Forestry-geological review [Apr. 1933]

DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND GEOLOGICAL DEVELOPMEN

Vol. 3

ATLANTA, GA., APRIL, 1933

No.4

GEORGIA FORESTRY ASS'N

i
with members of the American Pulp and I SEVEN YEAR OLD PINES

MEETING AT SAVANNAH Paper Association as guests.

I

MAKE EXCELLENT PAPER

Tuesday, May 2, will be given to techni-

Bicentennial City Host to Both the Georgia Forestry Association and American Pulp and Paper Association-Promises to be History Making Meeting
On April 28, 29 and May 1, the Georgia Forestry Association will hold its twelfth

cal phases of paper making from southern pine and will be confined to the paper makers. A trip will be made in the afternoon to neighboring pine forests. The public is invited to attend the meetings of the Georgia F'orestry Association and the joint meeting of the forestry association and the pulp and paper manufacturers on Monday, May 1.

Probably First Time Paper was ever Made from Trees of that Age Trees Planted by James A. Fow ler of Soperton made into Newsprint Pulp and Paper Laboratory at Savannah
Paper made from trees planted only sev-

annual meeting at Savannah, during a per- Officials of the Georgia Forestry Associ- I en _Years is belie~ed to. be a world record. iod when Savannah is celebrating the bicen- ation are expecting to have the most large- , This was accomplished m March at the pulp
tennial of its founding and the 200th anni- ly attended session in the history of the and paper laboratory of the Department of

versary of the State of Georgia. On May 1, the association and the city
of Savannah will be hosts to the American Pulp and Paper Association, members of which are coming to Georgia to study the work of the State Pulp and Paper Laboratory in making newsprint paper from south-

association and it is believed it will be his-
tory making in its relation to developing the paper making possibilities of the south.
At the time this publication goes to press the details of the program have not been completed.

Forestry and Geological Development of Georgia. The trees were grown by James A. F'owler, of Soperton in Emanuel county. Seven years ago Mr. Fowler took up some wild seedlings of slash pine from the forest and planted them in an old field. They grew rapidly without any further attention than

ern pines and to make field trips to see

to protect them from fire.

some of the vast forest resources available as a source of paper pulp.
The headquarters of the Georgia Fores-

NO TIMBER SHORTAGE IN UNITED STATES

The plantings of Mr. Fowler were among the first in the state. The growth rate of the pines has been watched with much in-

try Association will be at the Savannah Hotel, where the meeting will be held and exhibits displayed. The visiting paper makers will make their headquarters at the

Present Problem One of Management Including Fire Protection, Says Timber Conservation Board

terest. The rapidity with which they grew has been a source of astonishment to foresters. Records were made of a tree that grew four inches in diameter in four years.

DeSoto Hotel, where the joint meeting of

A tree on the Fowler plantation that had

the forestry association and the pulp and The special advisory committee of the grown 8 inches in diameter in six years

paper manufacturers will be held on May 1. Timber Conservation Board in Washing- from planting was exhibited at the annual

The pulp and paper manufacturers will ton made its report. According to this re- meeting of tJO Georgia Forestry Associac

arrive by boat on May 1, and will remain port, the forest areas of the United States, tion at Rome, Ga., in 1932 and proved a

until the night of May 2.

if given ample protection and management, revelation of the great possibilities of

A program of interesting addresses and will be more than sufficient to meet any growing pines in plantations.

entertainment will begin at 10 o'clock April probable future demand in this country for

Desiring to test young trees of such

28 at the Savannah Hotel with President timber products.

rapid growth for making paper, Dr. Charles

T. G. Woolford, Atlanta, in charge. The The report states the following conclu- H. Herty, research chemist in charge of the

morning will be devoted to addresses by sion:

pulp and paper laboratory at Savannah,

notable speakers.

"The present forest problem in the Unit- prevailed upon Mr. Fowler to let him have

The afternoon of April 28 will be devot- ed States is not one of timber shortage but a few trees for the purpose. The young

ed to educational work in forestry in Geor- of the proper protection and management slash pines were treated in the manner used

gia with a large delegation of teachers and of our forested areas, including adjustment in making newsprint from red spruce, and

Vocational students interested in forestry, of production of forest products between the result was a fine grade of white paper.

followed by an inspection of the pulp and and within the forest regions to secure best This paper was donated to the weekly news-

Paper laboratory.

results from existing forest growing stock. paper at Soperton and was used in a spe-

The second day will be given to addres- The area now covered with commercial for- cial edition issued at the time a press meet-

lles, followed by a business session. The af- ests and likely to remain available for that ing was held at that place. The paper, of

tern?on will be devoted to sight seeing, and purpose, if given ample protection and course, gave perfect satisfaction on the

at night a banquet will be held.

management, is more than sufficient to press and was the object of much favorable

Exhibits will be displayed at the Savan- meet any probable future demand.

comment on the part of the newspaper men.

nah Hotel throughout the meeting.

"These conditions can be brought about The great significance of this achieve-

DaMY":onidnayc,hMaragye

1, will be "Paper Research of Dr. Charles H. Herty,

only through positive public and private measures separately and in co-operation."

ment is that desirable trees for paper can be grown in seven years and these young

2

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

Forestry-Geological Review
Published Monthly by the DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND
GEOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT State Capitol, Atlanta
C. A. WHITTLE, Editor

FOREST FIRE RECORD

FIVE MILLION ACRES

FOR YEAR 1932 PIEDMONT FARMS DESTROYED

Drouth in Winter and Spring Creat- Only Forests can Recover Eroded

ed Unusual Fire Hazard-Num- Slopes for Future Use-Soils Au-

ber and Extent of Fires Large

thority Tells of Tragedy

Bonnell Stone, Oxford

The years of 1931 and 1932 were un- Speaking before National Drainage and

Forestry Division

usual in that there was a long, severe F1ood Control Congress at Columbus, 0.,

B. M. Lufburrow, State Forester~~~~Atlanta C. A. Whittle, Educational Mgr.,~~~~Atlanta
H. M. Sebring, Asst. State Forester, Atlanta E. B. Stone, Jr. Dist. Forester~~~ Gainesville C. B. Beale, District Forester~~~~~~Waycross W. D. Young, District Forester~~~~~~~~~~~~Rome
Jack Thurmond, District Forester,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--~--~---~------~~~-~-~~~~Savannah
C. N. Elliott, District Forester ~~~~~Augusta H. D. Story, Jr., District Forester.~__Albany W. G. Wallace, District Forester~~Columbus
Mrs. N. N. Edwards, StenographeriAtlanta

drouth. This drouth made the forests very dry and inflammable. As a result, forest fires were difficult to control and they raged over more area than forest fires usually do.
The hardwood swamps of south Georgia dried up and the peat soil burned in many instances, felling trees by burning the soil that gave the tree roots their support.
It is therefore not surprising that during

H. H. Bennett, of the Bureau of Chemistry and Soilsof the United States Department of Agriculture, said:
"Tens of thousands of farmers in the United States are trying to make a living on land made poor by erosion-much of it good, or fairly good, forest land, and it should be used for that purpose.
"Of 50,000,000 acres of the piedmont country east of the Appalachians, stretch-

Mrs. R. S. Thompson, Stenographer

extreme drouths extreme fire damage oc- ing from New York to central Alabama, the

---~~--~-------~----------~~~-~~-~~~~~~~~~Atlanta curs to forests. The percentage of forest erosion surveys made by the United States

Geological Division
S. W. McCallie, State Geologist .. Atlanta R. W. Smith, Asst. State Geologist,
-------~--~~---~---~-~-~---~~~-~--~---~~--~~Atlanta
G. W. Crickmay, Asst. State Geologist,
-----~-------~-----~~~-~~~~~~~~~~~-~~-~~~~Atlanta
Miss Margaret Gann, Clerk_~~~~~~~~-~~~Atlanta

land burned over in 1932 was the greatest since 1925 when the State Forest Service was formed. It may also be said that 1932 had a greater fire hazard than any other year since the State Forest Service was inaugurated.
The organized timber owners of Georgia

Department of Agriculture show that at least 5,000,000 acres of formerly tilled lands have been permanently destroyed, as far as agricultural use is concerned, and that more than 13,000,000 acres have been completely stripped of surface soil, by washing into the streams, onto the lowland~

Research Division, Savannah Charles H. HertY---~-~--,~--~~Research Chemist W. C.'MacNaughtoiL~~---~~~~~~~~Asst. Research Bruce Suttle-~---------~-~---~~~-~~~~ Plant Engineer W. F. Allen-----------~-----~~~~~~~~~--~~~~~~~~~~Chemist James DempseY---------~--~-~~-----~ Asst. Chemist

who operate under the Timber Protective Organizations to control forest fires were subjected to an extreme test. Their success is regarded as proof that the plan is effective. Of the acreage under protection, 12 per cent was burned over. This, of

or out to sea. Many farmers continue to cultivate patches of stripped lands where the soil is so poor that a man might spend a lifetime on it without bettering himself or his farm. Even when prices are good, these farmers are not able to make more

course, is much larger than usual, but than the barest living; in 1925 many fami-

trees can be converted into high quality measured by the fire hazard it is consid- lies farming in this area had incomes of paper by the method usually employed in ered a good showing. Especially is its ef- only $300 a year.

making paper of this grade.

fectiveness demonstrated when it is observ-

When one considers that it takes red ed that over 30 per cent of the unorganized

spruce 50 or more years to attain growth forest area of the State was burned over.

METALLIZED WOOD

which slash pines have made in seven years, the significance of the south as a source of wood pulp is apparent.
Concerning the quality of paper made from the young slash pines, Dr. Herty is quoted as saying before a chemical society at Niagara Falls: "Perhaps the most essential fact about the product is its strength and light weight. It has a burst strength of 10 to 12 pounds a square inch compared with only six or ten pounds for the standard newsprint. It is a 30 pound paper, while the standard is 32.
"This means that newspapers, if able to buy it, would receive 6 2-3 per cent more sheets per ton and their mailing costs by weight would be 6 2-3 cents less."

A statistical statement of the forest fire record for 1932 is as follows:

Organized protection_~~-~ ~~1,405,347 acres

Organized acres burned ~ ~170,086 acres

-12.1 o/o

Number of fires ~~ ~~

451

Causes:

Lightning -~-~

1

Railroads ~-~~~~

26

Campers ~~~~~

13

Smokers ~~~~

22

Debris burning

41

Incendiary

~~~ ~~~~-~~182

Lumbering

5

Miscellaneous

~~-~- 62

Unknown

~~~ ~~ 93

In Germany a process of metallizing wood has recently been developed by which wood is impregnated with certain low melting alloys similar to the creosoting method of wood preservation. It is said that any degree of penetration can be obtained and the resulting product is a combination of wood and metal with the desirable properties of both.
One of the uses suggested for the metal!ized wood is in the manufacture of selflubricating bearings. The bearing metal is impregnated into wooden forms, the wooci serving as a lubricant. - Service Letter (Pa.).

Total

~~~ .451

RED GUM FOSSILS

Richmond County Farmers Hear Forestry Discussed
The Richmond County Farmers Club, formed in 1836, and which has functioned continuously since that time, made forestry the subject of discussion on March 16. The speakers were C. A. Whittle, Educa~ tional Manager and C. N. Elliott, District Forester of the Department of Forestry and Geological Development.

Damage to merchantable timber $103,537

Damage to reproduction

187,223

Total Damage

. $290,760

On unorganized, or unprotected land:

Total area in State Acres burned

_21,263,400 acres 6,621,100-30.4%

Damage - $7,012,200.

Number of fires - 23,560.

Dr. Rowland W. Brown of the United States Geological Survey reports fossilized red gum leaves found in shale of Wyoming, formed in cretaceous times. A peculiarity of the leaves is that they have three points instead of the five of the present day gum.
It is explained that the leaves were laid down on silt soil long ages ago when dinosaurs roamed the forests, and as the layers of silt hardened the leaves became fossilized parts of the stone.

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

3

====================r===================r===================

FORESTRY

UNFAVORABLE REACTION

UNFAVORABLE DROUTH REACTION

OF DROUTH ON PUBLIC The reaction of ~he drouth is that many

QUESTION BOX
How soon after a forest fire is it safe to estimate the damage?
Pines in the South that have been defoli-

Let Down of Fire Fighting Morale in 'Southeast Georgia Unfavorable to Future Profits in Tree Growing - Practice of Forest Burning Renewed

people now think it will never be wise, or even possible, to keep land permanently rough. But perhaps the disastrous burning of many thousands of acres of young slash and longleaf pine this .season will convince land owners that it is certainly impossible

ated and seem to be dead, sometimes re-

to burn over land having such young

vivil. Tnis is true especially of longleaf By C. Bernard Beale, Distric't Forester, growth, to reduce the fire hazard-even in

pine. Quite often pines damaged by fire

Waycross

a wet season as at present--without great-

retdin green foliage, but die later on. De-

ly stunting and deforming the young tim-

structive insects attack weakened trees The drouth of 1931-32 is gone and by ber growth.

and sometimes cause their death. Insect many, unfortunately, forgotten. Gone also Then, too, if people lost all restraint and

damage following fire, must, sometimes, be in many instances is the determination to let fire run as freely and promiscuously as

taken into consideration for fires may be control fires, so evident during the drouth. ever in wet years, when another drouth

directly responsible.

Among many landowners in this district occurs, fire will again get out of hand and

One would be safer in estimating dam- fire protection sentiment has waned and wreak great destruction amongst merchant-

age of fire to pines by waiting for three to many have gone back to burning their able sized timber and annihilate the tim-

six months after the fire. In estimating lands, but some are still fighting fire and ber of ponds, as happened in so many places

fire damage to hardwoods, the fire scar lets keeping it off their lands entirely.

in 1931-32. Because water naturally keeps

in decay organisms that will continue their Up until March 15, only a negligible fire down one year dees not insure that

destructive influence for the remainder of area of land had been burned by cattle- water will be present to do it the next year.

the tree's life. Such damage, of course, can men. The greater part of the acreage Rainfall is subject to great seasonal fluc-

only be roughly estimated when the extent burned has been burned by turpentine op- tuations, and if forest land is to be satis-

of the tree's fire scars have been determ- erators. Wherever "virgin" cups have been factorily stocked with timber and a good

ined.

hung, in most instances the land has been growth rate kept up, it is necessary to have

burned off prior to hanging cups. It should an organization set up to stop fires at all

be noted, however, that turpentine burn- times. Of greatest value in forest protec-

Why does the State Forest Service rec ing, as a whole, has been well controlled tion, and for making it possible to grow

ommend growing black locust?

this year and confined only to land where timber profitably is a sentiment of the peo-

The black locust is especially useful for there is timber, open land being left ple against all land fire. When this senti-

growing very desirable fence post material. rough. Some of this was purposely left ment fails or collapses, so also does the pos-

Black locust grows very rapidly and is one rough and other areas escaped burning sibility of growing timber as a sound busi-

of the most durable of all woods in contact only through accident. It so happened that ness proposition collapse.

with the soil. While black locust grows in the ground has been so wet that the fire Possibly in a number of years those peo-

greatest abundance in the mountains of Georgia, it makes good growth in all parts

often went out of itself, leaving such wet places unburned.

ple who have given up fire protection will regain confidence in and recognize pro-

of the State. It is one of the legumes of

tecting lands against all fire as being the

the tree family and is capable of enrich-

"LIGHT" BURNING DAMAGE

only successful manner in which to grow

ing the soil in nitrogen.
Would the fire hazard not be decreased by an occasional burning off of the forests?
A mistaken notion exists that each year a forest is not burned over, the amount of combustible matter accumulates so that the fire hazard is greately increased. If one will take the pains to observe, he will find in regions like Georgia where there is abundant rain, that litter on the forest floor is so well decayed in a year and so soggy with moisture as to offer very little opportunity for fire. Even small pines thinned and left on the ground are usually so well advanced in decay and so soggy
in a year's time as to create very little fire
menace. The most combustible material on the
forest floor is the last season's grass growth. For about 4 to 5 months in each Year it burns readily, after that the fire hazard of Georgia forests is quite low. Therefore, occasional burning is no real Protection but is quite harmful to the forest and its soil, as fire always is.

The greatest destruction from fire so far has been observed to sapling young growth. Dense sapling stands, even a thousand or more per acre, have been virtually ruined in many places. Although many have proclaimed the wisdom and good sense of "back-burning", contending that same "can" be done without "scorching a needle" it is doubtful if out of the thousands of acres "back-burned" this year, more than a few hundred acres can be found with minimum damage. On one such burning noted, the fire had burned off needles up two thirds of the height of the crown. On another burning, the fire had burned the buds in 90 per cent of all slash pines on the area.
Water has been an important controlling factor in limiting the spread of fire in this district (southeast Georgia). Only where there are unraked cups is there much evidence of fire :fighting. The general impression seems to be that due to the abundance of water in the streams, ponds and flat lands, the fire cannot do much damage if it is allowed to burn over the hill land and that it is all right to thus let fire creep

timber. Surely, until then, it cannot rightfully be said that the drouth of 1931-32 did its greatest damage then. The destructiveness of that drouth is evident today in the reaction of people to the use of fire and it is indeed possible that this adverse influence of the drouth will be prolonged over a period of years. The ultimate damage may be even greater than the merchantable and sub-merchantable timber actually burned at the time of the drouth.
Lignin, the principal chemical constituent of wood, is still a product in regard to which we know practically nothing. On the American Continent two million tons of lignin are produced annually. In this field alone wood chemists would no doubt find a vast field for research.
Breaking piney woods rooters from feeding on pine roots may require the radical measure of feeding the brutes. They may not understand what feed is at first, but they will learn.

along. Such people do not seem to realize Letting fire kill tree seedlings is one way

The only hell that trees are ever called that a fire not burning fiercely is surely to make children suffer for the sins of their

upon to suffer is man made.

destroying every small seedling in its path. fathers.

4

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

VALUE OF TREES TO MANKIND From one part or another of various SOUTHEASTERN COUNCIL'S

By HERMAN A. BRADDY, Pavo, Ga.
(This article won an essay prize given by Holland Magazine. Herman Bmddy was a student at the Georgia Vocational Fo?estry camp last summer.-Editor)
Nothing in all the plant world is so rooted in the affection and the veneration of mankind as the tree. William Cullen Bryant has said "The groves were God's first temples". In Genesis 29 God said, "Behold I have given you . . . every tree, in the which is the. fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat".
Here is a verse of :that famous poem by Henry Van Dyke called
"SALUTE TO THE TREES"
Many a tree is found in the woods And every tree for its use is good.

trees civilized people obtain the most im-

FORESTRY PROGRAM

portant of the fruits; :nearly all nuts; spices, oils, quinine, camphor, cork, rubber and dyes.
Moreover, the living brances of trees afford shade and shelter for both man and beast. Their beauty is a never-ending de-

Announcement of the adoption by the Southeastern Council of a forestry program designed to meet the needs of the eight Southeastern states has been made by the council's forestry committee. The pro-

light. John Keats wrote "A thing of beauty is a joy forever". A tree in all its glow-

gram follows: 1. Encouragement

of

the

teaching

of

ing grandeur and majesty should be preserved, and looked upon with a kind of reverence and awe.

forestry in public schools and colleges, and the development of an appropriation on the part of the general public of the benefits

Our trees , should be protected from of forest conservation.

FIRE, FUNGAL DISEASES, and INSECT 2. Speedy extension of each state's for-

ENEMIES. Everyone should know that OUR FORESTS are being used four and

est fire prevention and control system to tinclud.e all ftoret~t land in need of such sys-

one-half ti.mes faster than they are bem. g reproduced.

em3.at1Pcropmrootie.ocnI?onf.

. comprehensive

. eco.nomic

I Our eminent Theodore Roosevelt said: surveys to provide for land-use zomng to

"A country without children would face a designate areas ?est suited to agricultur~l

Seme for the strength of the gnarled root, hopeless future; a country without trees is development, pnvate forestry and public

Some for the sweetness of the flower and almost as hopeless. When you help to pre- forests.

fruit;

serve our forests or plant new ones, you are 4. Development of a co-ordinated sys-

Some for shelter against the storm,

acting the part of a good citizen."

tern of publicly owned forests, national,

And some to keep the hearthstone warm, Paraphrasing Joyce Kilmer, "Essays are state and local, to be used for lumber pro-

Some for the roof and some for the beam, made by fools like me; But only God can duction, demonstration of improved timber

And some for a boat to breast the storm; make a tree".

growing and 'fire control methods, wild life

In the wealth of the wood since the world

conservation, public hunting grounds and

began, The trees have offered their gifts to man.
Trees prevent floods and freshets in two ways, (1) by retarding the melting of the snow, and (2) by forming a soil which is called humus. Trees perform indispensable services to the land itself as soil-makers and soil binders.
Trees stand as guardians of health to mankind. Our trees take in carbon-dioxide and give off oxygen. They also serve to equa:ize the temperature. In wooded regions the temperature is more equable and the atmosphere moister than in treeless regions, other conditions being the same.
Railroads need the trees for fuel and for cross-ties. The shipping industry requires lumber for docks and ships, and requires fuel to run the ships. Automobiles consume

ROOSEVELT'S TENNESSEE WATERSHED PROJECT
Much has been said in the public press about President Roosevelt's gigantic plan for reforestation, reclamation, water power development and farm rehabilitation on the Tennessee river water shed.
Briefly summarized this project includes: 1. Reforestation. 2. Creation of flood control basins in the upper valley, first at Cove Creek in the Clinch River. 3. Waterpower development to be available for cities, states and farm homes. 4. Reclamation of the fertile bottomland for agricultural use. 5. Elimination of the unprofitable marginal lands from farm pursuits.

recreation.
5. Equalization of taxes so that forest property will not carry a greater burden, in proportion to its value, than do other classes of property.
6. State-wide assistance to landowners and the handling of their forestry problems.
7. Encouragement of reforestation of idle and eroding lands by maintaining state forest tree nurseries to provide suitable planting stock.
8. Extension of investigations by federal forest experiment stations and suitable state research agencies upon the variou~ subjects fundamental to economic handling of forest lands.
9. Speedy extension of the entire South-

gas, generated from coal that trees help to 6. Eventual flood control of the great east of a survey inaugurated under the

make. In aviation we have uses for our Mississippi River.

Mc~ary-McSweeney Act to. supply infor-

trees. Thus we see that in each of our 7. Eventual improvement of navigation. matJon now woefully lackmg as to the

greater modes of transportation our trees have been utilized.
The farmer needs trees for posts, poles, fuel and lumber for all types of buildings.

.

. present quality and condition of standing

Reforestation


work


can be


started


Jm-



1

t1m b er,

~ts

rat e

o f

gro wth

and rate

o f

d e-

mediately, the President beheves, prov1dmg p1etIOn, and market demands f or the sev-

work for from 50,000 to 70,000 men.

era1 t ypes of t"1mber.

The coal mines use props made from pines. The paper manufacturers use pines. The

The whole project would give work to 200,000 men.

10. Recognition by the federal government of landowners engaged in the prac-

shoe industries depend upon the bark of Eight states are involved-Tennessee, tice of forestry as eligible for the same

different oaks (Chestnut oak preferred) for Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, loans, assistance, grants, and privileges as

the tanning of leather.

Georgia, and parts of Kentucky, Alabama are accorded to the producers of other

Of vast importance are the planing mill and Mississippi.

crops that spring from the soil.

products, such as doors, sashes, etc. Boxes,

crates, baskets, shingles and furniture are essential items for everyday use.
The naval stores industry depends upon the trees. Turpentine, obtained from the pine trees, is used for medicinal purposes,

The glow and warmth of camp fires should be smothered, squelched, drowned, or otherwise eradicated by the decampers. Embers are enemies of the forest.

"Forestry is more than trees. It encompasses soil, water, climatic, biological and other influences." - R. Y. Stuart, Chief Forester of the United States.

also for combining with paint, varnish and

chemicals. Resin is utilized for the caulking The loblolly pine is much better than its "The forest is a public utility. It yields

of cracks and for the manufacture of pa- name and the scrub pine is by no means a values both to the owner and to the pub-

per, wax, soap, thread and varnish.

scrub.

lic."-Walter Mulford.

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

5

STATUS OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS MODIFIED

SECOND DISTRICT Everett B. Stone, Jr., Dist.

I with the ~anagement of game and its re-
I lation to the forest and was exceedingly in-
teresting throughout. The principle address

The Division of Forestry works with the Vocational Agricultural Schools of Georgia in a cooperative forestry project. The State Legislature, at its recent session, placed the vocational agricultural work on a new financial basis. Instead of a direct appropriation to vocation education, the support of this work will come hereafter through the general educational appropriation for the public schools administered by the State Board of Education.
It is thought that this arrangement will make it possible to more generally distribute vocational educational teaching over the state than has been possible in the past and permit more counties to avail themselves of the type of instruction that cou.ld not be accommodated in the past.
Greater possibilities for extending the

Forester
Gainesville
Pine Pulpwood Sent to Pulp and Paper Plant at Savannah from Town and Union Counties
A cord of Virginia pine (Pinus Virginiana) was hauled by motor truck to Savannah for experimental manufacture of pulp and paper. This wood was furnished by the Pfister and Vogel Land Company who own 65,000 acres of forest land in Towns and Union counties, Georgia. The cost of transportation was provided for by donations from citizens of the two counties. It is believed that a high grade of paper can be manufactured from this species of pine.

at the banquet on Friday evening was given by D. R. Coker, land owner of Camden county, S. C. Saturday morning the visiting members of the society made a trip out to the White estates, which is under the management of L. J. Leffelman. There inspections were made of fire breaks, plantations of pines, the nursery and the feasibility of growing game and trees at the same time was proven. After a most excellent table set by Mrs. Leffelman, the party returned to Columbia visiting the South Carolina State Tree Nursery at Camden.
Failing Creek TPO
In Jones county recently a new Timber Protective Organization by the name of "Falling Creek" was formed. The land owners have agreed to purchase six fire

forestry work in high schools of the state

Plantings on Chicopee Forest

pumps and construct 28llz miles of fire

are considered opened by this new manage-

breaks around and through the area under

ment.

Pine seedlings were planted on Chicopee protection. This organization was effected

forest in Hall county by the Chicopee Man- through the work of the new Assistant

INTERESTING FOREST FACTS

ufacturing Corp. Loblolly pine and

During March 12,000
2,ooo slash pine seed-

State Forester, H. M. Sebring.

Swedish sawmills are more efficient than those in the United States. The amount of.

l5i,n0g~~s-

wsheorre~lpelaafntp~md.e

This and

is in addition to 1,000 white pine

I

Fertilization Experiments

waste, includ!ng sa":dust, edgings, slabs, : see mgs P anted last fall.

The Southern Cotton Oil Company of

Augusta, is cooperating ;to test the growth

bark, and shrmkage, 1s only 31 per cent in Rubbish Burning Starts Forest of pine trees under fertilization. They are

Sweden, as compared with 54 per cent in

Fires

furnishing several kinds of fertilizer to be

America. Maine is the original home of the Ameri-
can tooth pick industry and has the largest tooth pick mills in the world, with a capacity of 170,000,000 tooth picks per day. White birch is the principal species used and one cord yields about 9,000,000 tooth

The spring forest fire season opened with dry windy days in March. One of the major causes of fires at this season of the vear is brush burning by farmers in clea.ring land or burning rubbish. Owners of forest land are manifesting more interest than

used on the slash pine trees planted last winter on the Gwinn-Nixon State Forest in Richmond county. Measurements on the growth of these trees will be made yearly and will be obtainable at any time from the district office in Augusta.

picks.

ever before in protecting their woodland

The production of paper in the United from forest fires, and if each owner would

States dropped from 11,140,235 tons in 1929 to 7,900,000 tons in 1932..
Climbing vines turn from left to right in

endeavor to protect his lands from the spread of rubbish fires the number of fires occurring and the area burned over would

RECLAIMING USED TURPENTINE CUPS

the Northern Hemisphere and from right be greatly reduced.

to left in the Southern Hemisphere.

The petrified forest of Arizona contains 25,625 acres.

THIRD DISTRICT

The wood of the dogwood tree is heavier !' than hornbeam, black locust, or white oak. A cubic foot of air dry dogwood weighs 52

C. N. Elliott, District Forester Augusta

pounds; hornbeam weighs 49 pounds, and black locust and white oak each weigh 48

Review Read

pounds per cubic foot, air dry.

Each month portions of the "Forestry-

White cedar and western red cedar are Geological Review" is read over Radio Sta-

two of the lightest of native commercial tion WRDW in Augusta. The district for-

woods. They each weigh 22 pounds per ester has had quite a number of interest-

cubic foot, air dry.

ing comments concerning this feature of

Because of its peculiar odor sassafras the weekly radio talks, and several names

wood in early days was used widely in cer- have been added to the mailing list of the

tain sections of the country for making bedsteads because it was said to repel bed-

Review as a result.

Mr. Thos. L. Waters, vice president of the Lurton Company, Pensacola, has evolv~ ed a new plan for reclaiming second hand turpentine cups by dipping them in lead. It is Mr. Waters' impression that second hand cups can be reclaimed in this way at a nominal cost, using either 100 per cent pig lead or 90 per cent pig lead with 10 per cent black tin."-Naval Stores Review.
Idle acres and forest fires assure a sustained yield of poverty.
Forest fire insurance may be obtained

bugs--Service Letter (Pa.).

Forestry Society Meeting

cheaply by a little thoughtfulness and precaution.

The district forester attended the recent

Trees cannot flee from fire, but must meeting of the Southern Appalachian Sec-

stand and take it. If the firebug were tion of the Society of American Foresters Burning off the land is one way to eradi-

scorched by some of his own fire, maybe he meeting held in Columbia, S. C. on Febru- cate profits and reverse the back to the

would become fire conscious.

ary 24 and 25. The entire program dealt farm movement.

6

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

SIXTH DISTRICT

nail county, which includes five members many farmers are thinning out their crops and has a total of 4,500 acres. Mr. M. V. of pine saplings.

Jack Thurmond, Dist. Forester Savannah
Thinning in Long County
Mr. Jim Parker, Secretary-Treasurer of Long County Timber Protective Organization, has thinned 1300 acres of young slash timber.
Some of the timber thinned is very young, not over three years old, and brushhooks were used;. which made the cost of the thinning operation low. Timber which averaged about ten years old was thinned to a 10 x 10 spacing and will now stand for several years before another thin-

Overstreet of Manassas is president and Mr. Waldo Bradley of Hagan is the secretary. Five fire pumps have been purchased by the organization and distributed at strategic points for use in fire fighting. Several of the members have been protecting their timber from fire for the past several years and Mr. Overstreet and Mr. Bradley have planted some 300 acres to slash pine.
New School Forests Established
Forests have been surveyed for colored school at Soperton, Millen and Darien to be used for demonstrating the practice of forestry and in teaching the school boys something about the value of the trees in

Pine Plantings
Among those known to be planting slash pine in this district this season are the following: Turner and Langdale, Mayday; H. M. Peagler, Jr., Astoria; H. M. Peagler, Sr., Homerville; C. R. Britt, Hickox; Superior Pine Products Co., Fargo.
Farmers are beginning to appreciate slash pine as an ornamental and shade tree. In several instances, farmers have set out slash pines along fences and about their houses. Most of the pines thus planted are too large, but possibly with great care they may be induced to live.

ning will be necessary. The cost of a thinning in ten-year old slash pine as Mr. Parker does it is $1.00 per acre.
All of the timber land owned by the Parker-Howard Turpentine Company has been under protection in the Long County T. P. 0. for the past three years and there

their county. Each school plans to erect a sign to call attention to the public that the school forest is under management and asking their cooperation in fire protection. Seedlings will be planted by the students during the winter :months and instructiom will be given the boys in tree identifica-

A heavy rain at the soil erosion experiment station near Tyler, Tex., recently washed from cotton fields on moderately sloping land more than 6 tons of soil per acre, reports the United States Department of Agriculture.

is a perfect stand of young slash pine on their 9000 acres which has come in during the absence of fire. Their big problem now in addition to fire protection is thinning, for as a stand of young timber begins to

tion, fire protection, growth studies, measurement of standing timber and uses of wood. They will also have an opportunity to study the effect of forest fires on diameter growth of timber. Each school will con-

Cypress is considered highly resistant to termites, and for this reason is a favored wood in the tropics where t ermites are most active.

slow down in diameter growth it must be thinned to stimulate more rapid growth. It is hoped that within a few years one will be able to utilize all the timber which must be cut out in thinning.

duct thinning work as part of their forestry course.
Season For Burning Over
Lest some of the people of our State forget, the lawful season for burning went

A hindrance to making the public "forestry minded" is wooden heads.
The best way to treat tree cancer caused by forest fire is to prevent the cause.

out on March 1st and was only lawful then after one had given his neighbor 48 hours written notice as to the time one intended to burn, so that the neighbor could protect hi s property from the fire.
It is now unlawful to burn the woods for any purpose, as the season only runs from

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the gross income to the farmer from cotton and cottonseed in 1929 was $1,389,000,000. In 1932 the gross income from these commodities was only $397,000,000, a shrinkage of 72 per cent.

January 1st to March 1st with restrictions.

When we get to using Woodin money,

SEVENTH DISTRICT

we'll have to start shaving accounts. Southern Lumberman.

C. Bernard Beale, Dist. Forester

Waycross

The annual meeting of the National Conference on State Parks will be held May

Cup-Hanging Late
Operators have been late getting their

25, 26 and 27 at Bear Mountain Inn in the Palisades Interstate Park on the Hudson

cups hung this season. During the latter River, New York State.

part of March, many stands of trees with

only the aprons on were to be seen. The de- TERPENE COMPOUNDS

lay is due to the great amount of "virgin"

FROM SOUTHERN PINES

put up this year, which 'operation involves much more labor and time than the single raising of cups on high-face operations.
Thinning Practice Increasing

A number of new terpene compounds have been developed by the Hercules Powder Company.
The terpenes, recovered from the South-

Newly Thinned Stand of Slash PinesExcellent Spacing for Rapid Growth.
Tar City F. F. F.
A Forest Fire Fighters Organization has recently been formed in northeastern Tatt-

Quite a deal of thinning has been done this season. Sapling stands 8 to 15 fe et in height have been the usual size of trees thinned. The general practice seems to be to thin out the trees so they will be spaced about 10 feet apart. On the Timber Products Co. land near Cogdell, an area of several hundred acres has been thinned to varying densities. T. Tanner near Axson, is thinning out his sapling thickets and in the vicinities of Manor and Bannockburn

ern pines, present an array of organic materials capaple of extensive chemical and commercial use. Alphapinene, now used in large amounts for synthetic production of camphor, is an example.
Other materials are abietic acid, borneol, bornyl acetate, bornyl chloride, dipentene, fenchyl 'alcohol, fenchyl acetate, fenchylamine, fenchone, methyl abietate, terpin, terpin hydrate, alphaterpinene, alphaterpineol.

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

7

grains, from the waste rock or gangue.

MINERALS OF GEORGIA

Many kinds of rocks in .all parts pf the earth contain mineral gold in minute quan-

Brief Accounts of Occurences and Developments of the State's Leading Minerals

tities. Even sea water contains traces of the metal (about an ounce in 8,500 tons of water). However, gold ore deposits, that is,

Reported by THE DIVISION OF GEOLOGY

deposits that can be worked profitably, are restricted to comparatively small areas. The

Southern Appalachian region, including

GOLD IN GEORGIA Part I
By GEOFFREY W. CRICKMAY, Assistant State Geologist
As everybody knows, gold is the standard of American currency. The value of gold expressed in dollars and cents remains always the same-$20.67 an ounce; but in terms of commodities its value fluctuates with "good times" and "hard times". In periods of depression, such as that in which the world now finds itself, the purchasing power .hf gold is greatly increased; consequently, abandoned mines can be reopened and old gold fields reworked at profit. It must be remembered, however, that the

gold? How is it mined? Can wages be earned by panning gold from the creeks of Georgia? But most frequent of all is the question: How is the mineral recognized?
Unlike most other metals, gold occurs in nature uncombined with other elements, that is, in a native state (with the exception of a few rare tellurides). The mineral possesses a golden yellow color with a metallic lustre. It is soft and malleable, a property that distinguishes it most readily from pyrite (fools' gold) which is hard and brittle. A particle of gold can be hammered out on an anvil to paper thinness, whereas pyrite, similarly treated, would be crushed to a powder. The same treatment will distinguish gold from scales of golden-col-

parts of Alabama, Georgia, .the Carolinas, and Virginia, was one of the first producing areas in the United States. In the richest part of this field, at Dahlonega, Georgia, the United States government established a branch mint (a branch mint was also established at Charlotte, N. C.) which during the 23 years of its operation ( 18381861), minted a total coinage of more than six million dollars. Following the development of the richer western fields, Georgia lost and never regained its commanding position as a gold producing state. At the present time, contrary to popular opinion, an almost insignificant fraction of the country's total production is obtained within the state.
The gold deposits of Georgia are of two

main types: (a) Lode deposits, consisting

of quartz veins in solid rock; (b) placer

deposits, compnsmg gold-bearing sando

and gravels in stream valleys. Placer de-

posits are derived from lode deposits simp-

ly by weathering and disintegration of the

quartz veins, the transportation and sort-

ing of this debris by streams, and its depo-

sition in the stream valleys. In all cases the

lode deposits are the original source of

gold, and consequently the distribution of

gold quartz veins determines to a large ex-

tent the location of placer deposits. The

accompanying map shows the location of

the most productive areas in the state. It

is noteworthy that the mineral is largely

restricted to certain belts, the most impor-

tant of which are the Dahlonega belt, ex-

tending from near Tallapoosa, northeast-

Map of North Georgia showing the distribution of gold deposits (after S. P. Jones, Georgia Geol. Survey, Bull. 19, 1909)

ward through Dahlonega to Rabun county, and the McDuffie county belt, extending through portions of Warren, McDuffie,

margin of profit in such cases is entirely dependent on depressed prices, and profitable mining is as transient as these prices are. These conditions do not justify large-

ored mica with which it is more often confused. In actual practice, the prospector recognizes the metal by its color and lustre which are distinct from all other minerals,

Wilkes, and Lincoln counties.
These belts are made up of ancient banded rocks known to the miner and geologist as schists and gneisses. In the Dah-

scale development with large capital investment in machinery, but they do favor small-scale operations for which no great initial outlay is necessary. It is to the smallscale operator, to those otherwise unemployed who seek to earn wages by washing gold from the earth, and to those who have a more casual interest in gold and gold mining, that the following remarks are addressed.

including pyrite and mica. It is more than seven times heavier than quartz, its most common associate, but as it usually occurs in minute particles, this high specific gravity is not easily recognized. The gravity separation of gold from quartz and other minerals by washing with water in a goldpan or sluice box is entirely dependent on such differences of weight. The mineral is reacted on by very few chemicals, of which

lonega belt the gold is closely associated with a gneiss containing a dark green to black mineral known as hornblende and the rock is called a hornblende gneiss. However, hornblende gneiss does not occur in all the gold belts, nor does its presence by any means insure the existence of gold ore. In a general way, the gneisses of the gold belts are finer-grained than those of the intervening areas for they have suffered

.. The present widespread interest in gold 18 reflected in the great number of inquiries that have come to the office of the State Geologist during the past few months. It is here proposed to answer some of the

chlorine and potassium cyanide are the most important from the standpojnt of milling. Ordinary acids do not attack gold, but mercury will dissolve it readily. This attraction of gold to mercury has long been

certain shearing movements that have made them particularly accessible to gold-bearing solutions from deep within the earth. The trend of these gneisses and schists is northeast-southwest, and the trend of the lode

common questions asked: Where and how known and is employed in separating the deposits within them is roughly in the same does gold occur? How does one test for gold particl11s, particularly the very fine direction. The dip of the gneisses is nearly

8

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

everywhere steep to the southeast (average losses of burned cordwood, farm buildings, sion upon his mind-bad publicity to be

55 in Dahlonega belt) and the ore bodies fences, forage and damage to game and fish carried out of the state.

conformably dip in the same direction.

from forest fires.

But every green, healthy, well-stocked

It is advisable for the prospector to con- The figures are from the office of Dis- forest he sees will serve as a pleasant back-

fine his search within the gold-bearing trict Forester W. G. Wallace of the Geor- ground for his thoughts and leave a pleas-

areas shown on the map, for in view of gia Forest Service, who has his headquart- ing picture in his memory of Georgia and

the fact that the state has been prospected ers in the courthouse in Columbus, and who the Chattahoochee valley.

for more than one hundred years, it is informs that several communities are re- The forest landowners along the Frank-

quite unlikely that any important new ore- ducing the number of these fires by co-op- lin D. Roosevelt Highway especially are

bodies will be. discovered. In any attempt erative protection in co-operation with the called upon to co-operate to hold down and

to rework an abandoned deposit, it must al- state Service.

eliminate the burning over of their wood-

ways be remembered that the early pros- Most of the aforesaid losses are borne di- land areas.

pectors did a thorough job and that mines rectly by the landowner himself and ten- Let us stop the leak in the spigot.

or placers were abandoned only when they ants, but there is a further loss of untold

became unprofitable. Romantic stories of thousands of dollars resulting in the form LUMBERING UNDERTAKINGS

fabulously rich lost mines and fantastic of flood damage, dried-up water courses,

IN SOVIET RUSSIA

tales of Indian gold handed down from one generation to another should not influence the honest and critical investigation of the small-scale operator, for no large returns are to be expected. To a limited extent, the

and the rendering of navigable streams unnavigable due to deposited soil brought by flood waters from burned areas and hillsides that are unsuitable for cultivation.

An interesting article by Dr. C. A. Schenck, former head of the Biltmore Forestry School in North Carolina, appeared in a recent issue of the Hardwood Record,

gold fields of the state offer an opportunity The landowner and general public are treating of the lumber industry of Russia

to earn small wages during the present today feeling the effects of destructive for- , of which he had made a study,

period of decreased costs and general un- est fires that have occurred in years past. 'I Slightly more than a year ago the Rus-

employment.

In the years to come, we will suffer great sian administration of lumbering and for-

In a second section of this article on losses, the effects of fires occurring today. estry was transferred to a new and inde-

Gold in Georgia, the writer will review We can, however, avert these. losses in the pendent department or commissariat,

very briefly the nature of the deposits Chattahoochee valley by carrymg out a pro- known as "Narkomles," under whose juris-

most easily worked on a small scale, the gram of education and public co-operation diction were also placed the paper and

manner of testing these deposits, and the in controlling and outlawing forest fires. wood chemical industries. This was the

best methods of extracting the gold. Those Merchants and manufacturing enterpris- fourth time within two years that all lum-

who desire detailed information on the gold es of Columbus as a trade center can, esti- bering and forest industries in Russia have

deposits of the State should consult Bulle- mates Mr. Wallace, easily figure their net been organized. "Narkomles" has five divi-

tin No. 19 of the State Geological Survey annual income at least $100,000 less than sions: logging and forestry, lumber indus-

by S. P. Jones. There are a number of it would have been, this loss being trace- try and wood chemistry, pulp and paper

books on the subject of gold mining that able indirectly to forest fires. The land- industry, working plans, and business man-

may be consulted for more general infor- owner who fires his woods, or allows them agement.

mation. A recent circular by the U. S. Bu- to be burned over either through careless- According to Dr. Schenck, lumber pro-

reau of Mines' should prove particularly ness or improper management, suffers a duction in Soviet Russia has failed to reach

helpful.

loss by one fire the equal of which in mon- the expectations of the five-year plan. The

ey would pay his taxes over a period of country cut only about 70 per cent of the

'Small-Scale Placer-Mining Methods
Chas. F. Jackson and John B. Knaebel, U. S. Bureau of Mines Information, Circular 6611, April, 1932.

years for the area burned. It is not only the interests of the forest
londowner that are at stake, but there is contained a direct challenge to the future

amount called for in the plan and deliveries were only about 63 per cent. One reason given by Dr. Schenck for this condition is the poor state of forest transportation.

welfare and wealth of every individual in Teams are not available and logging by

A LEAK IN THE SPIGOT
(Editorial Columbus Ledger)
In the praiseworthy movement to build

the section. The French are noted for their thrift;
we Americans are noted for our extravagance as to natural resources. China is

machinery, tractors, and caterpillars is undeveloped.
FOREST TERMINOLOGY

up the trade area of Columbus, an impor- known for her barren hills and resulting Seedling-a tree, grown from seed, not

tant part in the connection is that of af- floods and droughts traceable to wide- yet 3 feet high.

fording to the farmers of our surrounding spread deforestation in centuries past. Shoot-a sprout, not yet 3 feet high.

counties every possible assistance in the better management of their farms and the

There is, fortunately, no danger of such a deforestation in the Chattahoochee valley

Small high.

sapling-a

tree

from

3

to

10

feet

marketing of their products. Columbus and the farmer will both profit from such a

as China now suffers. Georgia is particularly blessed in having several species of pines

Large Sapling-a tree 10 feet or over in height and less than 4 inches diameter,

program.

and broad-leaved trees that readily refor- breast height.

In this connection, the attention of our civic factors and population generally

est most areas with little or no attention by human beings except protection from

Small pole-a tree 4 to 8 inches diameter, breast height (d.b.h.) '

might be called to an evil that is annually fire. The one great enemy to this natural Large pole-a tree 8 to 12 inches, d.b.h.

robbing the citizens of our county and sec- reforestation is fire which easily kills the Standard-a tree 1 to 2 feet d.b.h.

tion of a considerable wealth - an evil tender seedlings.

Veteran-a tree over 2 feet d.b.h.

which all who can might join to give their Many thousands of people are expected Seedling, stage or seedling growth _ a

influence and assistance in correcting.

to be attracted to Georgia during the cele- stand of seedlings.

During the year just ended, forest fires bration of her 200th anniversary this year. Thicket stage or brushwood-a stand of burned over approximately 40,000 acres of The opinions they form here will guide the saplings.

I woodland in Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Tal- investment of many future dollars and
bot and Harris counties, to .cau~e an esti- thP. routes of succeeding tours. Ever~ for-
mated damage of $43,000 m killed trees est fire and every burned area the visitor
and retarded tree growth, in addition to sees can make nothing but a bad impres-

Smoke of forest fires in the nostrils and eyes, is no way for a tourist to smell or see this country first or last.