The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-03-30
IA TURPENTINE ORCHARD.
OBTAINING a VALUABLE SAP IN
SOUTHERN PINE WOODS.

WOrk-FrOm Forest to still.
TN an account Of the turpentine in
dustry at Purvis, Miss, writer for
the Picayune says: A turpentine
orchard may comprise any number
OF acres of pine timbered land, but those
OF any magnitude contain from 10, 900
to 1000 acres. This, however, does
not lie all together, some being close at
hand, and other tracts as far out as
twenty miles. For convenience sake,
this orchard is divided into "crops,"
consisting of 100 acres Of land, or about
10, 500 turpentine "boxes."
The first step in opening up an orchard
of this kind Is the cutting of boxes,
which is begun about the middle or last
of December, and each year afterward
new boxes or new timber are cut, in or.
der to keep up the acreage of the boxes
as the old ones gives out. These boxes
are made by slice, as it were, being
taking out of the tree near the ground,
leaving a pocket cut into the tree to-
ward the heart. Later on, another set
of axmen come and cut small chip out
of each corner of the box, in order to
give it roundness and enable it to hold
the flowing sap. This process is called
"cornering boxes" The boxes now
measure fourteen inches wide, seven
inches deep and four inches across.
Generally only one box is cut to tree,
but if the tree is large more are put on.
The laborers are paid one and one-half
cents per box for cutting them. A
tallyman goes out into the woods with a
crowd, and as each man cuts box he
calls out his number, which is recorded.
About the middle of March, when the
owner thinks the weather is warm enough
to cause the sap to flow, he sends out the
'chippers." To each man is assigned a
crop of boxes, which he is expected to
chip over once a week. If he is a good
workman, he can perform the task in
three days, but it is safe to say the
average hand takes the full limit of time
and more. Commencing from the edge
and center of the box, the tree is scarified
in V-shaped abrasures, with an instru-
ment called "hacker," which is an
open, semi-circular piece of sharpened
steel attached to short handle. On the
end of this is fastened an iron ball which
gives impetus to the stroke made by the
workman. Once week one of these
"streaks," as they are called, must be put
on each side OF the center line of the box
the sap constantly flowing. OF course,
as each new streak is put on, the arch will
mount higher and higher, and in two or
three years will reach such an altitude
that the tree has to be abandoned.
Formerly, when turpentine was higher
in price, the tree was scariied to a much
greater height than now, the workmen
mounting ladders in order to reach the
desired altitude. Sometimes, when round
timber is scarce, back-boxing is resorted
to which consists of going over the same
trees that have been worked, and put
ting in one or two extra boxes to the
tree. This policy is profitable in round
timber, but, at the same time, it Injuries
and weakens the tree, many being blown
down by the wind.
When the fourth streak is put on the
tree, which is four weeks after the chip
ping commences, sufficient crude, or sap,
has run into the box to enable the
"dippers' to start to work. Clipping
can be done by women and children, as
it is comparatively light. Sometimes
whole families work together, being
given as many crops to dip out as they
can undertake. The instrument by
which the work is effected is flat, heart
shaped piece of steel, attached to long
handle The workman places this pad
die into the box, and with Il peculiar
twist of the wrist brings out the con-
tents, which ne places into bucket.
The full buckets are emptied into the
barrels, which hold 4S0 pounds of crude
each. A child can dip from one to two,
and an adult from three to five barrels
per day, getting thirty cents per barrel
for the work. When sufficient num-
Der of barrels are filled the driver comes
with wagon, takes them up aud hauls
them to the still. The work of hauling
is very severe, necessitatiug the use of
the stoutest mules and heaviest wagons.
Three wagons, pulled by twelve
mules, are kept constantly going,
consequently requiring Il large
number of livestock. The teams
thus hauling bring in from thirty to fifty
barrels of crude turpeatine per day.
The still runs from one to three
''charges' per day, requiring eighteen
barrels OF crude TO the charge. From
each 'charge" is distilled from TWO and
a half to three aud half barrels of
spirits of turpentine, according to the
newness of the trees in having been bled.
The balance of the "charge" consists OF
rosin aud chips. The first years bleed
ing of the tree yield what is called "vir-
gin Dip" which contains a larger per
centage of turpentine than the dip of any
succeeding year. The rosin which is
made from this is also Of a finer quality.
AS each year passes, the percentage Of
turpentine and grade OF rosin deteriorate.
In the fall of the year the accumuls-
tion on the side of the tree is scraped off
and distilled, but it yields small per-
centage and poor grade of rosin. The
rosin is inspected aud classed by men
whom the purchasers send out, the diff
ferent grades bringing from 81 to So per
barrel OF $50 pounds. have sometimes
seen over thousand barrels standing on
the yard, filled with the hard, brittle
amber substance. Undoubtedly much
of the ''imported English" rosin comes
from the orchards of Mississippi and
Alabama, and has never been within
sight of the sea.
The net profits of the Harvard College