10 



Southern yelloio pine. — The census of 1880 estimated the stump- 

 age of southern yellow pine at slightly more than 237 billion feet. 

 The cut from 1880 to 1900 must have been in the neighborhood of 

 100 billion, and the estimate b}^ the census at the*latter date was 300 

 billion feet. Long disagreed with this, however, and estimated the 

 stand at 187 billion in 1903, while the Pacific Lumber Trade Journal 

 in January. 1907, placed the present stumpage, in the opinion of the 

 " best-known timber authorities," at 137 billion feet. This w^ould 

 miquestionabl}^ be the case were Long's estimate correct, as the cut 

 since 1903 has been at least 40 billion feet. The census estimate of 

 stumpage of yellow pine in the seven most important States in 1880, 

 Long's in 1903, and the probable cut since 1880 are shown in Table 6. 

 The cut was estimated by assuming the ratio of pine cut to the total 

 lumber cut for each State. The ratio selected is believed to be a con- 

 servative one. 



Table 6. — Estimated stumpage and cut of yelloio pwe in seven States. 



state. 



Estimated 

 pine stump- 

 age, census 

 1880. 



Estimated 

 pine cut, 

 1880-1906. 



Estimated 

 pine stump- 

 age. Long, 

 1903. 



Alabama •. 



Arkansas 



M board fee'. 

 21,345,600 

 41,315,000 



iM board feet. 

 17,600, 000 

 15, 500, 000 

 13, 200, 000 

 '20.100 oi;o 



31 board feet. 

 n , 250, 000 

 10, 510, 000 



Florida 



6, 615, 000 



10,500,000 



Georgia . . . ... 



16, 778, 000 



12, 000, COO 



Louisiana 



48,213,000 16.000! 000 



45, 000, ( 00 



Mississippi . .. 



24, 975, 000 

 67, 508, 500 



17, 100, 000 

 22, 900, 000 



46,000,010 



Texas 



30, 000, 000 







Total 



226, 750, 100 



122,300,000 



165, 250, 000 







The present annual cut of 3^ellow pine is about 12 billion feet, or a 

 little more than one-third the total cut of all species, and the maxi- 

 mum has probably not been reached. Whether we accept the lowest 

 or the highest estimate of stumpage, it is evident that within ten to 

 fifteen years there will be a most serious shortage of yellow pine. 



■Spruce. — The stumpage of eastern spruce was estimated at some- 

 thing over 12 billion feet by the census of 1880 and at 50 billion by 

 the census of 1900, the total cut during the period perhaps approxi- 

 mating 30 billion feet. Our ignorance of the actual stand of spruce 

 is further shown by the fact that Long's estimate in 1903 was 18 

 billion feet, while that of the American Lumberman a year and a 

 half later was 75 billion feet. Maine has alwa3^s been the great 

 spruce-producing State, and lumbering has gone on steadil}^ there 

 for a longer period than anywhere else in the United States. The 

 spruce stumpage of Maine was placed at 5 billion feet by the census 

 of 1880 and at 21 billion by the State forest commission in 1902. In 

 the meantime probably more than twice the quantity estimated in 

 1880 had been cut. The present annual cut of spruce in the United 



[Cir. 97] 



