In 1870, the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company was the largest retailer and consumer of graphite in the world and later became the contemporary Dixon Ticonderoga pencil and supplies company artistic.[18][19 ]By the end of the 19th century, over 240,000 pencils were used per day in the United States. The wood of choice for pencils was red cedar as it was aromatic and did not splinter when sharpened. By the early 20th century supplies of red cedar were dwindling so that pencil manufacturers were forced to recycle wood from cedar fences and barns to maintain supply. One effect of this was that "during the Second World War rotary pencil sharpeners were outlawed in Britain because they wasted so much scarce lead and wood, and pencils had to be sharpened in the most conservative way – with knives." pencils today are made with this wood grown in managed forests. Over 14 billion pencils are produced worldwide each year.[21] Less popular alternatives to cedar include basswood and