120 ECONOMIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA. 



after Dr. Mohr wrote as above, sawmills of the largest 

 type were in operation along the railroads in Washing- 

 ton, Mobile and Baldwin Counties, and some of them are 

 still running. As for turpentine, one of the largest stills 

 ever erected in the state is operating in the southern 

 part of Baldwin County at the present writing (1912), 

 and small ones are not uncommon. 



In making the prophecies above quoted a few facts 

 were not taken sufficiently into consideration. One see- 

 ing trees cut down at a rapid rate can easily imagine 

 that it will take only a few years to devastate a whole 

 county ; but Baldwin County alone covers a million acres, 

 and if this were all pine forest, and if 100 acres were 

 cleared every working day in the year, it would take 

 about 30 years to denude the whole county, even if no 

 young trees came up to take the place of the old ones. 

 The reproductive powers of the long-leaf pine are greater 

 than some have realized, too. In spite of too frequent 

 fires, it continues to take possession of cut-over land in 

 this region, producing trees large enough for turpentin- 

 ing in about 25 years, and for lumber in 50 or 60, 

 until the farmer finally stops it. 



The last-named contingency is what is happening at 

 the present time. The cut-over pine lands of Mobile and 

 Baldwin Counties are being rapidly settled by farmers, 

 largely from Michigan and other states in that part of 

 the country, and the amount of land on which timber is 

 allowed to grow is steadily decreasing. 



Open range for cattle still seems to be the rule in all 

 this region, but as soon as the cultivated area equals 

 half of any one county there will probably be a demand 

 for stock laws. 



Forest exploitation and products. — Although the aver- 

 age capacity of the sawmills of this region, and the total 

 capacity in proportion to area and population, seems to 

 be exceeded a little by two or three of the regions cover- 

 ing less than 1,000 square miles each, and the total num- 

 ber of mills is less than in regions 6A and 10, this is in 

 many ways the principal lumbering region of the state. 

 The Southern Lumberman has collected information 

 from 57 mills, with an average capacity of 37,000 feet a 



