The weekly Butte record., 1862-11-29
0detklp Butte RetorO
How Turpentine is Produced.

The immense forests in North Carolina,
which cover the sandy ridges between the
sEamps and water courses, consists almost
wholly Of the long -leafed pine, the Piaus palus-
frls Of the SOuthern States. From them IS
gathered one Of the great staples Of North
Carolina, the turpoatine. And although this
product and its derivatives are, in our country
almost as common as bread and meat very
little Is known Of the manner Of procuring
them. We viii therefore endeavor to describe
it accurately These trees at maturity are
seventy or eighty feet high, ard their trunks
eighteen or twenty feet in diameter near the
base. They grow close together, very straight
and without branches to two-thirds OF their
hight Overhead, their interlocking crowns
form continuous shady canopy ; while be-
meath the ground is covered with thick,
yellow mating Of pine-straw, clean. dry. level
and uabrokea by underground. The privilege
of tapping the trees is generally farmed ont By
the land owner at a stated price per thousand
say from twenty to thirty dollars. Under this
privilege the laborer commences his operations.
During the winter he chops deep notches into
the base Of the tree, few inches from the
ground, and sianting inward. Above, to the
height Of two or three feet, the surface is scarf
fed By chipping of the bark and outer wood.
From this surface the resinous sap begins to
flow about the middle of March, at first very
slowly but more rapidly during the heat of the
summer, and slowly again as winter approaches.
The liquid turpentine runs into the uotches or
boxes as they are technically called, each hold.
ing from quart to a half gallon This, as
it gathers, is dipped out with a wooden spoon,
barreled, aud CARED to market, where it COM
mands the highest price. That which oozes
out and hardens upon the scarifed surface of
the tree is scraped down with an iron instru-
ment into a sort of hod and Is sold at an inferi-
or price Every year the process of scarifying
is carried two or three feet higher up the trunk
until il reaches the hight of twelve or fifteen
feet, as high as a man can reach conveniently
With his long-handled cutter When this ceas.
es 30 y.-'l. the same process IS commenced on
sle opposite side Of The tsaaE An average
yield IS a53ut tuaa-y-ive barrels OF turneuJina
from thousand trees aal it js estimated tbat
one man will dip ten thousand boxes
The produce is carried to market oa sort
of dray or cart which holds but two barrels.
consequently the barrels are always seen sci
ting about in the woods in couples. The trees
at length die under these repeated operations. (
They are then felled, split into small sticks,
and burned for tar The dead trees are pre-
ferred for this purpose, because when life ceas-
es, the resuous matter concentrates in the
interior layers Of the wood. In building a tar
kiln a small circular mound of earth is raised, /
declining from the circumference to the centre, /
where a cavity is formed. communicating by
conduit with a shallow ditch surrounding the /
mound. Upon this foundation the split sticks
are stacked to the hight Of ten or twelve feet
The stack is then covered with earth as in
making charcoal and he fire applied through
an opening in the top. Is this continues to
burn with smoglderiug heat, the wood is
charred, and the tar flows into the cavity in the
center, and thence by the conduit into the ditch,
or into vessels sunk to receive it.
Cor Oregon Farmer.