Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1875-02-19
MiserIIanroas.
WE copy the following interesting letter
from the Northumberland Press, of week
before last /:

WE copy the following interesting letter
from the Northumberland Press, of week
before last
SAVANNA. GA. january 18th, 1875.
Friend Gutelius Il Thought would jot
down few items of my observations of my
journey and visi, 10 this section Of uncle
Sans domain. The distance from North
cumberland to Savannah by rail is S72
miles, by way of Washington. Richmond.
Weldon, Wilmington and Charleston. For
hundreds of miles we passed through God
forsaken country, composed of pine bar
rens interspersed with impenetrable
swamps, and many of the rivers lined with
immense cane brakes from 10 to 16 feet
high. Occasionally we saw a cotton, rice
or corn field Ten bushels of the latter to
the acre is considered good yield in east
ern South Carolina, but the great bulk Of
the product of the country through which
We passed in North and South Carolina,
consists in Turpentine and ROsin. Inter-
mnable forests of pines, all of the same
species, namely the southern yellow pine,
extend all the way through both States
The method of procuring the gum, which
is the sap of the pine, is as follows They
cut a notch at the foot of the tree. eight to
ten inches wide, and four to six inches
deep, and bark the tree upwards for dis.
tance Of three or four feet above the notch
they then leave strip of bark about three
inches wide ard cut another notch and
bark the tree the same way, until they have
it barked about half way round. The gum
exudes, and such part of it rs does not ad-
here to the trees, drops down into the
notch which forms kind of cup. The
gum is collected several times during the
year and taken to the distillers which are
of the rudest construction, where the tur-
pentine is distilled from the gum the resi-
due is rosin. The next season they bark
the tree higher up above the first cutting,
and so on until it gets beyond their reach.
A tree lasts about live years, land one thou
sand trees average five barrels Of turpen-
tine. The land is mparatively worthless
as any quantity of it can be bought from
% cents to 81 an acre--trees and all.
At this place, (Savannah) they never
have snow or ice, and on visiting the mar
kets saw cabbage, onions, radishes, let
tuce, turnips, carrots, Strawberries and va
rious heros all raised in the open air in
truck patches in the Immediate vicinity of
the city. In the gardens l saw peas seve-
raj inches high. The weather here in win
ter is very similar 10 the delightful wea-
ther we had last October. Some days
little fire is comfortable, especially in the
mornings and evenings to person sitting
quietly IN the house. But am writing to
YOU in an office with no fire in any part of
the building, the thermometer standing at
60 degrees.
This is Il beautifully laid out city, with
small parks at the intersection of several of
| the principal streets. Many of the houses
are set back from the street, with hand
some yards in front filledwith evergreen trees
and shrubbery, conspicuous among which
are orange trees, 15 to 20 feet high. loaded
with the beautiful luscious ripe fruit also,
Palmetto and Banana trees, and japonicas
and rare ferns several feet high, giving
tropical appearance in wonderful contrast
to the scenery in Pennsylvania at this sea-
son Of the year. The principal shade trees
in the city. which are very numerous. is the
magnolia and the live oak, both of which
are evergreens and attain a magnificent
size. There are also many trees called the
Pride India, which, when in the proper