The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-01-18
GATHERING Spruce auM.


! Millions of Chews In . Ton.
Gathering gum is quite bushes
by itself and is carried on muc
moro Systematically than is general
~ supposed. The gum picker is
busy fellow, and. like the hotel pre-
prictor at some pleasant seaside re
, sort, has only few months for hi
business. When tho woodsmen ente
the forests in the fall. the gum pick
ers follow and continue in the wood
till springtime. There are men whs
make a practice Of nipping from tn,
spruce this material known as gun
and do nothing else. They follow thu
choppers through the woods, and
when the trees are felled plnck from
the trunk all the gum they may find.
|. Besides gathering il from tho trees
cut down to make logs the picker
shells it from the standing tree, but
this Is q much harder method, al.
though in many cases q larger guam.
tity is procured. because none is lost,
as In the case where tho spruce is
falling and rolls against other giants
Of tho forests, stripping it at times
OF several quarts of its gum deposits,
provided there is a well filled 8. am
in the tree. In collecting the Jumps
OF gum from the standing spruce the
picker has an apparatus especially
arranged for tho purpose. 1t con-
sists OF long pole, upon the top Of
which is little sack that will hold
about two quarts Of gum. Back of
this suck is piece Of iron or steel
made like a hammer and working
upon a pivot, while cord is attach
ed to the end and extends to the foot
Of the pole. The picker places the
top Of this picking machine along
the gummy seam of the spruce, and
BY operating the little hammer BY
means of the cord is able to clip of |
The Jumps of gum into the sack To-
sated under tho top Of the hammer.
from one tree bushel of
rum Is picked. but not very often is
he Rthercr fortunate in finding 80
q spruce, and he is quite
in plucking from a pint to
lalf q bushel from each.
When the days picking is finished,
II return to camp and sitting around
he open fire in the evening clean
his gum piece by piece, some requir.
ng large amount Of scraping, while
ther pieces need but little. Quite
ften the picker will find q spruce
nth q large seam from the trunk to
YER half the length Of the tree.
lille bullying from each side will be
right, clear Jumps of choice gum.
[e also finds trees with large Jumps
rejecting from the side, while in
" spruce not q scam can be found. | |
reat lunches Of gum are frequently
'und on the trunk OF the tree.
There are different kinds of gum.
he choice Is the clear and best
lmps, what the picker terms bright.
hen comes the second grade, con-
sting of tho assortment next to the
loice, while the third grade is dis
'sed Of at a low figure and is made
to patent gum. A fgurehead OF
% gum pickers Is the middleman, 1
ho is general manager, superin.
nds the work and sells the gum.
'om one posse Of pickers this mid. I
oman often handles 1000 pounds (
q season. Often he makes a deal A
it'll the pickers by supplying them :
it'll food and clothing and findingl
market, the profits being shared.
ou will understand that the gum
always toted several miles through Z
9 woods to reach point Of trans I
'rtation.
The most gum handled by dealers
this section is received from
oostook county, Canada and New !.
'rk state. Gum, not being a manu-.
,tured article, is free Of duty. An
lgusta firm handled over 2,2O0
unds last year. When candy sold
IA cents a pound, an even ex-
ange was made for a pound of y
m. During the summer, il You b
We ever visited the forest and OBJ -
we'd the spruce, You have doubt n
$ noticed that the gum was Of y
cky nature. tits then that il forms =
the next winters gum gatherer,
] when the cold weather comes Il
'dually hardens No patent gum
> as yet surpassed the flavor of e
spruce, and as long as these =
es stand will the gum chewcr cling :
its product. -Kennebec Journal. n
He'll For Bottles Of Poison.
4 novel and simple device for tho
sycntiOn Of accidental v,o;aoc;cclS