The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-02-04
MAKING T%URPENTINE
AN EXTENSIVE INDUSTRY IN CERTAIN
SOUTHERN STATES.

Now the Trees Are Tapped and theR es-
inous Gum acknowledgements ana
Divisions I'm the Work All Under the
Keen Eye Of the "Tsider."
Dialect writers find q fruitful field
among the Tar Heels Of the Carolinas,
Alabama and Georgia. In the cool
depths Of the turpentine woods, with the
gashed trees yielding mp their resinous
gum, the balmy air and the picturesque
hackers, " clippers and 'sscrapers,"
with the aver vigilant rider watch
ing everything, is q phase in southern
life which has long been the delight of
authors and the pleasure of artists. The
Crudity of the implements and the stills
used in making ~turpentine and rosin
lend additional interest to this old in.
dustry, and the gypsylike habits OF the
turpentine makers add to their ragged,
illiterate charms.
Turpentine is the distilled gum OF the
pine trees of North and South Carolina,
Alabama, Georgia and part Of Florida.
The season begins when the first spring
sap rises and ends when cold weather
checks the dow of the trees blood. In
January or February the ''hacker,"
with his keen bladed az, begins the
round which ends with the season. He
is the expert of the woods and knows his
trees and just how much hacking they
will stand. His task is to cut the
''boxes" in which the thick gum Of the
wounded tree Will collect. A box is q
wide incision about six inches deep, q
wedge shaped cut in the tree, and he
hacks from 90 to 100 boxes q day. The
first boxes are cut near the roots of the
tree, and they are cut as close together
to the height of a mans head az can be
done without killing the Pine. The
hacker leaves q width Of bark between
each box SO as to preserve the vitality of
the tree. When the trees are leased to
thu turpentine makers, the terms of the
lease limit the number of boxes to each
tree, but when it is desired to work the
pine to the fullest extent the gashes are
carried up to a height of 90 feet or more.
After the hacker comes the man who
corners the boxes. This corner is
O cut in the top of the box to guide the
sap into the cavities left for the gum,
and the man who "wqPks'' the crop
goes systematically from box TO box,
starting the sap anew with fresh Incl
sions, working in this way 10. 900 boxes
during the season. The sap O gum fills
the boxes with a clear, sticky, thick
fluid, and this is removed by the "dip-
per-" Scattered through the woods are
barrels in which the clipper" deposits
the gum, which is then hauled to the
still. About a quart of sap is taken from
each box by means of the trowel shaped
scoop used by the dipper. and her the
hacker comes along and starts the flow
afresh by wounding the tree again. The
t~urpentine maker watches his men close
~, for the Tar Heels are an easy going
people and require TO be urged by the
rider, who goes through the woods on
horseback examining the crop. hurrying
the dippers and hackers and sending the
barreled gum toathe still.
The first or virgin sap which flows
in the spring makes the best rosin, and
the poorest is the product of the harden
ed gum which is left ON the sides Of the
boxes when the sap turns down. i'm
the fall. This is removed by the
'~'scraper," who moves through the
woods with his scraping tool. gathering
the leavings.
The still is o large copper vat hooded
with q close fitting cover i'm which is d
funnel which in turn is connected with
the worn" Of the still. This worm
runs down into another vat nearl at
hand, and in this vat the fumes or vapor
of the heated gum is distilled into tur-
pentine. Fire under the copper vat heats
the gum, and the volatile parts rise to
the funnel, pass into the still and are
condensed by the water. In the second
a into spirits OF turpentine. The resid-
uum left in the vat il the rosin of
commerce, which is passed through d
series of strainers and sleeves To the bar
rels. which are made ON the spot. The
turpentine, however, cannot be barreled
SO easily, for it will work through an
ordinary barrel. IL Is placed in white
pine barrels which have been coated i'm
side with several coats of strong, hot
glue until the barrel is impervious to
the subtle fluid.
The trees are worked for five or six
seasons, and then the ~turpentine maker
moves to another part of the woods. He
started in North Carolina, crossed over
to South Carolina and is still moving
toward the gulf. Forest fires destroy the
pines faster than the hacker does, for
the flames sweep over large areas before
they die ont. Careful owners of turpen-
tine woods have the pine straw and
fallen underbrush raked away from their
trees before the season begins, and COL
Letting this material i'm some safe spot
wait for a quiet day when mo wind will
COOL the wet finger. and then they burn
the rakinga.
Negroes are common laborers of the
turpentine woods, but white men are
plentiful. They live i'm rough shanties
i'm the woods, with the stables for the |
mules and horses near at hand. No
work Is more heaithful than turpentine
- 60 #&E 2G# $50 & MEG L&&a & n