SUPPLEMENT. 



The following reports are reprints from the regular issues of the 

 monthly consular reports, and embrace everything relative to wood 

 and timber published by the Department subsequently to the issuance 

 of the foregoing Special Consular Reports, American Lumber in Foreign 

 Markets. 



AMERICAN LUMBER IN CHINA. 



Consul-General Jernigan, of Shanghai, under date of December 9, 

 1896, says an important article of import at Shanghai is American 

 lumber. To date, this has principally consisted of pine lumber from 

 the States of Oregon and Washington, though considerable redwood 

 from California also finds an appreciative market, as does timber from 

 British Columbia. The eastern part of China is almost denuded of 

 trees, causing the native supply of lumber to be very limited. The 

 regions back of Fuchau furnish considerable, not suitable for building 

 purposes, in a foreign sense, but affording the means of a large traffic 

 between the natives. It is from the Fuchau regions that the wood for 

 making coffins is mostly obtained, the superstition of the Chinese per- 

 mitting only certain kinds to be used for this purpose. From Hunan 

 and other parts of western China large quantities of pine are cut and 

 rafted down the Yangtze River, but as a rule it is of a very inferior 

 quality. Some wood finds its way from the interior to Canton. Teak 

 and other varieties of hard wood are imported from the East Indies, 

 Siam, and Burrnah, and some pine timber comes from Japan. Recently 

 a lot of railroad ties were brought from Japan to Tien-Tsin. The rapid 



)wth of Shanghai, and more especially the building of large cotton 

 lills and silk filatures here and in other cities, have largely increased 



le import of pine timber during the past two years. This will appear 



>m the following table: 



219 



