The record-union., 1897-03-17
Great Tracts Of Land Where the Indus
try is Carried On.
The r1ost Important and the rlost
Costly Work is the Building
of the Still.

| WIlCn rCamed great neTUS. II was lHC
yearly yield of hides and tallow from
these herds that netted their owners,
who were not toilers, but for the most
part gamblers, the princely incomes
they enjoyed. There is no such large
and easily obtained income from tur-
pentine farming but the acreage re-
CURED for a turpentine farm or or
chard is large, not less than o,oUO or
1000 acres, and it is usually the initial
step in opening large portions of the
unsettled tracts of pine woods country
here in the South In Florida, where
the acreage Of pine is large, the turpen-
tine farmer is just beginning to oper-
ate Unlike many Of the farmers who
! till the soil, he is in every instance an
expert. AS it was with the pastoral
patriarchs of Bible times, the turpen-
tine farmer has no fixed abiding place,
but goes from one great pine forest to
/ another, without reference to State
lines, followed by his swarthy workers,
100 or 200 strong. and his family.
The first thing IL opening a turpen-
tine farm, after securing the right to
turpentine the trees for a certain pc
Rod usually about three years, is to
locate the still. This DONE the turpen-
tine farmer and his workers proceed,
figuratively, to pitch their tents. These
tents are little yellow board houses
with an outside chimney half as large
as the structure itself, made of big pine
sticks laid up crossbar fashion and
generously daubed with clay. The
Ichimneys in these quickly constructed,
temporary abiding-places are the all
important part, and when turpentine
farm is first opened the greeting among
the workers is not the ordinary inquiry
in regard to health, but, "Mornin'!
How is yo' chimney? Is hit workin'
all right"
The most important work of opening
a turpentine farm or orchard is build
ling the still, and it is also the most ex-
pensive. To build the still and open
an orchard of, say 10000 trees, costs
rot less than $500. Under ordinary
circumstances, when turpentine and
resin are bringing a fair price. this
amount, together with d fair interest
ON the money invested, is made the
first year After that whatever is
made is clear gain, although the first
year is always more profitable than
any that follows, as the first crude gum
that a tree yields, which is known as
the virgin Dip" makes the fine white
resin that brings the highest price, and
also the best spirits of turpentine.
Most of the turpentine farmers in this
part of the country are from South
Carolina, which, in the language of the
expert. has been ''turpentined' for
years. Many of these farmers have
grown old in the business, as have their
black helpers.
Once the right to turpentine tract of
5000 or 1900 acres of pine land is Sc
cured, the trees are boxed the still built
and in a few weeks turpentine and resin
are being hauled to the nearest railroad
station and shipped.
1t was such a day as early June brings
at the North, that a little party from
Chicago visited a turpentine farm newly
opened, just beyond the limit of the viii
lage.
The boxing of the trees which hap
pened to be going on when We arrived,
consists of cutting, short distance up
from the root Of the tree, an incline
plane in the outer layers of the wood,
but not reaching to the heart, and at
the base a receptacle into which the
crude gum runs. Only man who has
been carefully taught can do this box
ing successfully, as the incline must be
just right in order to have the sap run
WELL and the lower portion must hold
| quart. Like all the work done in
turpentine orchard, boxing is done by
the piece and by those who make spe
cialty of it. The three classes of work
| men among turpentinerS are dipperS,
| clippers and boxers. Each man is es-
| pecially expert at one or the other of
these although those who have worked
long at the business and are somewhat
enterprising are able to do all three sue
cessfully. The boxing has already been
explained The chipping is cutting off a
thin piece from the upper part of the
box, which soon sears over SO that the
gummy sap may again flow freely. The
chipping is accomplished with a pecu-
liar curved knife, with a blade about
three inches long on a handle, to the end
of which is attached heavy oblong
ball.
Ordinarily a tree yields about quart
of crude gum in a week, and it is the
duty of the dipper TO remove this to the
| barrels in which it is conveyed to the
still. 1t would naturally be supposed
that this would be accomplished with
some sort of dipper, but it is not. What
is used is a broad, perfectly fiat paddle
about twice the size of those used by
cooks in turning pancakes. The dipper's
paddle. however, is quite different in
shape, being pointed at the end. 1t is
astonishing to see with what dexterous
skill the dipners will remove the gum
from the box without losing a single
drop with their fat paddles.
The government among the turpen-
timers is somewhat on the patriarchal
plan and the free, easy, somewhat de-
pendent life is one which admirably
suits the average Southern colored
man. In the group Of little pine build
ings, which is known as the village of
Turpentine Farm, is q store where such
articles as are likely to be demanded
are kept for sale, and the laborer can
have cash or goods in return for his
labor Such a thing as working six
days in week is unknown on turpen-
tine farm. The ordinary weeks work is
three days and a half, the week, as far
as labor is concerned, ending Friday
noon Friday afternoon is a half holi-
day that is religiously observed by the
workers in turpentine orchards. Sat
urday is devoted to getting ready for
Sunday which is more often than
iotherwise occupied in the excitement Of
getting and keeping religion. and in
wolves late hours and often the most
violent exercise. Monday is required
81. 80 - oil ~,