FISHERIES, GAME AND FORESTS. 



325 



SUMMARY, 1898. 



Spruce, 

 Hemlock, . 

 Pine, 

 Hardwood, 



Total lumber, 



Pulpwood, 418,182 cords — equivalent B. M., 

 Total lumber and pulpwood, . 



Shingles, 

 Lath, 



216,920,594 feet 



46,611,412 " 



33> 2 3 6 >4i° " 



17,883,873 " 



314,652,289 feet 



229,581,918 feet 



544,234,207 feet 



2 7> 2 73,°°° 

 43,933,79° 



In computing the equivalent log measure of the pulpwood, a cord was figured as 

 equal to three standard or market logs. The market log — which is 13 feet long and 

 19 inches in diameter — contains 183 feet, Doyle rule. Hence, the number of cords 

 multiplied by S49 (3 x 183 feet) gives the equivalent in log or board measure. 



YEARLY PRODUCTION OF SHINGLES AND LATH FROM 1894 TO 1898. 





SHINGLES. 



LATH. 



1894, . 



18,683,000 



3 2 >453,°°° 



i8 9 5> • 



18,267,000 



34,295,000 



1896, . 



16,256,000 



21,050,000 



1897, . . . 



35> 62 3,75° 



47,661,150 



1898, . 



27,273,000 



43,933.79° 



The comparatively small amount of shingles and lath reported for the years 1894, 

 '95 and '96, is due to incomplete returns rather than any decrease in production. 



I desire here to acknowledge the valuable assistance of Mr. A. B. Strough, of the 

 office force, whose familiarity with the subject enabled him to collect and tabulate the 

 foregoing statistics in accordance with the methods first used by me in my earlier 

 reports to the Department. 



The comparatively small amount of pine cut in 1898, and also in recent years, is 

 due to the fact that the forests of Northern New York were, for the most part, stripped 

 of their best pine over forty years ago. Prior to i860, or thereabouts, the lumbermen 

 in that region cut nothing else. No spruce was taken, the small market demand for 

 that species being supplied from the Maine woods. The hemlock was left standing 

 because the logs would not float unless peeled ; and as all the tanneries were situated 

 near the border of the wilderness it was too far to haul the bark. So the logging was 

 confined to the white pine, on which there was only a small profit at that time, 

 although it was the best timber in the woods. The Norway pine was not cut, it being 



