THE LUMBKK INDUSTRY IN EASTERN NORTH ( AKOLINA. 121 



fenciug material is wood, and over nine-tenths of the fences are 

 made from rails manufactured on the farms and not included in 

 the above amounts. Neither is there included in the above any of the 

 hre-wood, which constitutes nearly all of the fuel used in this sec- 

 tion, both for manufacturing and domestic purposes. The value 

 of the fencing cut up, and the cord wood in piles, would amount 

 to considerably over $4,500,000 a year, for the quantity of both 

 consumed in eastern North Carolina, and this added to the value 

 of the other products, makes an aggregate value of about |12,000,000 

 for the forest products of this section, for one year. This makes 

 the forest industry one of the largest in the State. The cotton crop 

 of the entire State had in 1890 a value about equal to this amount. 



RECENT TIMBER DEVELOPMENTS, AND THE OUTLOOK. 



The tendency of the lumber industry in North Carolina is towards 

 larger establishments, turning out at the mills as highly finished 

 a product as possible, such as flooring, ceiling, moulding, etc. The 

 wisdom of this course is fully sustained by the fact that there were 

 in these eastern counties, in 1880, 306 establishments, which had 

 an output valued at $1,340,000; while in 1893 there were only 

 3.23 establishments, with an output of $4,559,000. There are now 

 in operation nine band saws, five of which have been put in since 

 1890; and the change from circular to band saws is being contem- 

 plated by several other establishments, since there is a saving in 

 them, not only of motive power, but also a great saving of timber. 



Most large mills which will be built in the future, at least those 

 for sawing loblolly pine, will be furnished with band saws. 



The next ten years will probably show a much greater increase 

 in milling than the past decade, and a very much larger develop- 

 ment of the loblolly pine and hardwood industry. There are 

 several counties in which the loblolly pine has as yet no commer- 

 cial value, and in which it is only sawn in small quantities for local 

 use. The fact that the mills using this kind of timber, and owning 

 timber land, reported over 2,000,000,000 feet in sight, insures them 

 sufficient material for many years to come. Besides this, the area 

 still unlumbered and -not controlled by lumber men, must have 

 at least twice as much standing timber on it as was reported by 

 8 



