30 



The Forests of Maryland. 



left in the form of sugar groves or "camps." More recently, how- 

 ever, advancing prices paid for Sugar Maple timber have resulted in 

 the cutting down of many of these fine old groves. 



The maple trees, of course, are tapped each spring, the amount of 

 sugar or sirup produced depending upon the season. The Census 

 reported for 1909 a production of 351,908 pounds of sugar valued at 

 $24,985, and 12,172 gallons of sirup worth $9,401, making a total of 

 $34,386 for the product of approximately 80,000 trees. It is probable 

 that this production has been maintained on an average since 1909, 

 and the value of the product has increased because of the higher price 

 now obtaining for both sugar and sirup. 



Charcoal. — The production of charcoal is not as important as it 

 was some years ago, due to changes in the industries in which it was 

 formerly used. But three counties — Anne Arundel, Cecil and Charles 

 — reported a production which amounted to 95,000 bushels, valued at 

 $9,500. Up to fifty years ago, and for more than a century before, 

 the cutting of wood for charcoal production was a very important' 

 business, as it was then used extensively in iron manufacture in sev- 

 eral different sections of the State. 



For example, the Principio Furnace, which is, except for the Muir- 

 Mrk Furnace in Prince George's County, the only one now operated 

 in the State though to a very limited extent, formerly used large quan- 

 tities of the charcoal produced from its 10,000 acres of woodland. The 

 PrincipiO Company was organized in 1722, and in 1774 the Catoctin 

 Furnace, in the mountains of the same name, was built. The latter 

 ceased to operate about 20 years ago, though it also had large holdings 

 of woodland comprising nearly 10,000 acres, which it had cut over 

 periodically for charcoal production. The Green Spring Furnace, in 

 the vicinity of Fairview Mountain, likewise discontinued operations, 

 in 1873, but during its active period, covering twenty-five years, it 

 used the entire product of its 7,000 acres of woodland for charcoal 

 production. Harford Furnace, on a branch of Bush River; another, 

 at The Rocks in Harford County ; and still other smaller ones, all con- 

 tributed to the charcoal industry. 



THE WOOD-USING INDUSTRIES OF MARYLAND. 



The industries producing wood and timber maintain a greater 

 number of establishments than any other in this State, and normally 

 there is but one industry in Maryland where the value of the prod- 

 ucts, and the number of dependent wage-earners, exceed those of the 

 lumber business and allied trades. Together they operate 1,168 es- 

 tablishments, employ 16,790 men, and have an output valued at $31,- 

 381,837. Under the head of production are included mills which 



