Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-04-01
TURPENTINE.
How it is Obtsined and Made.

A correspondent Of the New York TFi
J1H3C has the following:
The method of obtaining this turpen-
tine is very simple. During January
and February the trees are prepared fOI
the purpose. This is done by cutting a
/ small box near the root of the tree. This
/ box is cut out by an ak, and Is generally
made to hold one quart crude turpentine.
! 1t Is necessary that the boxes should be
| cut during the winter and before the sap
I commences to run. During the month
| of March, or Just before the sap appears,
| the workman begins to peel the bark from
I the tree, commencing at the upper end of
I the box, and making it cover the full
/ width, about ten inches.
| As soon as this bark is taken of, the
! sap runs down into the receptacle. 1t
takes from five to seven weeks for box
TO fill. As soon as the box fills, the tur-
| pentine is scOoped out and put into a
bucket. Each laborer has q bucket and
goes around to the different trees until
his bucket is full, and then he empties it
into barrels for the purpose. About Sep
tember the sap stops running, and the
season is over. During a year, or sea-
son, good tree viii yield at least SIX
quarts OF turpentine. During each sea-
son the bark is peeled of to a distance
up the tree, of about two feet. From
twenty 10 thirty feet j. as high up the
tree as they can go. So q tree viii Yield
from ten to fifteen years. After the tur-
pentine is taken from the boxes and put
in barrels, il is ready for the still.
The following viii give you an idea Of
the construction of the tUrpentin5 stiII!
There Is IA large boiler built in a brick
furnace. The exact capacity Of these
l.. u I. . I L..~ i -
they would hold from six to ten barrels.
The brick work is built to the hight OF
about ten feet. On the TOP is a platform,
and the crude material is hoisted from
the ground to this platform and then
emptied into the boiler. From this boiler
there Is an iron pipe about a foot in diam
eter leading TO q large woaden Vatstand-
tng alongside the still proper. This vat
Is more than half filled with water which
is Necessary in case of FIRE. Connecting
with the pipe from the boiler is another
one constructed in ZigZag manner and
extending to the bottom OF the vat.
As soon as the boiler is filled with the
crude tUrpentine the fire is started in the
furnace, and the liquid commences TO
boil. The turpentiie arises in steam
nom this crude material. The steam
rises and extends through one pipe 10
the vat, and thence through the pipe
into the vat. The water being heavier
than the turpentine the two viii not mix, !
and the water goes to the bottom while |
the turpeatinR remains at the top. At
the bottom Of the vat is a sBigget and |
trough. After the water has run of the /
turpentine descends and uasses through
10 barrels rlsced underneath. The fluid
is tnen ready for market. After boiling 1
the crude tuTpentine until the steam |
ceases to ascend, the material IN the bot
tom is called FOsin.
As soon rs the t.fpentine ceases run
nIng The steam pipes are taken off and /
the boiling rosin skinned by means of 1
a wire net attached 10 a long handle. |
IAis skimming is done for the purpose of /
taking all the dirt that collects with the /
turpenune while in the boxes of the /
trees. As soon as it is skinned it Is let /
OIL irom the boiler by means of small |
pipe TO large trough, where, after it |
eools, 1t is placed in barrels and is ready 1
for market also. This distillatiOn of tur-
pentine is very simple, but requires ex-
IRENE care. Fire is the great danger.
Alter q pine tree ceases to yield turpen-
tine, II IS cut down, and the fat knots
burned into tar or pitch. These fat pOr-
Aons are split into pieces, varying in size.
Pitch and tar are made by a number of
these pieces being PLACED together in such
a manner that when they are set ON fire
the fat descends TO a Eole dug i'm the /
ground, and thence runs through q
trough and becomes tar, These pieces,
after being Aredi are covered over with |
DIRT, and great care must be taken not to
let them blaze while burning. If al
lowed to blaze the tar would all be con-
sumed. These trees also make the best
kind of timber. Here it is called eight
wood because it makes saoh brilliant
light Whlie burning. Those who own
pine woods near a railroad, after using
the trees for tTpentine, cut them down
and make railroad ties