The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1886-10-28
ON A TURPENTlNE
HOW THE ARTICLE rs OBTAINED
FROM PINE TREES.

A Glimpse Of a Georgia Turpentine
Farm-Cutting the Boxes - OBJ
tanning the Gum.
During a recent trip through Southern
Georgia was most particularly struck
with the varied and general utility Of the
yellow pine tree. Besides it is a very
peculiar tree in many respects. If you cut
q girdle one inch deep, continuously all
around the tree it will die. The circu-
lation of sap seems to be between the
wood and bark entirely, and the feshy
membrane, which is the medium of Cir
culation, is tough and leathery, sepa-
rating readily from sap and bark. Let
this be severed and the largest pine is
killed. This sap contains great deal
of saccharine matter and sours readily. so
that fermentation during summer IS
transmitted from tree to tree, the death
of one frequently causing the death of
quite an area around it.
A "lightwood," or "pitch" pine, is
about as solid after death as before.
First the straw turns yellow and drops
off, then the bark is gradually cast aside,
and finally all that soft shell of recent
growth, which is called the sap portion
of the tree, and there is left tree of re-
sinous pine, with its roots embedded in
the soil, and the storms of many centur-
ries may beat in vain about its gaunt,
skeleton-like form. These lightwood
trees are of vast use to the inhabitants.
They make an underpinning for build
ings as solid as brick. There is nothing
in the world superior as post material,
and for any frame work that is con-
stantly exposed to the weather, this re-
sinous pine is used. 1t is impervious to
water, and never rots. Then they make
tar and charcoal of this lightwood, be-
sides it's universal use as fuel and kind
ling wood.
A turpentine farm must be seen to be
appreciated. When farm is first
pitched the boxes are cut one to three IN
pine, according to size. The trees are
counted into crops of 80 many thousand,
and this is called virgin crop. The
queer little gauge called q buck is then
brought to bear and streakis cut above
the box, which is simply deep oval
notch, pointing downward so as to lead
the gum which exudcs into the box be-
low. These boxes are made to hold
about quart. This first run is az clear
as oil, and is the finest of all. After be-
ing dipped out with a paddle, it is dis
titled, and the hard rosin left is some.
times as white and clear as glass. 1t is
very beautiful, and brings good price
in the great naval stores markets. Sec
ond years gum is not as good in quality,
but fully so in quantity. Third year
boxes, when the monthly hackings have
made the scar high up, are still poorer,
and from then on the crops hardly pay fol
working.
Just about the roughest beings that
ever cursed country are some OF these
turpentine hands. They are paid by the
box, 81 to $3.50 per hundred for box
cutting, and furnished so much rations.
The old rule was peck of meal, seven
pounds of bacon and quart of syrup.
| Other provisions the hand must pay for
himself. They are given shanties to live
in, and there, arSl filth and vcrmin, they
/ sleep and eat. S&metimes they will get
together nights and sing and preach and
pray until after miduig ght, and then, at
the call of the woodsman, they are up
and going by early dawn Saturday
evenings at the station they congregate,
and, where whisky'is obtainable, there
are scenes of the widest sort. That is
what caused so many of the wiregrass
counties to 60 dry. Liquor demoraliHed
the laborers to such an extent that it was
ruinous. There is not so much money
in turpentinc as there was five years ago.
but men still manage to farm it.
The great lumber mills are what eat
the beautiful forests away most rapidly.
This fine timber is equal to any in the
world in many respects. In carpentry
now it is frequently put on in panels
with the natural color and polish of the
wood exposed. Millions of dollars are
invested in the manufacture of rough
lumber IN the forests. Tramways arc
built into the woods. Stockades are
built out there for mules and timber
carts, and the great logs many feet
| in length are transferred to the
mill where they are rapidly cut into
squared lumber, plank or scantllng, and
this is loaded on cars for some seaport,
thence finding its way to all parts of the
habitable world. At some Of the larger
mills planers are run, and there are few
that employ force of skilled mechanics
who plan q house complete, cut all the
parts for it, and then ship it West, where
the buyer has nothing to do but put it
together by the plans and numbers which
accompany it.
The rail splitter and new ground
clearer are two great mischief makers.
An ignorant backwoodsman, with a sharp
ak, will deforest many acres in one day.
He frequently gets it into his head that
he will clear a certain field. He goes
and girdlcs the trees, gets too lazy, too
poor, or too indifferent to complete the
lob, and the land lies there for years,
and becomes an "old deadening' almost
worthless as farm, and entirely so as
O forest. The rail splitter cuts down
trees indiscriminately, because they are
so plentiful, splits what he can, and
! leaves the balance to rot, and thus aids
/ in the destruction of trees that it has
taken many centuries to produce, and
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