Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-02-05
MAKING TURPRNTINE
AN EXTENSIVE INDUSTRY nv CERTAIN
SOUTHERN STATES

divisions Ia tho wora All rndsr tho
Keen Eye of enc @Rider~
Dialect writers end fruitful feld
among tho 'Tat Heels" Of tho Carolinas,
Alabama and Georgia SIN Che coai I
depths Of tho turpentIno woods. with the /
gashed trees yielding up their resinous
gum. the balmy air and the picturesque
hackers. clippers" and 'scrapers.
with tho ever vigilant rider watch.
ing everything. Is a phase ia southern
life which hrs long been the delight Of
authors and the pleasure Of artists Tic
crudity Of tho implements and the stills
used IN making tufpontine and roain
lend additional interest to this old il.
dust1y, ana tho gypsylilye habits Of t. o
turpentine makers add to their ragged,
iliiterate charms
Turpentino is the distilled gum Of tho
pine trees Of North and South Caroline.
Alabama. Georgia and part Of Florida
Tho season bogius whom the FIRST spring
sap rises and ends when cold weather
ohcoks the low Of Che trees blood lii
January or February tho hacker,
with his keen bladed ok, begins tho
round which ends with tho season. E0
is the expert Of the woods and knows his
trees and just how much hacking they
will stand His task is to cut tho
''boxea'' ip which the thick gum Of tho
wounded t. se will collect A box is o
wide incision about six inches doop, q
wedge shaped out in the tree, and h0
hacks from 90 10 100 boxes day. Tho
first boxes are cut near the roots Of the
tree, and thay are cut as close together
to the height Of q mans head as can bo
done without killing tho pino Tho
hacker leaves q width of bark between
each box so rs to preserve tho vitality OK
the tree, When tho trees arc leased tJ
the turpentne makers, the terms Of tho
lease limit the number Of boxes to each
tree, but when it Is desired TO work e
pine to the fullest extent tho gashes arc
carried up to a height Of 20 feet or moro.
After the hacker comes the man wh0
corners" tho boxds. This corner 10
a cut in tho top Of the box 70 guide thJ
sap into tho cavities left for the gum,
and tho man who work" the "orop'
goes systematically from box to box,
starting the sop anew with fresh inci-
sions, working in this way 10, 900 boxel
during tho season. The sap OF gum fila
tho boxes with a clear. sticky, thi (
dHid, ard fhis Is removed by tho dip
per. Scattered through the woods ara
barrels in which the ''dipper" deposits
the gum. which is then hnulod to tho
still About quart OF sap Is talzon from
each box by means OF tho trowel shaped
scoop used by tho dippor and then tho
hacker comes along aud starts tho flow
afrezh by wounding tho treo again. Thu
turpentine nasl5f watches his niep close
b. Tor the Tar Heels aro nn easy gSing
people and require to be ufged by tbs
rider. who goes through the woods ~
horseback examining the crop. hurryin I
the dippers and hackers and sending th5
barreled gum to the still
The first or virgin" sap which flows
in the spriI g makes tho best rosin, and
the poorest IS the product Of tho harden
ed gum which Is loft on tho sides Of tbs
boxes whom tho sap turns down" in
the fall This Is removed By the
''scraper, who moves through tho
woods with his scraping tool, gathering
tho leavings
Tho still is q largo copper vat hooded
with closa fitting coyer in which Is a
funnel which ia turn is connected with
the worm" Of the siilL This worm
runs down into another vat near at
hand. and Ia this vat tho fumes or vapor
Of the heated gum Is distilled into tur-
pentine Fro under tho copper vat heats
tho gum, and the volatile parts rise 20
the funnel. pass into tho still and ara
condensed by the water in the second
vat into spirits Of turpentine. The resid-
uum left in the vat is the rosin Of
commerce, which Is passed through q
series Of strAiners and Bieyes to the bar
rels. which nre made on the spot Tla
turpentine. however, cannot bo barrol"a
so easily, for it will work through nn
ordinary barrel It Is placed in whlto
pine barrels which have been coated in
1 side with several coats Of strong, hot
glue until she barrel Is lmpervioua %
the subtle nuid.
The trees are worked for five or six
seasons and thon the tuipentino maker
moves 70 another part Of the woods. He
started ia North Carolina. crossed over
TO South Carolina and IS still movin Z
toward tho gulf Forest Ores destroy the
pines iaster than tho hacker does. icr
tho flames sweep over large areas before
they die out Careful ownors Of lurpan-
tine woods have tho pine straw and
fallen nnde- brush rakod away from their
trees before tho season begins, aud col
looting this material IA some safe spot
wait for q quiet day when no wind viii
cool tho wet finger, and then they burn
tho rakings
Negroes arc common laboTera Of the
iulpantiAa woods. but white mon arc
plentiful They live Ia rough shantiea
ia the woods. with the stables Tor The
mules and horses near nt hand No
work Is more healthfnl than turpeniis
making. for 80 is an out Of doors Ia the
dcpthsof tho balmy health giving pines,
FREQ from tho malalia of the swanus
end from Fvdden changes Of Weather u
Chicago Record
Horsepower
Tho difference between nominal. iu.
dioalod and efcoiiQo horsepower often
......I.. ..r.,.,Ia Mammal hrrsnrnrsn. J..