to continue. During 1935 there were nearly 

 658,000 cords of pine and hardwood used for 

 fuel, of which 344,000 came from dead or cull 

 material (fig. 11) and 314,000 were drain on the 

 good-tree inventory. Of the total volume con- 

 sumed for domestic purposes, 75 percent was 

 used in rural farm homes, 13 percent in rural 

 nonfarm homes, and 12 percent in urban homes. 

 The commercial users are country stores, cotton 

 gins, schools, and laundries. Almost all of the 

 fuel wood is cut by farmers, and it is estimated 

 that its production furnishes 987,000 man-days 

 of labor in the unit each year. 



In 1935 the volume of fuel wood cut from sawlog- 

 size trees approximated 66 million board feet. 

 The sound under-sawlog-size timber used for 

 the same purpose exceeded 11% million cubic 

 feet. The total cubic-foot drain of fuel wood on 

 the good-tree inventory (plus incidental waste) 

 for 1935 was estimated to be 23% million cubic 

 feet, or 16 percent of the total commodity drain. 

 Precise data on which to base such estimates were 

 difficult to obtain, even though a sampling study 

 was carried on for that purpose. The volumes 

 as stated must be considered as approximations 

 only. 



FENCE POSTS 



Very little of the forest land is under fence. 

 Pastures and cultivated areas make up the bulk 

 of the fenced acreage. Practically all of the fences 

 are of wire with wooden posts, most of which are 

 red or post oak, although some sap pine posts 

 are used. It is estimated that 3% million fence 

 posts were cut and placed in 1935, of which 

 two-fifths were considered to be from good trees. 

 A volume of nearly 3 million board feet was cut 

 from saw timber and 680,000 cubic feet from 

 under-sawlog-size timber in the production of 

 these posts. Total drain from good trees in 1935, 

 including waste, was more than a million cubic 

 feet, or 1 percent of the total commodity drain. 

 Cutting of fence posts furnished to farmers 43,000 

 man-days of labor anually. 



MISCELLANEOUS USES 



There are 10 industrial plants in this group, 

 scattered throughout the unit, with individual 

 consumption capacities of 1,000 to 10,000 board 

 feet per day. The excelsior mills use pine only, 



the greater percentage of the trees cut being under 

 10 inches d. b. h. One handle plant is using 

 second-growth pine, averaging 10 to 14 inches 

 d. b. h. Another handle plant uses ash only and 

 requires trees larger than 14 inches d. b. h. Shingle 

 mills are cutting heart cypress, a large percentage 

 of which is taken from dead and down material. 

 Most of the dunnage wood used is a very low grade 

 of hardwood lumber. The mine-prop operations 

 confine their use to young second-growth pines 6 

 to 8 inches in diameter. The pieces are peeled and 

 are used untreated in Mexican mines. Domestic 

 farm use includes all round and split material taken 

 directly from the forest for general construction and 

 repairs. The land-clearing drain includes the 

 estimated volume of timber felled or girdled each 

 year through the conversion of forest to cropland. 

 This volume is not included in other classifications. 

 During 1935 the miscellaneous uses caused a 

 drain of 15 million board feet of material from 

 sawlog-size trees and more than 2% million cubic 

 feet from under-sawlog-size trees. The total drain 

 from good trees was 5% million cubic feet, which 

 includes incidental waste, or 4 percent of the total 

 commodity drain. Exclusive of land clearing and 

 farm use, 1 1,000 man-days of labor were expended 

 in these operations in 1935. 



TOTAL COMMODITY DRAIN 



Table 15 summarizes the total commodity drain 

 from good trees in 1935 as close to 150 million 

 cubic feet. This volume includes all material cut 

 and utilized, as well as the incidental drain in sound 

 volume left in the forest as a result of cutting. Of 

 this drain, the volume coming from sawlog-size 

 material was 814 million board feet. The best 

 available estimate indicates that the capacity of 

 the forest industries now installed, if all were 

 operating full time for an entire year, would be 

 approximately 1% billion board feet, exclusive of 

 the demands for cross ties, poles and piles, fuel 

 wood, and fence posts. Should economic condi- 

 tions warrant operation at full capacity, the drain 

 would exceed the increment as shown for 1935 by 

 at least a quarter of a billion feet. Past records 

 indicate, however, that industrial capacities are 

 seldom reached and never maintained for any 

 length of time, while the unused increment in 

 less-than-capacity years accumulates to help meet 

 the requirements of peak years. 



*5 



