The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-09
GATHERING SPRUCE GUM.
Tons of II Collected Each Winter, an,
NlilliOMn of CheWn in IL Ton

Gathering gum is quite a business by
itself and is carried on much more system
atically than Is generally supposed, says
the Kennebec Journal. The gum picker
is busy fellow and, like the hotel pro-
prietor at some pleasant seaside resort
has only a few months for his business
When the woodsmen enter the forests in
the fall the gum pckers follow and con-
tinue in the woods until spring time. There
are men who made practice of nipping
from the spruce this ma teral known as
gum and do nothing else. They follow the
choppers through the woods, and when the
trees are feled pluck from the trunk all
the gum they may find.
Besides gathering it from the trees cut
down to make logs the picker shells it
from the standing. tree; but this is a much
harder method, although in many cases a
larger quantity is procured. because none
is lost, as in the case where the spruce is
falling and rolls against other giants Of the
forest, stripping it at times Of several
quarts of it's gum deposits, providing there
is a well-filed seam in the tree. In col
lecting the Jumps of gum from the stand
ing spruce the picker has an apparatus
especially arranged for the purpose. 1t
consists of a little sack that will hold
about two quarts of gum. Back of this
sack is piece of iron steel made like
a hammer and working upon pivot, while
a cord is attached to the end and extends
to the foot of the pole. The picker places
the top Of this picking machine along the
gummy seam of the spruce. and by Operat-
ing the little hammer by means of the cord
is able to clip off the humps or gum into
the sack located under the top Of the
hammer Sometimes from one tree a
bushel of gum is picked. but not very
so productive a spruce, and he is quite
contented in plucking from pint to half
a bushel from each.
When the days picking is finished all re-
turn to camp, and, sitting around the open
fire in the evening, clean this gum piece by
piece, some requiring quite a large amount
of scraping, while other pieces need but lit
tie. Quite often the picker will find spruce
with large seam from the trunk to over
half the length of the tree, while bullying
from each side will be bright clear Jumps
of choice gum. He also finds trees with
large Jumps projecting from the side, while
in the spruce not seam can be found.
Great punches OF gum are frequently found
on the trunk Of the tree.
There are different kinds of gum. The
choice is the clear and best Jumps, what the
picker terms bright. Then comes the second
grade, consisting Of the assortment next to
the choice, while the third grade is disposed
of at low figure, and Is made into patent
gum. A figuerhead Of the gum pickers is
the middleman, who is generally manager
superintends the work, and sells the gum
From one posse of pickers this middlema n
often handles 1900 pounds in a season. Oft
en- he makes deaf with the pickers, by sup
plying them with food and clothing and
finding market, the profits being shared.
You will understand that the gum is al
ways tOted several miles through the woods
to reach a point of transportation.
The most gum handled by dealers in this
section is received from Aroostook county.
Canada, and New York state Gum, not be-
ing a manufactured article. is free of duty.
An Augusta firm handled over 1900 pounds
l~,k DIV Il
pound an even exchange was made for a
pound of gum During the summer, il you
have ever visited the forset and observed
the spruce, you have doubtless noticed that
the gum was Of sticky nature; 1t is then
that it forms tor the next winters gum
gatherer, and when the cold weather comes
it gradually hardens. No patent gum has
as yet surpassed the flavor Of the spruce.
and as long as these trees stand will the
gum chewer cling to it's product.