THE FORESTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



531 



Establishments for the manufacture of wagons, wheel stock, cooperage, etc., have been established at different 

 times in the northern part of the state. The industries, however, which depend upon the hard-wood forests for 

 material are still in their infancy in Mississippi, and are capable of enormous development. 



The following estimates of the standing-pine supply of Mississippi, May 31, 1880, were prepared by Dr. Charles 

 Mohr, who carefully explored the forests of the state : 



LONG-LEAVED PINE (^Finus palttairls). 



SHORT-LEAVED PINE (Finns mitia). 



In the northeastern belt 



In northern region of mixed growth . 



Total . 



Cut for the census year ending May 31, 1880. 



1, 000, 000, 000 

 B, 175, 000, 000 



6, 775, 000, 000 



7, 775, 000 



In this estimate no account is made of small timber standing on some 2,912,000 acres which have been cut 

 over, and from which the merchantable pine has been practically removed. 



The region of mixed growth, which adjoins the pine belt upon the north, contains a smaller number of pine 

 trees per acre than the pine belt proper; but, the individual trees being larger, the average amount of standing 

 pine per acre is here greater, although generally of poorer quality, than nearer the coast. 



The principal centers of lumber manufacture are at the mouth of Pascagoula river, in Jackson county, at 

 Mississippi City, in Harrison county, along the lower Pearl river, upon the line of the Chicago, Saint Louis, and 

 New Orleans railroad in Lincoln county, and in the northeastern counties, where are located many small railroad 

 mills, manufacturing in the aggregate a large amount of yellow-pine lumber {Pinus mitis). 



The pine forests of the state have up to the present time sulfered but little damage from the manufacture of 

 naval stores. Turpentine orchards, however, have been recently established in the vicinitj' of the coast, near the 

 mouth of the Pascagoula river, and at other points in the coast counties. 



The following remarks are extracted from Dr. Charles Mohr's report upon the foi'ests of Mississippi : 



"The ptne forests of southern Mississippi. In the vicinity of Scranton, near the mouth of the 

 Pascagoula river, little is left of the original pine forest. The old clearings are covered with flue loblolly pine, 

 from 40 to 60 feet high, upon rather close, dry soil. The pitch pine {Pinus Cubensis) forms dense groves, with 

 seedling trees from 20 to 30 feet in height upon lauds of lighter soil extending to the sea-shore. Oaks are not 

 common. Fine groves of stately live oaks, however, line the banks of the river up to Moss Point, 4 miles distant. 



" The annual export of lumber during the last four or five years has averaged 45,000,000 feet from the Pascagoula 

 river. The largest percentage of this lumber is manufactured into boards and scantling for ordinary building 

 purposes, and is shipped to Cuba, the Windward islands, to Mexico, Brazil, and a small part, in the form of deals 

 2 or 3 inches in thickness, intended for shipbuilding, to France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. Large 

 quantities of charcoal burned upon the banks of Black and Red creeks are sent to New Orleans in small coasting 

 schooners, which run also from the bay of Biloxi and the bay of Saint Louis. At Moss Point eleven saw-mills, 

 which furnish the lumber manufactured upon it, are situated on both banks of the East Pascagoula river. The 

 combined capacity of these mills amounts to 220,000 feet a day, although the annual production during the past 

 years has scarcely exceeded 40,000,000 feet. The timber manufactured in these mills comes from the Pascagoula 

 and its tributaries, the Leaf and Chickasawha rivers and their sources, the Bogue Homo, Tallahala, Bay, and 

 Okatuina creeks, as far up as the southern limits of Covington and Jones counties. A small number of logs also, 

 comes from the Escatawpa. The logs received at these mills average 20 inches in diameter and 40 feet in length 

 Sticks of such average dimeusions are only furnished from flrst-class timber-lands, which, according to the best 

 judges, produce six or seven trees of that size to the acre. Only lands lining the streams just mentioned, in a 

 belt not exceeding 3 miles in width on each bank, have been up to this time invaded by the log-getter to supply 

 these mills. 



