Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-10-01
Miscellany.
Moss Gathering.

Among the many articles of COM
merce furnished by nature, unaided by
man, in this semi-tropical climate of
ours, is moss. This long, luxuriant
parasite clothes and festoons the trees
with its dull gray drapery all over the
woods and swamps of lower Louisiana.
The same humidity and warmth in the
atmosphere which deprives man of the
will to work, foster and nourish the
growth of this strange plant, thus af-
fords him, if he would avail himself of
the opportunities, an easy way of max
ing a living. The supply of moss in
our forests is simply inexhaustible.
There are trees loaded down with it
standing on thousands of square miles
in this state; and even when the tree
is denuded of this weird-like garb, in
less than year it comes out in a dress
as ample as that of which it has been
stripped. The waters of all our swamps
are filled with it, where it has dropped
from the trees, and lies rotting, un-
gathered and uncared for. The whole
country where this moss grows is acces-
sible to any one desirous of turning it
to account. Bayous and streams navi-
gable for large boats intersect the woods
and swamps where it grows in every
direction. But strange to say this moss
interest, which might be made SO great
here, is sadly neglected, although it
presents so many inducements to those
who are DESTROYS of gaining an honest
livelihood.
Most of them with that prodigality and
wastefulness which are part of the ma
ture of our people, cut the trees down
to gather the moss on them, and thus
kill the goose which lays the golden
eggs, without even eating the goose,
for they leave the timber of the tree to
rot where it lies, after stripping it of
its somber covering. But some of them
are more economical, and having an eye
to future wants, more properly climb
the trees among the moss, which they
gather off the limbs and throw to the
ground in pile. Those heaps are left
standing for some time, and the rain,
with the dews, thoroughly saturating
them, they undergo species of "sweat-
ing" like tobacco, which rots off the
gray covering and leaves the black
fibrous horse hair like material, which
is the moss of commerce. This is usu-
ally transported to market in flats and
boats of the swamps. 1t is packed up
near the place of curing in rude bales
with rope ties. When it arrives in New
Orleans it passes under the manipula-
ton of moss pickeries and through the
machinery of gins after which it is
pressed into bales under steam pressure,
bound with neat iron ties, and is then
ready for shipment. The men who
gather this moss usually live on the
banks and islands of the bayous which
lead through the swamps. Most Of
those at present engaged in it are Ger
mans and Creoles, who live very COM
fortably on the spots of high land which
are found almost everywhere in the
swamp country of Louisiana. They
prepare their moss in rather q rough
manner to be sold advantageously in
the New Orleans market, but there the
country moss" is nearly rehandled and
refined as it were by the exporters of
Louisiana moss. There are at present
only few firms besides the 'junkers'
who deal to any great extent in the ar
ticle. After the necessary preparation
is made with the rough material these
parties find no difficulty in selling their
moss in the northern markets. The
difficulty some of them have had to con-
tend against at times is the want of
freight room for an article of bulk as
compared with other freights. The gin
used by the exporters for preparing
their stock was invented and afterward
improved on for the special purpose OF
moss cleaning. Orleans Times.