92 



FORESTS, FOREST LANDS AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 



the few left standing were practically ruined, as they could not be 

 cut at once. (See, also, pp. 57 and 61 for notes on the destructive 

 work of forest fires). 



DAMAGES TO ORCHARDS FROM STORMS. 



Besides the injuries to turpentine orchards, during 1893, from 

 fires they were damaged by two severe storms, occurring one in 

 August and the other in October, in the fall. The earlier storm, 

 in August, did but slight damage, except to abandoned orchards. 

 The one of October 14th, however, proved generally destructive 

 to all boxed pines, besides blowing up by the roots many oaks 

 and other hardwood trees. The damages were greater in the 

 south-eastern portions of the State, especially in Columbus, Bladen, 

 Sampson and Johnston counties, but they were by no means con- 

 fined to these counties. The force of the storm was not uniformly 

 distributed over this area, but was more severe at numerous scat- 

 tered points. Twenty distillers in these counties estimate that at 

 least one-tenth of their trees were blown down, while other orchards 

 were injured to a less extent, and several thousand acres of aban- 

 doned orchard were ruined. 



Most of this fallen timber proved to be a total loss, though about 

 100,000 railroad cross-ties were cut from it at points contiguous to 

 the railroads, and small quantities of it were carried to the saw- 

 mills on the Cape Fear river. Unboxed long-leaf pines suffered 

 very little, and neither the loblolly pine nor swamp timber was 

 damaged to any considerable extent. Boxed pines, as a rule, were 

 broken off at the box. Out of one hundred prostrated long-leaf 

 pines seen near Bladenboro (N. C.) eighty-five were broken off at 

 the box, four above the box but along the face, ten were blown up 

 by the roots, and only one tree was broken off above the face of 

 the box. These facts show the importance of adopting some other 

 system of gathering the turpentine which will avoid the deep box- 

 ing of the trees. Such a system is practiced in France, and is 

 described further on in this report (page 96). 



