Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-11-20
TURPENTINE MAKING.


A Characteristic North Carolina Industry.
[From the Special Correspondent Of the Tribune
FAYETrEyiLLE, N. c., Oct. 25.-The
turpentine woods of North Carolina
are in the Southern aud Eastern coun-
tics, extending nowhere north of the
latitude of Raleigh, and but little west
of the centre of the State The prin-
cipal market for the sale Of the crop is
Wilmington, and nearly all of the for
ests now worked lie within few miles
of one of the railroads leading to that
city, or of the Cape Fear River and
its tributaries. Wilmington is also
the market for considerable portion
of the naval stores produced in South
Carolina, and its entire trade in them
for 1871 amounted to 1898 barrels
OF spirits OF turpentine, 6iO,6O7 bar
rels Of rosin, 40,507 barrels of tar, and
20,304 barrels of crudc turpentine and
during 1872 it will bo considerably
greater.
A turpentine forest is not the dark
dismal place had imagined it to be
from descriptions had read and illus
trations / had seen. i am told thai
some of them are dense and gloomy
but those | visited near Wilmington
along the Cape Fear River and arounc
Fayottoville, gro so sparsely weode'
"a 10 furnish very little shade. Th
tree from which the crude turpentin
is obtained is what is known as th
Hround" or "long-leafcd' pine, whic
abounds in tho Carolinas, Georgia, A
ALBANIA, and some other Souther
Estates. They arc found only wher
tho original forest has not been r'
moved, and when they arc cut dow
nature docs not renew them, out SUI
stitutes o crop OF oaks, which ~ tur
gives place to pines OF an inieril
D., species. The trees ure tall and straigh
z from three to five feet in diameter an
running up about tho same size 40
so feet without branches, except nef
the very top. Tho crude turpentir
is obtained By "working" the tree o
in other words, by tapping it. Son
Imaginative artist, in illustrating Il
New York magazine an article
y the production OF naval stores, drew
r Northern pine tree with the branch
growing nearly to the ground; in
the side of IL he inserted a spigot o
of which tho pure spirits of turpenti'
"a "a was represented as flowing with
4 ,~.>-iIo"ahla es-nam into barrel.
To have made the picture compile
he should have had II negro standil
ready to close tho stopcock and pla
beneath il fresh barrel as fast rs o
became full. The people Of this |
'n zion bavc never forgotten that pictu
nd which, they say, came about as ne
~ giving true idea Of the method
- "working" u turpcntine tree, as t
administration press has ever come
representing the true condition of
ciety in tho South
[h When q new tree is to be workt
tho first thing necessary is to tap
a, and construct the box orpocket viii
is to catch the crude turpentinc as
oozes out aud runs down the side
nd tho tree This is done by cutti
with an AK six or eight inches il
the side Of tho tree at right angles
iR its axes and about foot from
ground. A wcdgc-sbaped piece
lsr 1r then chopped out by cutting dag
nd ally from point on the bark abe
rly 10 inches above tho first incision
the bottom of it. This leaves ht
zontal shelf in the side of the tree, {
r Of which is scooped by means OF
peculiar shaped axe, an oval pook
der holding from one to two quarts. I
ms. looy.a ,ho p,,ana ovnr tha how H.
and
a which the bark has been removed
the form Of n triangle with the al
pointing upward. 1t left in this sh
the gum oozing out from beneath
cut bark would follow its edges
fur. run off at the sides of tho box ul
80 tho ground. A triangular piec'
therefore cut from the bark on c
side of the space referred to, wi
p leaves, directly over the box, a tr
gular piece Of bark joined above
its base TO the main bark Of the
7" and with its angle pointing to the
ter Of tho box. This serves n
"leador' to conduct the gum into
pocket. Every week strip an
wide Is cut from the side Of tho tr
gular piece of bark, thus preser'
It's shape and causing the tire,