194 ECONOMIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA. 



The second half of the table shows the ratio between 

 each region and the whole state, in each of five different 

 things ; and if all the regions were represented in this 

 table each of these last five columns would add up to 

 100 t; Column 6 is for area, 7 for amount of woodland, 8 

 for population, 9 for number of sawmills, and 10 for total 

 capacity of the sawmills. 



If the state were absolutely homogeneous and the re- 

 gions were mere arbitrary or political divisions, differing 

 only in size, the number of inhabitants, sawmills, etc., 

 the amount of woodland and of timber cut, in each region 

 would theoretically be proportional to its area, and the 

 last five columns would then be exactly alike. But as it 

 is, the geographical diversity of the regions is faithfully 

 reflected in the differences between figures on the same 

 line in different columns in the right half of the table. 



In almost very case where the figure in column 8 is 

 larger than the corresponding one in column 6 that in 

 column 7 is smaller, and vice versa; because the denser 

 the population the fewer the trees, other things being 

 equal. The numerical relations of columns 9 and 10 are 

 not so simple, but of course in general the number of 

 mills increases with the population, up to a certain point, 

 while the total production depends to a considerable ex- 

 tent on the amount of woodland, and therefore tends to 

 decrease before the number of mills does; although a 

 rapid increase of population in a wooded region requires 

 a large supply of lumber for the construction of new 

 buildings.* 



The reasons for excluding Jefferson County and the 

 city of Mobile from the computations of population, and 

 the mills at Prentice, Jackson and Lockhart from some 

 of the figures for sawmill capacity, have been given un- 

 der the regional descriptions to which they belong. 



*If it were not for the rapid increase of population characteris- 

 tic of most parts of the United States our per-capita consumption 

 of lumber would be considerably less, a fact which is not always 

 taken into consideration in comparing the rate of destruction of 

 our forests with that in European countries where the population, 

 although much denser, is almost at a standstill. 



