The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-10-25
THE "pINEY WOODS"
Turpcntinc Orchards I'm Alabama.

Turpcntinc Orchards I'm Alabama
Correspondence Cincinnati Commercial
The business which was chiefly monopolized
by North Carolina in the days when our "down
easter" was getting his shook larnn' 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 Caroinas, whore they thor
oughly learned the business they now prose-
cute 80 successfully
Tho @piney woods" section of Alabama en-
braces that portion bordering on Florida aud
the gulf OF Mexico, extending northward from
tho Florida line about twenty-five miles, and
from the gulf, from seventy-tivo to one hun
dred and twenty five miles Before the com
pletion OF the Louisville & Nashville road,
the forests accessible to water transportation
were about the only ones "boxed;" these, how
ever, were used to the limit of profit and aban-
doned, as the railroad made available the ex-
tensivc forests along its line. One of the
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 distilleries little above,
and the other half mile below Williams 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 crop" This
| will not include more than i've thousand trees,
| as they will average two boxes" t0the tree
To "box" n tree is to cut away the bark and
wood to depth the width of a mans hand
about six inches--from a strip extending
around the trunk distance of twelve or four
| teen inches, stopping it 10 az to form box,
into which the crude turpentine drops az II eN-
| udes from the tree Above the "boX" the bark
| is cleaned away, and with 1t little OF the
| woody fiber leaving the blazing much in the
| form of broad letter V with its bottom
| lost out, thus making an incline, down which
the turpentine finds its way to the box be-
| low.
| There are no holidays for the turpcntnc
workers save thosc which the severe rainy
| days bring; the business has no special soo@oA
| like sugar cotton, rice and corn. II might
| trutlIfuily be said OF it,
"Thon hast all seasons for thine own"
| For once the trees are "boXed" Jhey require
| continuous care. Eternal vigilance Is the
| price of profit i'll 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 tho boxing IL
| completed the "chipping" begins. This *
| done with sharp iron implement something
! like that used by mechanics Tor growing II
| cuts away strip Of the wood and bark about
| three -fourths of an ZACH in width. Both sides
Of the angle are "chpped," and every tree is
| subjected TO this process once week from the
| time it is "boxed' anil it is abandoned, rang
ing from two to -four years If this were not
done the flow of turpentine would cease, as II
| gums up its own pathway so completely not Il
| drop can escape-furnishes its own plaster for
| its wounds, as it were. One can readily see
| that a man who is not "oveIly peart" has TO
get around fright smart lively TO 20 from tree
| to tree and strike the 10000 blows required 20
| 4chip" the sides of 10, $50 boxes, 10 say nothing
! OF the mishits he will make requiring another
| strike to complete the job Neither can there
| be anv.shirliing 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
| scrop"
In appearance crude turpentine resembles
white wax which, after melting, has only part
| " solidied; it looks very tempting but one
| taste is as satisfactory as whole meal would
| be. There il no special need of sign warn
| ing intruders TO taste not touch not and
| handle not"
Only part of the hrpentine finds its way
| into the box, the rest adhcriEg to the surface
| of the tree That in the box is Known ss the
| "Gip.' that removed from the tree at the
| "srfapc, the first hotng taken out with dip
| per" the latter scuvpnd OF the hiazcd tree.
| The turpeAtine "d.pror' might lie around in Il
conspicuous place ins o long time without any
| persons iaistiu-i" r. other las name or lis use
Il Is OF iron. and looks quite like an enlarged
and fy:'yuea india. arrow head, with It's point