupelo, eighth in hickory 

 and ash, tenth in yellow poplar, and first in cotton wood. 



In general the average prices received for lumber in 

 Mississippi are higher than in other States. The average 

 price for yellow pine, cypress and hickory lumber is higher 

 than in any other State. For oak lumber higher average 

 prices are received only in New York and Indiana, where 

 oak is very scarce and therefore expensive. This indicates 

 both that the quality of the lumber in Mississippi is better 

 than in most States, and that the transportation and 

 market conditions are unusually good. 



The Census Reports for 1907 and 1908 further demon- 

 strate that the great timber resources of Mississippi are 

 being rapidly depleted. In 1907 more lumber was manti- 

 factured in the State than ever l)cfore, and Mississippi 

 held fifth place among the States in its prodtiction. In 

 1908, in common with all the great lumber States, Missis- 



