The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-04-20
MAKING TURPENTINE
AN EXTENSIVE INDUSTRY IN CERTAIN
SOUTHERN STATES.

How the Trees Are Tapped and the Res
inous Gum Gathered Departments and
Divisions In the Work All Under the
Keen Eye of the "Rider.'
Dialect writers find a fruitful field
among the ''Tar Heels" Of the Carolinas.
Alabama and Georgia In the cool
depths of the turpentine woods, with the
gashcd trees yielding up their resinous
gum, the balmy air and the picturesque
hackers. F" clippers" and "scrapers,
with the ever vigilant rider" watch
ing everything, is a 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 flow of the trees blood. In
January or February the "hacker,"
with his keen bladed AK, 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
/ 4 g al, 81 ftno
wedge shaped cut in the tree, and he
hacks from 90 to 100 boxes day. The
first boxes are cut near the roots Of the
tree, and they are cut as close together
to the height of mans head as can be
done without killing the pine The
hacker leaves a width of bark between
each box so as to preserve the vitality of
the tree When the trees are leased to
the 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 height of 20 feet or more.
After the hacker comes the man who
CORNERS" the boxes. This corner is
cut in the top of the box to guide the
sap into the cavities left for the gum,
and the man who works" 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 or gum fills
the boxes with clear, sticky, thick
fluid, and this is removed by the dip
per. " Scattered through the woods are
barrels in which the "dipper" deposits
the gum, which is then hauled to the
still. About quart of sap is taken from
each box by means of the trowel shaped
scoop used by the dipper, and then the
hacker comes along and starts the flow
/, /, afresh by wounding the tree again. The
: turpentine maker watches his men close.
ly, for the Tar Heels are an easy going
people and require to be urged by the
: rider, who goes through the woods Oh
: horseback examining the crop, hurryine
. the dippers and hackers and sending the
= barreled gum to the 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" il
. the fall. This is removed by the
= "scraper, who moves through the
:. woods with his scraping tool, gathering
~ the leavings.
:. The still is large copper vat hooded
y with close fitting cover in which is {
funnel which in turn is connected with
I, the worn" of the still This worn
~ runs down into another vat near al
hand, and in this vat the fumes or vapol
> of the heated gum is distilled into tur
= pentine Fire under the copper vat heat.
y the gum, and the volatile parts rise t
= the funnel. pass into the still and ar,
y condensed by the water in the seconC
y vat into spirits of turpentine. The resid
" uum left in the vat is the rosin o.
. commerce, which is passed through
= series of strainers and sleeves to the bar
I" rels which are made on the spot TIL,
turpentine however, cannot be barreleC
. so easily, for it will work through al
y ordinary barrel 1t is placed in whit,
- pine barrels which have been coated in
side with several coats of strong, no
glue until the barrel is imperyious I,
" the subtle fluid.
=, The trees are worked for five or 81,
seasons, and then the turpentine make,
. AuONO1 W dnOtutA pdtb VI llt WOOOS. Dl
: started in North Carolina, crossed owe,
to South Carolina and is still movin.
- toward the gulf Forest fires destroy tn,
, . pines faster than the hacker does. fo
the flames sweep over large areas befor,
>, they die out Careful owners Of turpen
l. tine woods have tho pine straw an,
- fallen underbrush raked away from thei
!. trees before the season begins, and col
a lecting this material in some safe spo
~ wait for quiet day when no wind will
. cool the wet finger. and then they burr
the rakings.
Negroes are common laborers Of tn,
turpentine woods, but white men ar,
IA plentiful. They live in rough shantie
is in the woods, with the stables for tn