Sharp County record., 1880-12-30
SumaC Hunting in Virginia.

ANYBODY visiting the Valley OF Vir-
ginia in the autumn will be sure to no.
tice, after sunset, all along the slopes
Of the Blue Ridge Mountains, little
glimmering lights like stars. These are
the fires in front of the small tents of
the sumac hunters, who, after gather
inc sumac all day long, are laughing
and talking with their wives and chill
dren as they eat their supper before
lying down to sleep.
Sumac is a very pretty plant or shrub
which grows a few feet high Onl Y and
has beautiful blood-red leaves springing
from a delicate shoot or bough. The
stalk is smooth and the leaves are al
mond-shaped, only more pointed. On
the top of the plant and its larger
boughS grow punches Of red berries in
the shape of grape punches; and the
/ leaves and berries are Of such q deep,
rich crimson in the late autumn that
thev sometimes make the slopes OF the
hills appear as if they were on fire. II
any little girl would like to dress the
vases on the parlor mantel-piece pref
tily, she could not do better than collect
handful Of these delicate tendrils with
their scarlet leaves and use them as a
background to the lovely little autumn
fowers-late primroSeS, stars f-Beth-
lehem, wild honev-suckles and fringed
ferns-which grow in the woods and
fields at this time of the wear.
But the honest country people who
take so much pains about collecting
sumac are not thinking about dressing
vases with it. They gather it to sell,
and are paid from one cent to a cent
and hall q pound for it at the Sumac
mills This may not seem much, but
then the ocean is made up Of drops and
with poor people little money goes a
long way. As little children can pull
sumac just as we'll as grown people, a
whole family may gather in day sew
eraI dollars worth.
1t is used for dyeing, and is said to be
better for that purpose than anything
else to color fair leather and certain
other fabrics. Great quantities Of it are
employed in printing calicoes in rich
patterns and the dresses worn by ladies
and girls often owe their bright colors
to the leaves of the Slmac. The way
in which it is collected and prepared tor
use is very simple. As soon as the
leaves turn red, which is toward the
end of summer the sumac hunters be-
gin their work. They scatter through
the fields, or along the sides of the
mountain, and break off the twigS on
which the leaves are growing; for these
twigs do not make the leaves less valua-
6le. fuen, when they have collected
an armfuI, they put it in a pile or into
bags, and as night comes on the whole
is taken to one spot, from which it is
hauled home in wagons. Here it is
laid on the floor of the barn or any out
house, in the shade. so that it may dry
very gradually and keep the juices
which afford the cOlOring matter. When
this process of drying is gone through
with and the leaves are in a proper
state, it is loaded on carts or wagons,
in bags and taken to the sumac mills
where it is weighed and paid for by the
owner of the mills at the rate as | have
said. of from one cent to a cent and a
half pound. The largest mills in Vir-
ginia, where the finest sumac grows
or at least a very fine article-are at
Richmond; but at Winchester, in the
lower part of the Shenandoah VALLEY,
toward the Potomac, there is a big mill
where great quantities are purchased,
and prepared for the use of the dyers.
The leaves and small twigS are pounded
and reduced to a fine dust and then it
is ready to be sent away. When it
reaches the manufactures where it is
to be used as dye for leather calico,
etc., it is mixed with what are called
naOrdQut8, certain substances that make
it bite in, as the word means and take
fast hold of the material to be dyed;
and then there is the pretty calico with
bright colOrs which cannot be washed
out.
It's only of late years that much at
tention has been paid to it in Virginia.
People thoughtmore about raising corn
and wheat than Of gathering sumac; but
in twenty years they have learned
great deal andnow begin to understand
that " every little helps" and that if
they can 90 with their wives and chill
dren and pull sumac and then sell it
they can take their money and buy su-
gar and coffee, and perhaps some of the
very calico for their little girls dresses
which the red leaves of the sumac make
SO pretty.
The children like the d" camping OUT
on the mountain in the pleasant sum-
mer and fall nights very much. 1t is a
sort of frohc and it is a very good thing
to mix up pleasure with work; it makes
the work much easier. The tents are
very simple little afairs-only breadth
of canvas stretched across a ridge-pole,
like the comb of house, held up by
forked sticks set in the ground. In this
are spread what in Virginia are called
"pine tags" that is, the tassels, or
needles, of the pine-trees, which are
dry and brown, and by spreading a
blanket or old comforter on these YOU
have an excellent soft bed. In front of
the tent a fire is built to cook by and
by means of forked sticks pot can be
hung above the fire for making soup.
boiling meat, etc. By this fire, as
have told you, the sumac hunters gather
in the evening, after work, and laugh
opJ to1t- opI O;,,or onJ oot +bo;r -,