, 1862-10-23

etl, llleTe are on All sues OF us resources WHICH,
if properly developed, would prove vastly more
valuable than the treasure so many Of them
seek in vain. From time to time we have direct
cd attention to resources which offer inviting
fields for labor and capital, any one of which
might have been thoroughly tested with TWEEN
tieth part of the money worse than wasted, by
citizens Of this county, last spring, in the pur.
chase Of outfits for the mines. A new field was
brought to our notice the other dav, though not
for the first time presented to our mind which
must some time prove mine Of immense wealth
to those who enter upon it To this we now
propose to devote little space, in the hope that
some god may grow out of it to localities on
Puget Sound
Many Of our readers have recently been made
to feel one of the effects of the war in the greatly
enhanced prices of cotton goods and tabaccO.
The effect upon other articles Of Southern pro-
duction has not been so apparent, for the reason
that they are not used to the same extent by all
classes of people. Among these are turpentine,
pitch and rosin, heretofore exclusively produced
by the South, and principally by North Carolina
and Georgia Owing TO the rapidly diminishing
supply, these articles, like tobacco and cotton
goods, have reached prices never before attained
in California Already have some entprprising
parties in that State devoted their attention to
it, and we are told by the Marysville appeal
that one thousand gallons Of California turpentne
were lately disposed Of in San Francisco. There
the raw material is obtained many hundred miles
from the seaboard, in the Sierras; here we have
it in bountiful supply throughout the entire
country bordering on Puget Sound, thus giving
this section very great advantage in facility Of
export. A correspondent Of the Oregon Farmer,
urging this subject upon the attention Of its
readers, says they have as yet apparently to
learn that the very timber land claims so much
despised by some can be made to yield heavy
income at less expense than even farming upon
them" The same writer who seems to speak
knowingly, says the pitch or gum Of our frs is
threefold more valuable than that Of North Car
olina and Georgia. AS will be seen by the fol-
lowing description Of the mOdusoPerandi OfObtain.
ing these valuable articles Of commerce, labor is
the only capital required; costly machinery, etc.,
being dispensed with in toto. We copy the
process below. with an earnest hope that another
year will not be suffered to elapse before pitch,
turpentine. rosin and tar become articles Of ex.
port from Puget Sound;--
The immense forests in North Carolina, which
cover the sandy ridges between the swamps and
water-coA-sos, consist almost wholly Of The
long-leaied pine, the Pin pdluslris Of The South
ern States. From them is gathered one Of the
great staples Of North Carolina-tho turpentine.
And although this product and its derivatives
are, in our country, almost IN as common use as
bread and meat, very little is known Of the man
ner Of procuring them. We win therefore en-
deayor to describe L accurately :-Tbesc trees at
maturity are seventy Or eighty high and their
trunks eighteen or twenty feet in circumstance
near the base. They grow close together, very
straight, and without branches to two-thirds Of
their height Overhead, their irihterlockiug crovns
form continuous shady canopy; while beneath,
the ground IS covered with thick, yellow mat
ting Of pine-straw, clean, dry, level, and un-
broken BY under-growth. The privilege Of tap
ping the trees Is generally iarmed out BY the
owner, at a stated price per thousand, say from
twenty to thirty dollars Under this privilege
the laborer commences bis operations During
the winter be chops deep notches into the bass
Of the tree, few inches from the ground, ind
siantiDg inward. Above, to the height OF two
or three feet, the surface IS scari1ed BY chip
ping of the bark and outer wood. From this
surface the rcsinous sap begins to flow about
the middle Of March, at nrst very slowly; but
more rapidly during the heat Of the summer,
and slowly again as winter approaches The IL
quid turpensine runs into the notches, or boxes
IS they are technically called, each holding from
quart to half gallon. This, IS il gathers Is
carried TO market, where il commands the high.
est price. That which oozes out and hardcns
upon the scarilied surface Of the tree Is scraped
down with an iron instrument into q sort Of hod.
and is sold u % inferior prizes. Every year the
process Of scarilyng Is carried two or three feet
higher up The trunk, until il reaches TIE height
Of twelve or niieou lect-as high as man can
conveniently reach with his long handled cutter.
When this ceases 70 yield, the same process Is
commenced on the opposite side Of the trunk.
An average yield Is about twenty hEo barrels Of
tnrpentine irom thousand trees, and It is esti-
mated that one man viii dip ten thousand boxes.
The produce IS carried to market on 4 sort Of
draw or cart which holds but two barrels, conso-
Quently the barrels arc always seen setting about
10 the woods in couples. The trees at length
die under these repeated operations They are
then fellod, split into small sticks, and burned
for tar. The dead trees are preferred Cor this
purpose, because when life ceases, the resinous
matter concentrates IN the interior layers Of lhe
wood. In building ar kiln a small circular
mound Of earth is arsl raised, declining from the
circumference 10 the centre, where a cavity Is
formed communicating by conduit with shal.
low ditch surrounding the mound Upon this
foundation The split sticks are stacked 70 tbe
height Of ten or twelve feet
The stack is then covered with earth as IN max
ing charcoal, and the hrs applied through an
opening m The top. As this continues to burn
with . smoulderng beat the wood s charred,
and the lar flows into tbe cavity IN the centre,
and thence by The conduit into the ditch, Or into
gessels sunk 70 receive It.