The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-12-29
THE "PINBY WOODS"
Turpentine Orchards in Alabama

Turpentine Orchards i'm Alabama
Correspondence Cincinnati Commercial
The business which was chiefly monopolizea
by North Carolina in the days when our down
easter, was getting his shook larnin' is now
carried on very extensively in Alabama, many
Of the owners Of turpentine orchards in this
state having spent their early lives among the
pine trees of the Carolinas, where they thor
oughly learned the business they now prose
cute so successfully.
The @piney woods" section Of Alabama enc
braces that portion bordering on Florida and
the gulf of Mexico, extending northward from
the Florida line about twenty-five miles, and
from the guilt, from seventy-five to one hun
dred and twenty-five miles. Before the COM
pletion Of the Louisville & Nashville road,
the forests accessible 10 water transportation
were about the only ones @boxed;" these, how
ever, were used TO the limit Of profit and sbsn-
doned as the railroad made available the ex-
tensive forests along its line One of tbs
most successful @turpentine men" in the state
is William B. Carney, Of Escambia county,
genial hearty, live man. Travellers on the l.
& N. pass one of his disilleries a little above,
and the other half mile below Willisms' sta
ton On both sides the track, for miles, the
tall, straight, long leaf yellow pines are stand
ing, Mr., Carney owning = nice little patch,
extending nine miles from north to south and
eleven from east to west
OF course, not all of this large domain is OPP
Grated at one time. The custom is to divide
one section Of the forest into "crops," ten
thousand @boxes" constituting "orop" This
will not include more than five thousand trees,
as they will average two "boxes" to the tree
To "box" tree is to cut away the bark and
wood to a depth the width of mans hand
about six inches-frOm a strip extending
around the trunk distance Of twelve or four
teen inches, stopping it so as to form "box,"
into which the crude turpentine drops as it ex-
udes from the tree. Above the "box" the bark
is cleaned away, and with it little of the
woody fiber, leaving the blazing much in the
form of broad letter V with its bottom
lost out, thus making al incline, down which
the turpentine finds its way to tho "box" be-
low.
There are no holidays for the tsrpentine
workers save those which the severe rainy
days bring; the business has no special season
like sugar, cotton, rice and corn. 1t might
truthfully be said of it,
"Thou hast all seasons for thine own"
For once the trees are "boxed" they require
continuous care. Eternal vigilance" is the
price of profit in the business but vigilance
reaps a rich reward
| The "crops" are distinctly separated from
each other by blazed trees, and one man de-
tailed to work each one. After the boxing is
| completed the "chipping" begins This is
| done with sharp iron implement something
| like that used by mechanics for growing. It
cuts away strip of the wood and bark about
! three -fourths of an inch in width. Both sides
| of the angle are "chipped," and every tree is
| subjected to this process once a week from the
| time it il boxed" until it is abandoned, rang
ing from two to four years If this were not
| done the flow of turpentine would cease, as is
! gums up its own pathway so completely not q
! drop can escape-furnishes its own plaster for
/ its wounds, a. i we're. One eau readily Hee
/ that a man no ~ not overly peart" has TO
get around "rigit smart" lively 10 go from tree
/ TO tree and strike tine sNsp@ blows required "
| "chip" the sides Of 10 O00 boxes, to say nothing
of the mishts he will make, requiring another
strike to complete the job. Neither can there
be any Sinking done, for fOremen who super
| intend the troopers" are constantly riding
through the orchard, keeping an eye on every
mans work and knowing the condition Of every
"crop."
In appearance crude turpentine resembles
white wax which, after melting, has only part
! iy soidifed; it looks very tempting but one
taste il az satisfactory as a whole meal would
be- There is no spdBial need of a sign warn
ing intruders TO taste not, touch not and
handle not"
Only part Of the turpentine finds its way
into the box, the rest adhering to the surface
Of the tree. That in the box is known as the
"dip," that removed from the tree as the
sscrape, "the first being taken out with dip
per-" the latter scraped of the biazed tree
The turpentine clipper" might lie around in q
conspicuous place for long time without any
persons mistrusting either it's name or It's use.
1t Is of iron, and looks quite like an enlarged
and f1attened Indian arrow head, with its point
rounded by long use.
An average tree, in fair year, will yield
about twenty four gallons of the crude Sdip"
and "scrape;" wagons go about through the
forest gathering from each tree four or five
times year, delivering it at the distillery III
barrels Each foreman and each wagner re-
ports TO Mr.. Carney every night, showing
which crops have been visited, which gathered,
how much brought IN, and it's quality; an &C
curate record of all this work il kept, enabling
him to tell at any time the condition Of his en-
tire orchard" which, this year, comprises
sixty-two "crops," or 80, 600 trees.
New crops are added each year, old ones be-
ing abandoned as they cease 10 yield good
grade of rosin. The first years product Uf
the tree makes by far the finest rosin, nearly
always coming up TO the standard required
for the "water-white" brand, but with each
year it deteriorates, until it becomes the dark,
muddy-looking stuff which one sees in barrels
around glue and cheap soap factories.