New-York tribune., 1872-11-07
TURPENTINE MAKING.
A CHARACTERISTIC NORTH CAROLINA IN
DUSTRY

| PRoM TIKI SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or TfIB TRIBUSRl
| FAYETTEVILLE, N. c., Oct. 26.-The tuTpen-
tine crop OF North Carolina like that OF every staple
product o; her soil WILL this year, far exceed that OF
any former season since the war though, owing to
decrease the price OF naval during the past
few months and other which will explain the
producers and distlers will realize smaller percentage
OF profit than they the crop Of 1871 rst saw
turpentine orchard I'm the vicinity OF Wilmington In
| company with Col. Mc1lhenny a leading planter on
the lower Capo Fear River, visited his rice fields and
on our way rs we rode through thiny wooded o0un'
try he pointed out to turpentine trees, and ex-
| planned the method in which they are worked" aud
| their product manufactured
sTbAMBOAT TRAVEL OK THE CAPE FEAR.
The turpontine woods Of North Carolina are In tho
southern and eastern Counties exen1ng nowhere north
of the latitu of Raleigh and but little west OF the CEN
ter OF Tho principal market for the sale Of the
crop Is Wilmington and nearly all Of the forests now
worked lie within few miles OF OF tho railroads
leading that city, of the Cape Fear River ana lts
tributaries Wilmington IL also the market Tor con
siderable portion OF the naval stores produced In SOuth
Carolina and its entire trade in them for 1871 amounted
TO O323 barrels OF spirits Of turpentne 6iOO7 barrels
rosns Oo7 barrels OF and 2osoi barrels Of crude
urpenne During 1872 will be considerably creator
though have beenI unable TO obtain any Trustworthy
estimate Of the extent Of the increase. The Cape Fear
River at this OF the year sluggish stream with
hardly enough water TO float the small, fltbottomed
ton but which In times Of freshet risos sometimes 60
feet and pours down n Hood Of water sufficient TO
float entire navy, was once the only means Oh
communication between the western counties Of this
State and markets Of the world, aud is still the high
way by which supplies brought to great portion OF
the turpentne region and by which is crop OF naval
stores its way TO the Standing on the deck oil
the Murchson as it powed its way through tho sand
and crossed from one thcky wooded bank 70 the other
search Of water little evidence OF the prosperity
OF the turpentne business of which had heard so much
in Wilmington. At intervals OF few miles, the steamer
with much pulling and blowing of OF steam, wonld run
high up upon sandy bank, and the dechands would
carry ashore twenty bushels Of corn, barrel
OF four hOgshead OF molasses and hundred pounds
OF Bacon The only evidence that the country was IN
habitod generally single negro IN rags ana tatters
or at most small squad of them. who came
out the woods, carrying II t was night lShted pine
knot and sat silently on sand, unless some one
spoke 10 them. when he would learn that everything
thor health. their families business, the crops-"as
"tolerable, thank ye." Occasionally passed tuT-
pentine distilery the midst OF little clearing ana
often without single house cabin IN sight. but with
its two three lOungng negroes and pchcoYerod par
rel5 it would not impress Northern man nall 80 much
with its importance as third-rato soap-boers esta0-
lishment I'm the North But in tho eyes Of genuine
Tarecl of those little enbarrel stills is OF more
consequence than successful cotton factory "Ihat
yere" SAID one Of them whose acquaintance formed,
that yere heap o. work and distributes right
smart money. First it takes heap o. niggers workn
trees to keep the thing runnln'. Ihen there's the
owner of the plantation, the man that works IT. tho
teamsters the stlers the coopers the cOppersnths,
the inspectors the steamboat men, and the city ner-
chants"
THE METHOD TAPPING TREES.
turpcntiue forest Is not the dark, dismal place had
imagined It to he from descriptions had read and Illus
tratons had seen. am told that some Of them are
dense and gloomy, but those visited near wilmington,
along the Cape Fear River and around Fayetteville are
so sparsey wooded to furnish very little shade Ihe
tree from which the crude rpenne is obtained is what
is known "a the round or long eafod" pine which
abounds in the Carouas. Georgia, Alabama. and some
other Southern States They arc found only where the
original has not been removed and whom they are
cut down does not them but substitutes
crop OF oaks which IN turn gives place to pines OF an in
foror species The tall and straight, from three
to five feet in diameter and running up about tho
same size 40 or 50 feet without branches, except
near the very top The crude turDentne Is obtained by
working the tree. or other words, by tapping IT,
Some Imaginative artist, IN illustrating for New-fOr
magazine an article the production OF naval stores.
drew Northern pine tree with the branches growing
nearly to the ground; into the side OF he inserted
spigot OF which the pure spirits Of turpentne was
represented Us flowing with considerable stream into
barrel To have made the picture complete he should
have had negro standing ready to close the stopcock
and place beneath fresh barrel rs fast aS one became
full The people OL TINS region nave never lOEOst'H Hab
picture which, they say. came about as noar giving
true idea Of the method OF wOrKng" turpentne trec
as the Administration press has come 70 represent
ing the truo condition OF society IN tho south
When new tree is 10 be worked, the first thing
sary tap n and construct the box OF pocket which Is
to catch the crude urpentine it oozcs ont and runs
down the the This is done by cutting with
an Ak six or eight inches into Che side OF the tree at right
angles TO its axis and foot from the ground
wed gehaped piece Is then chopped out by cutting dag
onaly from point the bark about 10 inches above
the first ncson to the bottom OF it, This leaves hor
zjnta shelf in the side Of the tree, out OF which IL
scooped by means OF a peculiar shaped AK. an oval
pocket holding from TO two quarts This leaves the
space over the box from which the bark has been
moved in the form OF triangle with the apex pointing
upward II left In this shape the gum oozng out from
beneath the cut bark would follow IT'S edges and OF
at the sides OF the box upon the ground. triangular
piece IA therefore cut from the bark on each side
Of the space referred TO, which leaves, directly
over the box triangular piece OF bark Joined above by
its base 10 the main bark OF the tree and with is angle
pointing 10 tho center OF the box. This
'leader" " conduct tho gum into the pocket. Every
week strip inch wide Is cut from the side OF the
triangular piece OF bark thus preserving its shape and
causing TO bleed freely along its edges all OF
the time. Once in six weeks the boxes emptied
their contents dipped out into buckets by means Of
paddle made for that purpose and ho crude turpentno
Is emped into barrels and hauled away to the dtery.
Some of gum, instead Of running down into the box
oongeals the face OF the tree, that Is, on the part
from which the bark has been removed and forms a
thick crust This Is known hard turpentine and is
allowed to remain until Winter when il scraped of aud
treated like the SOFT.
THE TRADE UNUSUALLY ACTIVE.
on large treos two and sometimes three four boxes
are cut Experience has proved that strip OF bark bo
tween the boxes and faces three nchos wide conveys
enough sap the 10 keep 1t alive During the first