Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-03-24


One OF the very few ways that the
farmers Of Connecticut have OF get
ting a living is by cutting the birch
brush from their pastures and selling
IL at the rate OF SO a ton for the man
ufacture OF birch oil.
Birch oil Is manufactured largely
In Connecticut. There are eight
mills in the State for that purpose,
and all of these are located In the
Connecticut River Valley.
Six years ago all the birch oil that
was placed upon the market was made
in Pennsylvania by company OF Ger
mans who oW ned a mill about twenty
miles from Philadelphia, and the safe
OF the oil was controlled by hrm on
druggists In Philadelphia.
The first birch mill built In Col
necticut was erected in 1885, at
Johnstown, by Thomas Dickerson,
Baptist preacher, who was as shrewd
in business matters as he was elo-
quent in the pulpit. Mr.. Dickerson
decided to turn the forests OF birch,
that cover the hills in Connecticut,
into account, and he sent his son to
Pennsylvania as a book agent, and
instructed him to get employment in
birch milrif possible, and when he
had acquired knowledge OF its prac-
tical working to return. The son
was absent two years, during which
time he had accomplished his pur-r
pose. Upon his return the mill was
built at Johnstown, and it was not
long before an employe OF Dickerson
& Son started an opposition mill. The
manufacture OF the Oil was very
profitable, and within two years there
were eight establishments engaged in
the business.
At that time the oil readily brought,
SO. SO a pound, and each ton OF brush
yields four pounds of oil. For each
ton Of brush laid down at the door or
the mill SO is paid. This price is
highly satisfactory to the hard-work-
ing, frugal New England farmer, who
often draws the brush a distance OF
twelve miles with team Of slow-go-
ing oxen.
The average birch mill is equipped
with set Of three tanks, three, four
and six feet square. These tanks
have copper bottoms, over which are
coiled steam pipes. Into these tanks
the brush is put, having first been
cut into pieces from an inch and
half to five inches long. A foot of
water is put in each tank and the
steam turned on The water Is al
lowed to boil six hours. The steam
from the boiling water escapes
through pipe, that enters the tank
near the top, to coil set in barrel
of cold water. BY this means the
steam is condensed and the oil drops
from the bottom Of the coil into a
glass jar. Before steam is turned on,
the lid covering each tank is cleaned
and made air tight with paste made
of graham flour and water poure1
around the edges.
The secret Of clarifying the oil by
chemical processes is carefully guard
ed by the manufacturers, but it is
simple and very effective. 1t is as
follows:
When the tank is filled and ready
for boiling, over the top Of the con-
tents is spread a blanket OF white
wool saturated with water. Through
this blanket the steam passes to the
worm and the fabric absorbs all sedi-
ment and faint OF copper or iron that
the steam may contain. When crude,
birch oil is dark red in color. When
clarified itjs very light green. 1t
is very heavy. Thirteen fluid ounces
weigh a pound, and it sinks in water
like lead.
During the last two years the price
of the oil has decreased. The manu-
facturer now gets but one dollar and
half pound. This shrinkage in
value is due to the placing upon the
market of an adulterated article
known as synthetic oil, that is largely
used for the purposes for which birch
oil was formerly employed
Birch oil Is used in the manufact-
ure of CONNECTIONS and essences and
flavers, where it is known as the
essence or the extract of wintergreen.
1t has a strong wintergreen flavor. A
great deal of the oil is sold to tan
ners, who use it to give a peculiar
odor TO peculiar kind of leather that
they make IN fmftatfon or an cxpcns-
i've Russian leather
The oil can be manufactured only
during the winter when the brush is
free from foliage, and then only the
black birch, which is as well known
| by the names of mountain birch and
sugar birch, is used, there being no
oily substance in the bark Of the
white or the spotted birch. That the
strength may not escape, manufactu-
rers are obliged to ship the oil in
glass bottles and jars.