Forestry-geological review [Jan. 1936]

DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND GEOLOGICAL DEVELOPM

Vol. 6

ATLANTA, GA., JANUARY, 1936

No. 1

FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION

TURPENTINE GUM A CASH CROP FOR THE FARMER

By LUTHER F. ELROD, Extension Agent Soil Conservation Service

BY K. S. TROWBRIDGE, Cooperative Agent on Naval Stores, Bureau

of Chemistry and Soils, U. S. Dept.

Since the first white man set foot upon When the state was first settled every

Agriculture, and Georgia Ex-

the shores of what is now the United States hillside was covered with magnificent trees,

tension Service.

to the present time, we have gone through of pine and hardwoods, that reared their

five periods of development, or rather we stately heads above the surrounding land- The production of pine gum by farmers

have gone through four periods, and are scape. One could travel for hundreds of in the Georgia naval stores territory as a

now entering upon the fifth.

miles on the forest floor and never get cash crop is a relatively new development.

These periods, for the want of better from under the shadow of these stately It was accentuated by the Depression, when

terms, may be called the periods of explor- trees, so close together were they that their agricultural commodities and general farm

ation (1492-1607), occupation (1607- boughs often interlocked. Beneath the for- cash crops were selling at less than the

1733), exploitation (1733-1920), confusion est floor was a rich virgin soil that had cost of production. The farmer in the Geor-

(1920-1933), conservation (1933-________ ). been thousands of years in forming. The gia naval stores territory turned to his

The first period began when Columbus discovered America in 1492, and lasted until the first permanent settlement was made in 1607, This period of exploration was entered into by many of the nations of the eastern world.
The same year that Ponce de Leon was

Indians living as they did, mostly by hunting and fishing, had scarcely marred the landscape. They only killed for a meal, and never for pleasure or sport. When they had killed a bird or an animal or felled a tree for a canoe, they left all the rest for another day.

naval stores timber for a cash income to supplement and maintain his normal farm program.
In the year 1930 there were probably not more than three or four hundred individuals in Georgia who engaged in the practice of working their own turpentine

exploring the "land of flowers" to our But when the white settlers came they timbe~ and selling the gum as a cash crop.

south in 1513, another Spaniard, Balboa, began to clear the forests and to kill the The Southern Forest Survey, conducted

was exploring the great western lands and game. They used some of the trees to build by the United States Forest Service, on

the Pacific Ocean. A few years later anoth homes, barns and fences, but many, many November 1, 1934, and on May 6, 1935,

~r Spaniard, DeSoto, made a trip to Flor- of them they piled in great heaps and published its findings on "Gum Naval

Ida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and burned. They would cultivate the land for Stores Production" in Unit 1 and Unit 2

on to what is now Mississippi, exploring the a while, and as soon as the fertility was of Georgia, Unit 1 embracing thirty-five

land and discovering the great Mississippi gone from one field, the farmer would counties in Southeast Georgia, and Unit 2

river, which was to be his final resting move over to another field and repeat the embracing twenty-two counties in South-

place.

same process, thus destroying needlessly west Georgia. The survey showed that at

In the meantime a Frenchmen, Cartier,

was exploring the lands adjoining the St. ~awrence, and Sir Francis Drake, an Eng-

hshman, was exploring the great northwest. ~ere were other expeditions and explora-

ttiioonnsedfraobmovteimaeretothteimme~jborutotnhees.ones men-

Theil.came the period of occupation from

1607, when the first permanent English

settlement was until the last

made of the

aot rJiagmineasltocwolnoniines16w0a7~

settled in 1733. From here on we are con-

cerned mainly with the last of the colonies

to be settled, Georgia.

From the time Georgia was first settled

until 1920 it was a period of exploitation

of her natural resources. I do not mean ~at this exploitation was always used det-

acres of fertile soil and forests of fine trees, but at the same time the farmers were building up a new nation of fabulous wealth. The over-crowded population of Europe came to the new world in great numbers. Frontiers were pushed farther and farther westward at such a rapid rate, that no attention was given to a careful land use planning that would have protected our rich natural resources. The early settlers thought this new land contained an inexhaustible supply of timber, and rich fertile soil. But already we have well nigh exhausted both, and unless a wise land use program is followed, we will in the very near future feel keenly the loss of these. In fact we are already feeling it in the
small returns from submarginal farming,

these respective times there were 7,854 farmer gum producers in Southeast Georgia and 325 farmer gum producers in Southwest Georgia.
In the naval stores season of 1934 farmer gum producers, according to The Southern Forest Survey, accounted for a naval stores production of 62,151 units of naval stores. This is equivalent to more than 300,000 fifty-gallon barrels of dip, or gum. The average value of a barrel of dip is estimated to have been at that time approximately $5.00 per barrel, whjch would make a t.otal gross income to the farmer for this gum in excess of $1,500,000 for the 1934 naval stores season.
It is interesting to compare the status of gum production in the Southeast and Southwest sections of Georgia. Thirty-five

nmentally,-it was not-but too often it "Confronted by apparently limitless re- Southeast Georgia counties in 1934 had ap-

was.

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(Continued on Page 4)

2

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVlEW

Forestry-Geological Review
Published Monthly by the
DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY AND GEOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT State Capitol, Atlanta CLAUDE E. BOGGS, EDITOR

In 1920 the boll weevil began its wholesale destruction of cotton, and reached its climax in 1922 when the loss was so great that the financial structure of the whole region, which is directly connected with agriculture, was threatened. This was the period of consternation and confusion and

CULTIVATION OF THE TUNG OIL ORCHARD
H. P. STUCKEY, Director Georgia Experiment Station,
Experiment, Ga.

Forestry Division
B. M. Lufburrow, State Forester and Secretary of Commission____Atlanta
Claude E. Boggs, Educational Mgr. Atlanta H. M. Sebring, Asst. State Forester, Atl.anta T. P. Hursey, Dist. Forester________________Rome
W. D. Young, Dist. Forester______Gainesville S. L. McCrary, Dist. Forester,________Augusta
W. G. Wallace, District Forester__Columbus Jack Thurmond, Dist. Forester____Savannah R. D. Franklin, Dist. Forester______Waycross H. D. Story, Jr., District Forester____Albany Mrs. N. N. Edwards, Bookkeeper____Atlanta Mrs. R. S. Thompson, Treasurer______Atlanta

lasted until 1933.
Farm mortgages in Georgia had jumped from $28,000,000 to $101,000,000, acco.rding to Mr. Loy E. Rast, Director of Soil Conservation in Georgia. This was due largely to the clearing of the land and the destruction of the timber which permitted severe erosion to gain tremendously during this period. A recent survey by the Forest service, shows that four-fifths of the land, in the Piedmont region of Georgia, has been cleared for farms, but only 22 o/o

In order for any tung oil planting to be of the greatest possible value the trees must be healthy and able to make their maximum amount of growth. This depends largely upon the care given the trees, especially during the time when they are becoming established in the soil.
For the first two or three years after the young trees have been set out they should be cultivated often enough to keep down the growth of grass and weeds and to pre-

is now growing agriculture crops. Severe vent the so.il from becoming packed around

Geological Division R. W. Smith, State Geologist____________Atlanta G. W. Crickmay, Asst. State Geologist,
____________________________________ A t l a n t a
Lane Mitchell, Asst. State Geol.____Atlanta Miss Margal'et Gann, Clerk______________Atlanta

erosion that rendered the land physically unsuited to farming is the chief reason for this abandonment. A recent erosion survey of Georgia showed 58.8% of all the land of Georgia, exclusive of large cities and

the slender fast growing trunks. Because of the shallow root system of the trees, however, cultivation must not be deep enough to damage the many fibrous feeding roots which are found for the most part

Any information appearing in this publication may be used at any time provided proper credit is given.-The Editor.

water to be affected by erosion. 42.3 o/o of this land has lost from one-fourth to threefourths of its top soil.
There is only one acre of fertile top soil

within approximately a six-foot radius of the tree base.
Perhaps the most common practice among tung oil growers is to plant some

left for each inhabitant. There is another leguminous cover crop, such as crotalaria,

FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION acre of slightly eroded land, five acres of cowpeas, or soybeans, between the rows of

(Continued from Page 1)

badly gullied and badly washed land, and trees during the spring, and turn it under six acres of mountain, marsh and swamp before frost in the fall. Although frequent

sources, there developed in the minds of land.

cultivations are not as important in the

the colonists and succeeding generations an attitude to develop and exploit the timber and soil as rapidly as possible with little regard for the consequences", says Dr. W. C. Loudermilk, Associate Chief of Soil Conservation Service.
There was ever the lure of large gains

Realizing this deplorable condition of our soils and timber land, Congress in September, 1933, set aside a sum of money fo.r demonstrational and educational projects in each of the several states of the union. The object of these projects is to show the farmer how to conserve this fertile acre, and

older orchards it is thought desirable to clean from under the trees of four to six year old plantings as least once during the summer. As the trees mature the shade from the heavy foliage reduces the weed growth to the extent that intensive cultivation near the trees is unnecessary.

at low costs and with comparatively little bring back as far as possible these six Results of merit have been reported from

effort. This early belief in the limitless ex- acres of eroded land. Some of the methods mulching the growing trees with straw and panse and resources of the new found con- used in doing this are reforestation, strip tung nut hulls. The mulch in all probabil-

tinent has persisted too long and played a cropping, contour farming, terracing, baf- ity aids in tree growth and productivity by

disastrous role in the wasteful practices of fle dams, retiring to pasture,. etc.

increasing the organic matter content and

our timber and soil resources, until it has Last season the Soil Conservation Ser- water holding capacity of the soil.

become a menace to the future welfare of vice planted 2,500,000 seedlings and this In some recent chemical analyses, made

the nation.

season they expect to plant 18,000,000. by the chemical laboratory of the Georgia

This wasteful practice has had a new These will be planted on the Sandy Creek

ally in recent years, in the saw mill man. area at Athens, the sub-projects and the

The fires that he started, and other careless camp areas. These trees will be furnished

citizens, have been a great menace to our by the Soil Conservation Service from their timber lands. Our timber resources are plant nurseries, and by the ECW.

being destroyed many times as fast as they It is not too visionary to say, that if the

grow. Fires alone destroyed approximate- people of Georgia, all the people, will fol-

ly $4,500,000 in timber resources in Georgia low a wise land use program, in another

last year.

generation, her hills will again be covered

Some one has truthfully said that, "The with valuable forests, her meadow lands

soil and timber resources belong to poster- will pasture fat cattJe-her streams will

Experiment Station, it was found that tung fruits of high average oil content and ap parently good quality can be grown in Georgia. Twenty-seven samples of nuts from Cairo, in Grady County, Georgia were analyzed for oil content and found to contain from 58.40 to 67.93 per cent oil in the kernels or meats, oven dry basis, and from 15.99 to 24.64 per cent oil in the whole fruit, air dry basis.
The tung oil tree is very easily injured

ity and not to the present generation alone. again run clear and again be filled with by cold weather. It is therefore advised

The possession therefore is a sacred trust, fish-her woods will be filled with abundant that commercial plantings be confined to

and unless used in accordance with that game, and painted well-built homes will the Coastal Plain section of Georgia, pref-

idea we are heading for serious trouble in adorn every farm. These homes will be erably in the extreme southern part. It is

our own day and are fore-dooming the com- filled with happy and contented people who to be remembered that a good well drained

ing generations to poverty and want. We, will not only make a living from fertile light soil, preferably of a slightly acid na-

therefore, have no right to abuse this sa- farms, but enough more to give them the ture, and good cultural practices count with

cred trust but should pass it on in better pleasures and luxuries of life to which they the tung oil orchard as in the culture and

condition that when we found it."

are rightly entitled.

care of other orchard crops.

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

3

FARM FORESTRY FROM THE

1. Protection and improvement of exist-

COLLEGE STANDPOINT ing stands of timber.

AN APPRECIATION

It has been said that the place to learn farming is behind the plow. This may not be wholly true, but the fact remains that in any profession one must have practical

2. Reforestation, land classification and land use.
3. Production, Utilization, measurement and sale of forest products typical to Georgia's woods.

A recent mail brought to the desk of the REVIEW editor, a copy of a brand new publication, CAMP BERRY BREEZE, published by Company 3435, Camp Georgia P-87, CCC, Rome, Georgia. That the name

experience in the skill and art of accomp- Practical experience is given in all phas- of this publication is eminently fitting is

lishing jobs pertaining to that profession, es of farm forest management in the hand- evidenced by the "breezy" items it con-

and that this skill cannot be learned from ling of the forests of the Coastal Plains tains.

books alone. With this in mind, the Board of Regents created the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural

Experiment Station, adjoining the college, where thinning, improvement cuttings, selection cuttings and fire protection are all

A beautiful tribute is paid to Miss Martha Berry, and the REVIEW takes pleasure in reproducing in this issue the photograph

College in 1933, to give Georgia farm boys and girls a chance to learn better farming

practiced. A small forest nursery is operated by the students in connection with the

of Miss Berry which appeared in Camp Berry Breeze. Miss Berry's work is briefly

methods and at the same time gain actual college, where slash pine seedlings are recounted in the BREEZE, and it is ob-

experience in performing the jobs neces- grown for sale to farmers.

served that she has endeared herself to the

sary to successfully complete any of the To illustrate the thoroughness of work boys in Camp P-87 by her personal con-

several farm enterprises.

given in forestry, in operating the slash tacts with them and her interest in their

.Since farmers cannot afford an expen- pine nursery, students gather, clean and work. Long live Martha Berry!

sive education, expenses are held to a min- store the seed; select and prepare nursery It is noted that Forestry subjects hold

imum. Aside from offering a strong cur- sites, plant and care for the seed beds, and the attention of the readers of BREEZE

riculum in practical work, stressing the art gather and pack the seedlings for shipment from several vantage points in this issue.

as well as the science of farming Abraham All this is supplemented by class room ex- Likewise that sports, personals, including a

Baldwin strives to create in the students a ercises and the reading of all available lit- marriage notice, poetry, and well placed ads

desire to return to rural Georgia and lead erature on the subject by each student. give to this paper a smart, up-to-dateness,

more wholesome and satisfying lives on the This same procedure is true with other seldom seen in a non-professional publica-

soil, putting into actual practice the better phases of the work.

tion. We note that the editors have borrow-

methods learned.

I In view of the fact that the number of ed "There Ought to be a Law" column

Abraham Baldwin is not a preparatory farmer gum producers in Georgia has in- from another publication, and applied it lo-

school, but rather a terminal college, the creased from around 200 in 1930 to over cally. The editorial page is a credit to this

success of which will depend upon the suc- 8,500 in 1934, instruction in naval stores is high class publication, and the REVIEW

cess of its students in farming.

stressed. K. S. Trowbridge, naval stores co- congratulates Editor Williams and his staff

Since forestry is an important part of a sUccessful farm, and because of popular demand of the students, a course of practical instruction in farm forestry was included in the regular curricula in 1934. Like other phases of work given at Abraham Baldwin, forestry is built around present day needs of Georgia farmers.

operative agent, and consultant forester of the college gives assistance in naval stores work at the school.
Two one week camps are held during the second year. One near Brunswick, Georgia, through the courtesy of the Brunswick Peninsula Co., where the students plant and thin large areas, gain experience in timber estimating and naval stores work,

on such an excellent paper.
Another publication which has attracted the attention of the editorial staff of this paper is the MERIWETHER TRI-C NEWS. This is a monthly publication by members of Company 1429, CCC Camp SP-7 at Warm Springs. The December 1 issue con-

It is generally conceded that 90 percent and visit various forest industries in that tains a most interesting article of Presi-

of our forestry problems center around vicinity. The other camp is held on the Os- dent Roosevelt's visit to Warm Springs.

private forestry, and that Georgia has such ceola National Forest in Florida, where all The boys of the camp were in the welcome

possibilities in private forestry as to make phases of forest management on a large guard that met the president's train upon

the creation of federally owned national scale are observed.

arrival, and aided the Marines who were

forests in the state undesirable. Forest Throughout the course of instruction, the on duty by offering the facilities of Camp

Schools training men for the United States place of forestry on the farm is clearly Meriwether for their use.

Forest Service has not helped the condition shown, either as a secondary enterprise or This issue is full of newsy tidbits, but

of private forestry in the South.

as a major activity, as would be the case the items about food rations and the

At a meeting of prominent foresters in in the southeast portion of the state.

Thanksgiving menu shows that the boys in

Lake City, Florida, two years ago, much This year there are 24 second year men Camp 1429 uphold the tradition in regard

talk was made of forestry in general and electing advanced forestry. All first year to man and his food. It reminded this edi-

fire protection in particular, yet during the men are required to take one course. It is tor of a paragraph in another paper, which

meeting, at least half the timberland along noted that those students who hold voca- ran like this:

the highway between there and Valdosta tional forestry certificates from the Geor- Lieut.-1 hope you're doing what you can

and Waycross was burning over. More for- gia Forest Service, are usually leaders in to economize on food.

esters are needed on the soil growing trees. the class. The school is not trying to train Mess Sgt.-Yes, sir, we've put the cat

According to the Georgia Experiment men to go out and look for salaried posi- and her kittens on milk and water.

Station, more than 37,000 farms in the tions in competition with graduates from No economizing for the boys, and per-

state are definitely submarginal, and that four year forest schools, but to train men sonally, we don't blame them.

approximately two-thirds of the land area of Georgia is unsuited to cultivated crops. Indeed forestry is an important part of fanning in Georgia.
Forestry instruction at Abraham Baldwin .is centered around farm forestry, and

who, when they return to the farm will know how to grow successive full crops of timber on areas unsuited to cultivation, and know how to intelligently utilize and sell the products derived from that timber.
GEO. W. MOSELEY, Forester,

There are other features that attracted favorable attention, and we hope the circulation department of the Tri-C News will continue to place the Forestry-Geological Review on their mailing list.

COnsists of three general groups of study:

Abraham Baldwin College.

(Continued on Page 6)

4

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVJ.EW

E'SSAYS ON FORESTRY REV.EAL nation. Yet there is a chance for recovery gram to discussion of a timber crop every

INTEREST OF VOCATIONAL of prevailing conditions. Opportunities for year.

STUDENTS IN SUBJECT forestry in southern agriculture have ad- More attention must be paid to the wel-

vanced somewhat the past year. During fare of trees, and since they cannot speak

As a part of the school work, the teach- that time there has been a greater change for themselves, someone must speak for

ers of vocational agriculture have had their in agriculture than in the preceding cen- them. To voice their cause is to speak for

students to write essays on the subject of tury. This change has been brought about the economic future of the country.

forestry, and the Review plans to use the by a national plan for economy in forestry, Trees will amply repay all that is done

best of these papers.

which, embodied in provisions of the Na- for them.

The one reproduced here is by Robert tiona! Industrial Recovery Act and the Ag- Aside from 'the economic value of the

Hendrix, a senior student at Gore High ricultural Adjustment Administration, has forest, may we too see the beauty of trees.

School, a school teaching vocational agri- distinctly enlarged the southern farmer'~ as did Joyce Kilmer, who wrote of them :

culture at Gore, Georgia, in Chattooga opportunities for profit through manage- "I think that I shall never see

county. Mr. C. H. Barker is the teacher. ment of his woodland.

A poem lovely as a tree.

This was used in a district F.F.A. speaking contest, and is titled:

The code of fair competition for the lumber industry sets up several kinds of re-

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed Against the earth's sweet flowing

"Outlook of Forestry" Trees are all a part of our lives,

ouT

strictions for sawmillers and manufacturers using forest products. Among other

breast! A tree that looks at God all day,

happiness and our comfort. When the Indians roamed this country,
there were 822,000,000 acres of forested land. Much of this has been cut for farmR and cities as the population has grown. It is now estimated that we have 91,000,000 acres of untouched forest, and 84,000,000 acres of land, fit for nothing but growing trees, which should be reforested to produce an ample supply of timber to meet

things, it sets specific minimum prices at which finished products can be sold, thus enabling the manufacturer to pay more for timber than he has been paying. So far as the future markets for wood products are concerned, owners of timberland are justified in expecting that their opportunity will not diminish. Thus we see that the codes on wood products and good forest management, on the part of timberland

And lifts her leafy arms to pray. A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain,
Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree."
TURPENTINE GUM CASH CROP (Continued from Page 1)

our demands each year.

owners, are contributing to his annual

Due to cutting for our needs and to de- profit from his forest.

proximately 8,500 individuals engaged in

struction by forest fires, our forests are going faster than they are being replaced.
Everyone should know the damage of forest fire. First, it kills seed and seedlings; second, it destroys plant food, and in so doing starves trees and retards their growth; third, it scars and weakens trees.

In the field of forest utilization, the farmer's job is not so difficult. Instead of clean cutting his salable timber, he should practice selective cutting and thus get a continuous income. Ordinarily, selective cutting costs nothing aside from the own-

gum production as compared with twentytwo counties in Southwest Georgia having a total of only 359 such individuals. It would appear, therefore, that turpentine gum in certain sections of Southeast Georgia is the farmer's main crop and that other farming operations become merely

thus favoring attacks of rot fungi and in- er's time, and its returns continue from those of subsistence, supplying his family

sects; fourth, it reduces the ability of the year to year. An owner can well afford to and livestock with food and feed. In

soil to absorb and hold enough rainfall to pay taxes on managed forest land that is Southwest Georgia cotton, peanuts, tobacco,

make rapid growth; fifth, it promotes the highly productive and is returning a profit hogs and other cash crops occupy the far-

quick run-off of rainfall, thereby increas- on the investment. This phase may be mer's time chiefly, while gum farmin g is

ing destruction by floods; sixth, it causes vague to some, but it is pertinent--"Why simply a side issue giving him a supple-

erosion and loss of soil fertility; seventh, not a timber crop every year?"

mentary farm income.

it destroys the best pasture grasses; eighth, Every organization should be enlisted in The question has been raised by a good

it destroys food and coverage of game.

a campaign that gives a place on its pro-

(Continued on next page)

We have been told of the man who put

a lock on the barn after the horse was

MARTHA BERRY

stolen. The United States is likely to find

itself jn the same predicament in regard to

forestry, If we giv:e thought to the future

of our country, we must map out a plan

of growing timber crops close to where for-

est crops are most needed. Unless we im-

prove our methods of handling our forests.

there will come a time when we shall have

no forests left.

William G. Greely, former Chief of the

United States Forest Service, called the

situation "A predominant issue". He added,

"The solution is plain; all forest lands must

grow timber crops."

What will it mean to our state and na-

tional prosperity when industries have to

slow down and cut payrolls becaus.e of the

high cost of forest products?

We think of California as one of the

states of uncut forests, yet even that state

uses more than it produces. This should be

of vital importance to every person in our

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

5

(Continued from Page 4)

the stiller than is poor gum with high Georgia Department of Forestry for aid.

many naval stores operators as to whether the. farmer in Georgia will continue to gather and sell gum fro~ theymber on h~s farm or will abandon this activity when his customary farm operations become more
profitable.
Farmers can easily work a half crop, or 5 000 faces, of naval stores timber with
s~me help from his regular farm labor or
members of his family and at the same time produce enough food and feed to meet the requirements of his family and live-
stock.

trash and water content. One large gum buyer in Georgia is now buying gum by weight and grade and paying accordingly for it.
One accustomed to doing so can usually judge correctly the grade of rosin that can be made from a particular barrel of dip if he follows the directions of the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils Naval Stores Station in judging gum. Selling by weight is much more satisfactory than selling by measure both to the farmer and the stiller. Barrels vary considerably in their capacities. It is much more satisfactory in the long run

Aid from the Department of Forestry was secured and during the late summer and early fall of 1927 Mr. Alfred Akerman, then in charge of Management and Mr. E. Bauer, Field Assistant, were sent into the field on a cooperative basis to secure the necessary information to be followed in making recommendations as to the policy to pursue in securing the desired results.
A forest survey was made showing timber types present at the time and open land. A management plan and map were drawn up, a program of forest protection laid out, recommendations for the establishment of

One-half crop of turpentine timber ten t.o give correct weight and good values than a forest nursery and a planting plan also.

inches and larger, and of fair quality, with to attempt to sell an unknown quantity of As a result of this survey and recom-

good work and care should yield about 125 low-grade, dirty gum by the barrel. At mendations a small nursery was started.

fifty-gallon barrels of gum per season. The practically no extra cost the farmer who is Operation of this nursery was carried on

farmer's income from this quantity of clean careful can make and gather his gum rela- the first year but due to failure of seed

gum free from trash and water, at $4.00 tively free from trash such as bark, chips, germination and other causes the nursery

per fifty-gallon barrel would be $500.00 per water, et.c.

was abandoned the following year and

season, and of course would be more at The farmer will be protecting himself seedlings for planting purposes were pur-

higher prices.

and better stabilizing a profitable cash chased from the State Nursery then locat-

The cost of production would be rela- crop if he will give the buyer a square deal ed at Athens, Georgia. During the year

tively small after the initial investment in in the matter.

1928 Mr. E. B. Stone was employed as As-

cups, aprons and tools. Using a good qual-

sistant State Forester with headquarters e.t

ity of equipment the total cost for cups and other necessities would probably not exceed $350.00. This same equipment would last four years or more depending upon which kind of cups and gutters are used. By conservatively working his timber each face can be worked at least. six or seven years.
Recent analysis of three samples of gum taken from commercial naval stores operations and analyzed by the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils Naval Stores Station, Olustee, Florida, gave the following results and show how receipts from these gums differ.
The first sample made rosin of X grade containing 75.1 per cent rosin, 22.4 per cent turpentine, 0.5 per cent trash and 2 per cent water. Rosin and turpentine stilled from a 50-gallon barrel of this class of dip was worth $14.23 at Jacksonville on November 5, 1935.
The second sample made WG rosin .containing 67.7 per cent rosin, 20.3 per cent turpentine, 4 per cent. trash, and 8 per cent water. Rosin and turpentine obtained from
a 50-gallon barrel dip of this class was
worth $11.60 at Jacksonville on November 5, 1935.
The third sample gave resin of M grade. It contained 59.5 per cent rosin, 17.5 per cent turpentine, 8 per cent trash and 15

SECOND DISTRICT
W. D. Young, Dist. Forester, Gainesville
CHICOPEE FOREST A TYPICAL WATERSHED
During the year 1926 a unit of Johnson & Johnson Manufacturing Company known as the Chicopee Manufacturing Corporation was established near Gainesville, Georgia. This company manufactures various cotton medical supplies and is considered one of the largest mills of its kind in the country. It is situated approximately 3 miles from Gainesville on the Southern Railroad and Highway No. 13. It is considered a MODERN MILL and VILLAGE. In fact every thing necessary to make well rounded living conditions for the workers is provided in the village proper.
To secure the necessary water supply for the mill and village, the owners decided to purchase an area adjoining the village site which embraces a small creek watershed. Much of the land within this area was worn out farm land gullied and eroded. The watershed area contains approximately

Gainesville._ The coope~tive aid of the

Georgia Forest Service was turned over to

him.

As a result of close supervision and rec-

ommendations on the part of the Georgia

Forest Service, forest protection has been

secured and maintained with good results.

As a result of forest protection much of the

area then considered area for planting will

not have to be planted. New growth is com-

ing in as a result of natural seeding and the

original trees at the beginning of the pro-

ject have taken on new vigor. Of course

many acres are still open because the pro-

gram of management and planting was

recommended to extend over a period of

years due to the limited field force employ-

ed. However the planting program will be

completed within the next few years under

the present system and then management

on a system of forest use will be mapped

out, as provided in the plan.

The following is a record of planting be-

ginning with the year 1928.

1927-1928-Loblolly pine _________ 10,000

1928-1930-Loblolly pine

_______ 8,000

Black Locust

400

1930-1931-Loblolly pine

--- 20,000

1931-1932-Shortleaf pine

___ 4,500

White pine ____________________ 1,000

per cent water. Rosin and turpentine from 4,000 acres. Considerable trees of species 1932-1933-Loblolly pine ______________ 12,000

a 50-gallon barrel of this dip was worth native to this section were growing on the

Slash pine ______________________ 2,000

only $9.37 at Jacksonville on November 5, area but due to forest fires, cutting of un- 1933-1934-Loblolly pine _______________ 19,000

1935.

dersized trees for fuel and lumber by the

Longleaf pine __________ 1,000

There is a difference, then, in the value former owners, and a large percent of the 1934-1935-Loblolly pine of the products from a 50-gallon barrel of area in open farm land, it was necessary 1935-1936-Loblolly pine gum of $4.86 between samples one and that a program of forest planting and man-

_______ 15,000 ________ 50,000

three. Such gum as represented by the agement be instituted to secure a ground

142,900

third sample is usual rather than excep- cover thereby enabling the village and mill The planting of White pine, Slash pine,

tional.

to have a permanent water supply of suf- and Longleaf pine was done for experi-

It is easy to see, in view of this analy- ficient volume.

mental purposes.

_ais, that good, clean gum will pay the far- With this problem in mind the officials An average of 90 o/o of all seedlings

'baer more because it is more valuable to of the mill made representations to the planted have survived.

8

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

were tentatively made to adapt the boilers ondary firebreaks on various tracts of TPO

FOURTH DISTRICT
W. G. Wallace, District Forester, Columbus

of the Warm Springs Foundation heating land under the direction of Mr. Graham plant to use wood along with coal so Coleman, the Manage of the TPO and if as to dispose of the undesirable hardwoods. the present plans are carried out, secondary This plan of reforestation is also put into firebreaks will have been constructed on all

practice on the Warm Springs Foundation lands listed in the TPO by February 1st

FOREST MANAGEMENT ON PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S

property.

1936.

Under present practices, slabs and edg-

ings from the sawmill on this property are

New T. P. 0. Secretary

PINE MOUNTAIN FARM cut into firewood lengths and sold. Tops of Mr. Leon Ehrlich, of Swainsboro, and

Near Warm Springs President Roosevelt felled trees are also utilized for firewood, one of the members of the Board of Direc

owns a tract of approximately 2,000 acres and the branches are disposed of so as to tors of the Canoochee River TPO, was ap

of land. Of this amount, only two or three reduce the fire hazard.

pointed Secretary and Treasurer of the or

hundred acres are in cultivation. The re- The president was very much interested ganization.

mainder of his farm consists of forest in the possibilities of the slash pine, and it Mr. J. W. Stephenson was the former

land, most of which is covered with a mixed was planned to make experimental plant- Secretary, but recently resigned and Mr

growth of scrubby hardwoods and a widely ings of this species next year to prove its Ehrlich was appointed in his place.

varying density of pines. The land is poor, adaptability for growing on Pine Mountain. Mr. W. C. Rice, a prominent Naval Stores

rocky, mountain land not capable of pro- The Warm Springs Foundation is start- Operator and TPO Member, was appoint

ducing a rapid rate of tree growth. How- ing its annual planting program by plant- ed on the Board of Directors to fill the va

ever, some valuable longleaf pine of virgin ing 15,000 longleaf seedlings this winter. caney left by Mr. Ehrlich.

quality is found on the place. Mr. Roose- President Roosevelt is ordering several

velt is having this pine cut for local mar- thousand seedlings for his personal project

Tar City T. P. 0.

ket. A premium price is secured for the as the beginning of an annual planting At the last meeting of the Directors of

longleaf heart pine.

program on his own land.

Tar City TPO in Reidsville, it was definite

As district forester, I recently had the

ly stated that the organization would pur-

opportunity of inspecting this tract of

chase a tractor and plow unit for use in

timber and the logging operation, in company with Mr. Roosevelt, together with his farm manager, Otis Moore, and Mr. H. N. Hooper, General Manager of the Warm

SIXTH DISTRICT
Jack Thurmond, Dist. Forester, Savannah

maintenance work and construction of secondary firebreaks.
Another meeting of the Tar City TPO will be held on December 23rd, at Reids-

Springs Foundation. Mr. Roosevelt proved

ville, at which time the order for the equip-

to be a good forester, but of course he was

ment will be given.

not familiar with our native pines and their T. P. 0. Manager's Meeting

growing habits. He was primarily interested Recently a meeting was held in Reids-1 in cutting his mature pines according to ville and all TPO Managers and Project

~r.

A.

E. C. W.
A. Simonton,

Nw~ootes":as

formerly

good forest management practices, which Superintendents in the Savannah District Chief Foreman at P-82, Reidsville has been

would result in natural reforestation, and attended.

transferred from the Savannah District to

which would allow periodical successive All phases of TPO work as related to a camp in the Rome District, as Chief

cuts of quality timber. To this end a plan Emergency Conservation Work were dis- Foreman.

was worked out and is being put into practice under supervision of the district forester.

cussed and each TPO Manager and Project Superintendent had the opportunity to discuss their problems, as affecting .their par-

Mr. W. K. Peagler, formerly Chief Foreman at P-63, McRae, has been transferred

to Camp P-82, Reidsville, as Chief Fore-

Mr. Roosevelt was found to have a dis- ticular TPO and Camp.

tinct dislike for the scrubby blackjack oak, The object of this meeting was for the man.

which is so common on Pine Mountain and purpose of coordinating the work of the

which grows to the detriment of more val- TPO Manager in order that the TPO's can

uable species, such as longleaf pine. His utilize more fully the benefits that arise as

dislike was so profound in fact that he a result of the work done by the Camps

wanted to see the blackjack oaks on his in the District on the TPO areas.

I place cut down, and if they could not be
used for fuel wood, then he wanted them

at

Ssiommi~lacr emntereatlinpgosinwt iinll

be the

held quarterly District that is

piled and burned. It was Mr. Roosevelt's ~onvement to all concerned.

The allottment of pine seed that was assigned to camps in the Savannah District has been completed. The seed have all been collected, cleaned and stored at P-82, Reidsville, from which po.int they will be sent to the State Nursery in Albany. There is 1,100 lbs. of Slash, longleaf and Loblolly altogether.

dea that areas so cleared would naturally 1 reseed to longleaf pine, the native pine of

Canoochee River T. P. 0.

AN APPRECIATION

this region. Due to various circumstance<>, The Canoochee River TPO, covering tim-

(Continued from Page 3)

the district forester disagreed as to this ber lands in Emanuel and Candler Coun- The Forestry-Geological Review managers area reseeding to longleaf pine. As a re- ties, recently purchased a Tractor and Plow consider it a privilege to have been placed on

sult, a plan was formulated whereby from unit for use in maintaining Primary Fire- the mailing list of "Peppermint", a publica-

15 to 25 acres of this land is to be cleared breaks and construction of secondary fire- tion by Company 1450 of Georgia CCC Camp

of undesirable species each year and then breaks.

P-68, Douglas, Georgia. This spicy periodi

artificially reforested with pine by planting The unit consists of a 40 H. P. Caterpil- cal dealing principally with matters of in

nursery grown seedlings produced by the lar Diesel Tractor and Two-way Hester terest to the boys of the camp, but bring-

state forest nursery at Albany, It is ex- Plow. This equipment is to be used in sec- ing items of interest to those on the out-

pected that the local market for fuel wood ondary firebreak construction and a grader side, is about a year old, and has kept up

will go far towards absorbing the removed will be used for maintenance on primary an interesting flow of information concern-

undesirable hardwoods, and that the re- firebreaks.

ing camp activities, personal idiosyncra-

turns from their sale will greatly assist in To date, the tractor and plow unit has cies, educational matters, and has been a

financing the reforestation project. Plans constructed over one hundred miles of sec- splendid outlet for the class in Journalism.

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

7

MINERALS OF GEORGIA

tion. An ancient Germanic tribe, the Fresnians, employed rods in their churches to detect murderers.

Brief Accounts of Occurrences and Developments of the State's Leading Minerals
Reported by THE DIVISION OF GEOLOGY

THE DIVINING ROD, A STEPCHILD OF THE ALCHEMISTS

BY GEOFFREY W. CRICKMAY

Everybody with a spark of imagination

has at some time wished to look into the fu-

ture, to peer beyond the stars, or to see

inside the earth. This natural urge in the

minds of a few really brilliant men was

responsible for the invention and develop-

ment of the telescope, the microscope, the

seismograph and countless other instru-

ments for finding facts that. our unaided

eyes or poo.r perception fail to detect. Be-

fore the invention of such instruments,

men were accustomed to seek the answer to

all obscure questions by consulting for-

tune tellers or diviners, whose pronounce-

ments were based to a large extent on su-

perstition, or fetish, or fanciful dogma.

These pseudo-scientists were often influ-

enced by the behavior of material objects,

such as the divining rod. This age-old cus-

tom persists even today. As minor decis-

ions are made by the toss of a coin and

the fortune teller's story is believed by the

more credulous, so the use of the divining

rod still persists in some parts of Georgia.

A divining rod is a simple device consist-

ing most commonly of a hazel stick with a

Y-shaped fork or two separate twigs bound together at one end in V-form. Willow,

F

cherry, and apple woods are used but. hazel,

particularly witch hazel, is claimed to be

the most effective. Metal rods equipped

with needles, springs, and vials of metallic

The alchemists, those brazenly unscientific chemists of the Middle Ages, saw at once the possibilities of the divining rod and it is to them that we owe its development for the detecting of material objects. This was the age that saw the growth of the weirdest and most unreasonable types of theo.ries. Demonstrative proof was rarely asked and even more rarely given. By the end of the 17th Century, it was in common use for finding hidden treasure and locating metallic ores. The alchemists aud their strange theories are now all safely dead and buried in the past, but their stepchild, the divining rod, has lived on. Even in this day of reason, it is in wide usage and has been falsely credited for locating minerals, ground water, and oil pools.
The manner of using the rod is as simple as its construction. The forks are grasped lightly in the hands of the operator who walks over the ground to be tested. The rod, it is claimed, constantly exerts a pull towards a point on the earth directly above the materials sought. Some people have, in all seriousness, reported this pull to be so strong at times that the rod is whipped out of the operator's hands. Thorough tests have shown that the rod by itself is quite inert and no amount of ritual or consecration will actuate it without the aid of human hands. Anyone can easily demonstrate this fact by bringing metals, ore minerals, water, or oil near a carefully suspended rod which will exhibit no response whatsoever as long as it is not touched. Movement of the rod, therefore, originates with the operator and may be conscious and forced, or sub-conscious and involuntary. Most diviners, who honestly believe in the rod, regard its movements merely as an expression of their own sympathetic psychic attunement to the object sought.

ores have been manufactured by unscrupulous people. These embellishments give the rod a more professional appearance but are not essential. Only a few people, it is claimed, are sufficiently "susceptible" to get good results but a large number of people are eager to believe in the results obtained. The Division of Geology annually receives numerous inquiries about divining rods: Where may they be obtained? How are they used? And how do they work? To this last question, the answer is: They do not--divining rods have no scentific basis whatsoever and belong entirely to the realm of superstition and charlatanry.
The divining rod goes back to some early time when man carrying a stick or club treated it as his companion and asked of it the questions, particularly moral questions,
to which he most desired answers. This
Was common practice with the Medes, Persians, and Scythians who had a high regard for the staff or crook. The rod came to be used as a portable oracle to detect guilt, de-

There have been many and varied ex-

planations offered for the supposed behav-

ior of the divining rod. To the ancients,

divination of all sorts was too closely knit

with their theologies to require any world-

ly explanation. The alchemists needed but

one mystic word, "affinity", a word which

H

held great significance in their crude the-

ories. Many believed at this time in a ma-

terial devil and to them there was no reason

why demoniac agencies should not activate

the rod. Others held that the peculiar gift

of the operator was conferred by divine

favor and that the Diety and not the devil

FIGURE 1.-Divining Rod in Georgia was causing response of the rod. The

State Museum.

practice of divining thus became surround-

A. Handle. B. Square metal blocks. C. ed by highly pious ceremonies and formu-

Spring. D. Glass tube filled with metallic las. The rod, like the compass to which it

ores. E. Graduated circle with free swing- was thought to be closely related, was re-

ing pointer. F. Forked sticks, painted ebony garded as something a little beyond the un-

black. G. Extra pointer. H. "Stoppers" to . derstanding of ordinary men-something

be inserted in place of spring and sticks best left in the hands of those select few

when instrument is not in use.

who were blessed with the "gift."

cide future events, or advise a course of ac- Even at this time there were thoughtful

8

FORESTRY-GEOLOGICAL REVIEW

men who could see no reason in the rod. In satisfactory about the divining rod. The FLUORESCENT MINERAL

1546, Agricola, a man of shrewd under- worst feature involved in its use is that

DISPLAY INSTALLED IN

standing and a mining engineer of promi- it frequently leads to false hopes, wasted

THE STATE MUSEUM

nence, condemned it and recommended the effort, and unjustified expenditures for de-

miner to restrict his study to the indica- velopment. It would be the height of folly An exhibit of fluorescent minerals of un-

tions of nature. A new theory was later to base any mining work on the dictates of usual interest and beauty has recently been

invented, designed to be more appealing to the diviner.

installed by the Division of Geology in the

the skeptic scientists. All matter, it was claimed, emits rays of minute particles or corpuscles, called oorpuscula effluvia (analagous to the quanta of modern physics). These particles must certainly have a strong effect on so "delicate" an instrument as the divining rod. Some people with particularly sensitive skin texture were claimed to be more susceptible to these emissions and thus only the select few could qualify as efficient diviners.

There are a number of scientific instruments, designed to locate mineral deposits and oil reservoirs hidden in the earth, which should be clearly distinguished from the pseudo-scientific divining rod. The successful operation of all these sensitive instruments depends on specific properties of the materials sought. The magnetometer measures the declination, dip, and horizontal intensity of the earth's magnetic field. Certain iron-bearing ores strongly disturb

State Museum near the elevator on the fourth floor of the Capitol.
Certain minerals have the unusual pronerty, called fluorescence, of glowing when exposed to ultra-violet rays. A special mercury-arc light is used to give off these in.. visible ultra-violet rays which on striking the minerals are changed into visible colored light which seems to come from the minerals as though they were illuminated from within.

Unfortunately for the corpuscular story, the readings, and consequently measure- The minerals are first viewed by or-

a far more alluring theory soon appeared in ments of this local disturbance points to the dinary light. At present the display

the scientific sky through the billiant re- location of the ores. Metallic ores and salt contains several specimens of Stone Moun-

searches of Galvani and others in the field water associated with oil are better con- tain granite with a coating on one surface of electricity. Just as the ancients had ductors of electricity than ordinary rock of hyalite, a variety of opal; three speci-

placed all obscure and apparently supernat- and thus, by measuring earth resistance to mens of dogtooth calcite crystals from a

ural things in the field of religion, so the electrical impulses, pertinent information cave near Marble Hill in Pickens County;

pseudo-scientists of the day ascribed the may be obtained. Different types of rock two pieces of fluorite from Gordon County;

cause of everything mysterious to electric- react in different ways to earthquake several pink corundum crystals from Habity. Electricity was the key to all scientfic waves. Oil geologists have used this fact to ersham County; a piece of common opal

puzzles; it was the cause of the strange be- map out sub-surface formations by deter- from Habersham County; a group of fluor-

havior of the divining rod; it was the elan vital of life itself. On the basis of the electrical theory, the rod was first applied extensively to the finding of underground water and, with the dawn of the 20th Century, to the mapping of oil pools.

mining the character of vibrations artificially set up by explosives and recorded on seismographs. Rocks also differ in their density. A special instrument, the torsion balance, has been designed to measure densities of rocks hidden below the earth's sur-

ite crystals from England; and specimens of opal and amber from outside of Georgia loaned by Mr. William B. Pitts. Others will be added from time to time. A switch at the left of the case turns the illumination from the ordinary light to the soft purple

It is perhaps surprising that such elab- face, by determining minute deviation~ glow of the mercury-arc light. The ultra-

orate explanation should be offered for an from true gravity. This method has proven violet rays given off by this lamp (not the

instrument whose use is largely discredited. particularly helpful in locating salt domes small amount of visible purple light) cause

Actually, there are diviners who have dem- (the salt having a much smaller density the hyalite on the Stone Mountain granite

onstrated a certain ability to find hidden than the surrounding rock) with which oil to glow with a ghostJy bluish-white light.

objects, but their powers seem to be depen- is in some places associated. All these in- Two of the calcite specimens have a pinkish-

dent more on their mental processes than struments are very carefully constructed, red glow whereas the third which under or-

on the rod. In all demonstrations the po- they are all based on scientific principles, dinary light looks exactly the same, has a

sition of the hidden object has been known and their use requires the knowledge of dirty white color. The fluorite specimens

to at least one member of the group, and it experts. Each has its limitations, each is have a beautiful blue color and the corun-

has been suggested that thought trans- designed for special use. Divining rods, on dum a deep red color. The opal and the am-

ference to the diviner may subconsciously the other hand, belong to mysticism and ber glow with a milky-white color. The ef-

direct his muscular action and consequently not to science.

fect is truly remarkable.

the rod's movements. Phychologists have shown that some people are partjcularly sensitive to mental reception of the concentrated though of others. Many diviners may be equally sensitive, but sensitive to human thought rather than to ore, oil or
water. It would undoubtedly surprise many peo-
ple to know how extensively the divining rod has been used in comparatively recent years for locating oil wells and how many

Citizens of the State should place no reliance on the diviner's advice, whether it be gratuitously given or not. The Division of Geology would welcome a report on the operations of anyone purporting to find minerals, ground water, or valuable objects by use of divining rod, mineral stick, or doodle bug, for whose services a charge is made.
The information in this paper has been
obtained mainly from the following re-

The Division of Geology was represented at the annual meetings of the Geological Society of America in New York on December 26th to 29th by Assistant State Geologists G. W. Crickmay and Lane Mitchell, both of whom gave papers. Dr. Crickmay's paper was on the age of the Talladega series of rocks in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. His work in mapping these rocks in Georgia during the past several years

thousands of dollars have been paid by gul- ports:

has convinced him that they are much old-

lible people to the charlatans of the trade. No satisfactory explanation has ever been offered as to why the rod should pull towards oil as expertly as towards water or towards lead as strongly as towards gold. There is no reason why the dipping of the rod or the oscillation of an attached needle

Raymond, R. W., The Divining Rod: Min. Res. U. S., 1882, pp. 610-625, 1883.
Ellis, A. J ., The Divining Rod, a history of water-witching, with a bibliography: U. S. Geological Survey, Water Supply Paper, 416, 1917.

er than the age previously assigned to them by most geologists who have described them in the past. His paper is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of Georgia geology, Mr. Mitchell described the finding and excavation of remains of mastodons and mammoths at Savannah last summer. Be

should record depth in the units of the Butler; G. M., Some facts about Ore De- cause of the popular nature of the paper;

country: feet in the United States, metres posits: Arizona Bureau of Mines, Bull. 139, it was one of the many given at the meet--

in Europe. In fact, there is nothing very pp. 71-77, 1935.

ings, to be described in the newspapers.