The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1895-01-17
MAKING TURPENTINL
. AN EXTENSIVE INDUSTRY IN CERTAIN
SOUTHERN STATES.

How the Trees Are Tapped and the Res
tnous Gum Gathered-D Departments and
Keen Eye OF the "Rider."
Dialect writers find 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 up their resinous
gum, the balmy air and the picturesque
hackers, Clippers" and "scrapers, A"
with the ever vigilant rider" watch
nG everything, is 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 Ill making turpentine and roSin
lend additional interest to this old in.
dustry, and the gypsylike habits of the
turpentlne makers add 30 their ragged,
llllterate 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 bladcd ak, begins the
round which ends with the season. He
is tie expert Of the woods and knows his
trees and just how much hacking they
will stand. His task is to cut the
boxes IL which the thick gum Of the
wounded tree will collect. A box is a
wide incision about six inches deep, a
wedge shaped. cut in the tree, and he
hacks from 80 to 100 boxes day. Tho
first boxes are cut near the roots of the
tree. and they are cut as close together
to the height OF a 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 30 feet or more
After the hacker comes the man who
corners" the boxes. This corner is
a 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 i'll this way 10, 900 boxes
during the season. The sap or 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 quart Of sap is taken from
each box by means of the trowel shlEed
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
~, 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, hurying
the dippers and hackers and sending the
barreled gum to the still ..,...sr,
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 OH the sides OF the
boxes when the sap turns down. in
the fall. This is removed by the
''scraper, who moves through the
woods with his scraping tool. gathering
the ieavings.
The still is a large copper vat hooded
with a close fitting cover in which is a
funnel which in turn is connected with
the worm Of the still This worm
runs down into another vat near 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
vat into spirits of turpentine The resid-
uum left in the vat is the rosin Of
commerce, which is passed through a
series of strainers and sleeves to the bar
rels. which are made Of" the spot The
turpentine, however, cannot be barreled
so easily. for it will work through an
ordinary BARREL y It. is placed in Write
pine barrels which have been coated in
side with several coats of strong. hot
glue until the barrel is impervious to
the subtle Anid ."A.
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 out. Careful owners of turpen-
tine woods have the pine straw and |
fallen underbrash raked away from their \
trees before the season begins, and col !
lecting this material in, some safe spot !
wait for q quiet day when no wind will |
cool the wet finger. and then they burn |
the rakings. -. as-. -u...rs u.s.
Negroes are oommon laborers Of the !
turpentine woods but white men are
plentiful They live in rough shanties |
in the woods, with, the stables for the /
mules and horses near at hand. No
work ia more healthful than turpentipe [
making, for it h On Out Of doors in the
depths Of the balmy, health giving pines, |
fxoe from the malarie- of tho swurnps I
and from sudden changes Of weather
Chicago Record.
Horsepswerss.: 55'voJ =.
The difference between nominal. in
dicated and ehectivs horsepowdD oft@
puzzles people. N6aissl harsepoyeesM
=. c..,,,od onanfitSE nSSas fnSTtfyn An15l Z