88 



FORESTS, FOREST LANDS AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 



It can be roughly estimated that it would require the trees on 

 20,000 acres to hold the number of boxes cut in 1893-'94. The 

 proportion of this which was round timber, and which represents 

 the increase in the area of orchard, was under 3,000 acres. The 

 largest single tract ascertained to have been newly boxed was 350 

 acres in Bladen county. There were other tracts nearly as large 

 in Sampson, Harnett, Richmond and Montgomery counties. 



BOXING OF OTHER SPECIES OF PINES. 



The loblolly and short-leaf pines are not generally tapped in 

 this State. An attempt was made, however, to find out the num- 

 ber of loblolly pine (P. Taeda) boxes cut last year in Johnston and 

 Robeson counties, where most of them are worked, and the num- 

 ber w^as found to be under 20,000, showing that a very insignifi- 

 cant amount of turpentine is produced from this tree. There were 

 about 3,000 short-leaf pine (P. mitis) boxes cut last year in Mont- 

 gomery county. This tree was extensively worked fifteen years 

 ago in Wake and Chatham counties. The young trees are the only 

 ones which yield sufficiently to justify boxing; they yield about 

 two-thirds as much crude turpentine as the long-leaf pine and can be 

 worked from six to seven years. The crude turpentine from the 

 loblolly pine is very thin, and runs so freely that it usually over- 

 flows the box and runs down to the ground, unless the boxes are 

 dipped more frequently than the long-leaf pine boxes are. It is 

 said to have so much water in it that when distilled without a 

 large intermixture of crude turpentine from the long-leaf pine 

 only a poor quality of spirits turpentine is obtained. 



AMOUNT OF ROUND TIMBER AVAII,ABI,E FOR BOXING. 



This name is given to the original growth of long-leaf pine 

 before it has been boxed. It makes, of course, better mill timber 

 than the boxed trees, which have the lower part of the stock around 

 the face of the boxes surcharged with resin, obliterating all signs 

 of the grain and making what is called lightwood. The amount 

 of round timber, in acres, standing in each county December, 1893, 

 was, as nearly as could be determined, as follows: 



