120 



FORESTS, FOREST LANDS AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 



The Production OF Oak Staves. — From 1840 until 1880 there 

 were annually made in the north-eastern counties many thousand 

 white and red oak staves. During the last fifteen years, however, 

 this industry has declined to a very small part of what it once was. 

 Staves were very largely shipped from Beaufort county to the West 

 Indies, prior to 1860. "Red oak staves" made from black, scarlet, 

 water and Spanish oaks were preferred for this trade; while for the 

 European trade, which went by way of Norfolk, New York or 

 Baltimore, "white oak staves" were preferred. The latter were 

 made from wdiite oak, post oak and overcup oak. Between 1868 

 and 1880 the counties around Albemarle sound produced large 

 numbers of staves, but the practical exhaustion of the best acces- 

 sible oak has largely reduced their output. Nash county now pro- 

 duces a considerable number of oak staves, and this is the only 

 county in the eastern section of the State that does. Further west, 

 however, large quantities of such staves are made in the upland oak 

 forests which extend through the middle and western parts of the 

 State to Tennessee. 



aggregate value of the forest products of eastern north 



carolina. 



The values of all the timber and lumber products of eastern 

 North Carolina for 1893 may be said to have been as follows: 



Value of lumber, including sawn shingles $4,558,280 



" " round timber exported 562,000 



" " "tun" and hewn timber exported 12,000 



" " railroad ties produced 110,000 



" " telegraph and electric light poles 27,000 



" " hand-made shingles 55,000 



" " products of special manufactories (U, S. Census, 1890), 131,055 



" " cooperage products (IT. S. Census, 1890) 111,925 



Total 15,567,260 



To this amount can be added the value of all resinous products, 

 which amounted, in 1893, to $1,752,760 ; and we have as the approxi- 

 mate market value of the forest products for eastern North Caro- 

 lina in 1893, 17,320,020. This does not show^ the real total value 

 of the forest products of this section, since practically all the 



