The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-02-13
MAKING TURPENTINE
AN EXTENSIVE INDUSTRY IN CERTAIN
SOUTHERN STATES.

Divisions In the Work All Under the
Keen Eye OF tho "Ridcr."
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, "
with the ever vigilant ''rider" watch
ing everything, is phase in southern
life which has long been the delight of
authors and the pleasure of artists. The
crudity of tho 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 a
wide incision about six inches deep, a
eta,.nl s,a IA tra aud lao
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 n mans head as can be
done without killing the pine. The
hacker leaves 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 a height of 20 feet or more,
After the hacker comes the man who
"corners" the boxes. This corner" is
q 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 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 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 on
horseback examining the crop, hurryinl
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" in
the fall. This is removed by the
''scraper, who moves through tho
woods with his soraping tool, gathering
the leavings
The still is a large copper vat hooded
with close fitting cover in which is q
funnel which in turn is connected with
the worm" 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
tho gum, and the volatile parts rise Il
the funnel, pass into the still and ART
vat into spirits ofturpentine. The resid
uum left in the vat is the rosin o.
commerce, which is passed through ,
series of strainers and sieves to the bar
rels, which are made on the spot. TIL,
turpentine, however, cannot be barrele(
SO easily, for it will work through al
ordinary barrel. 1t is placed in white
pine barrels which have been coated in
side with several coats of strong, ho
glue until the barrel is dmpervious Il
the subtle fluid.
The trees are worked for five or 81,
seasons, and then the turpentine maker
moves to another part Of the woods. H,
started in North Carolina, crossed ovel
to South Carolina and is still moving
toward the gulf. Forest fires destroy tn,
pines faster than the hacker does, fol
the flames sweep over large areas befor,
they die out. Careful owners of Jturpen
tine woods have the pine straw ant
fallen underbrush raked away from theil
trees before the season begins, and col
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 iaborers Of th,
turpantine woods, but white men ar,
plentiful. They live in rough shantiei
in the woods, with the stables for tn,
mules and horses near at hand. NJ
work lis moro healthful than turpentin'
making, for it is all out of doors in tn,
depths h the balmy, health giving pines
free from the malaria of the swamp
and from sudden changes Of weather. :
Chicago Record.
Horsepower,