The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1900-03-03
GOOD WATER FROM TREES.
Why Woodsmen in the South Always
Carry an .4uger in Their Kit.

Why Woodsmen in the South Always
Carry an Auger in Their Kit
In many sections Of the forest lands
of the south during the dry seasons a
man may walk for miles without find
ing stream Of water or spring by
which to quench his thirst. II, how
ever, he is an experienced hunter and
woodsman, he will not have to drink
water from the stagnant pools in order
to keep life in his body.
Queer as it may seem, an expert
enced man can hunt for days through
such dry tracts and yet experience no
inconvenience on account of the lack
of water. Nature has provided
means which is only known to the in
itiatea. Every old huntsman carries
with him, when going on long hunt,
small auger. by which lie can secure
refreshing drink and water to cook
with at any moment.
A cottonwood tree or willow IS the
we'll which the willy huntsman taps
He examines each tree until he finds
one that has what woodsman calls
"vein." It is simply an attenuated
protuberance. By boring into this
''vein" stream Of clear <water will
flow ont. 1t is not sap, but clear, pnre
water. The huntsmen say that the
water is better than the average to be
had from the ordinary wells. There
is no syeetish taste about it, but it
has strong flavor Of sulphur, and is
slightly carbnoated.
The reason for this phenomenon
cannot easily be explained, but that
supply OF water can be contained IN
tree is not 80 surprising The fact
Of its flowing is the wonderful feature,
showing that it must be under pres
sure, or, in other words, that there is
more at the source of the supply.
When it is considered that the trees
furnish the water in the dry season,
and that the ground is literally baked,
it is the more remarkable, especially
when the roots OF the trees 10 not ex-
tend to any great depth into the
ground.
Owing to the fact that water can be
obtained br tapping cottonwood and
willow trees, very peculiar testimony
was recently heard in a case III the
federal court here. About 20 years
ago, at certain point on the Missis-
| sippi river, one of the islands which
was formed by the channel forking and
surrounding large tract of land was
deserted by the stream on the Tennes-
see side. Years afterward this land
was claimed by the man who owned
property III Tennessee adjoining the
former island. His claim was that the
| island had been washed away, aud
hat ts1c "a Nas:-f07 NED
accretionR
iis5Se former owner, to prove that til
1and had been washed away, sawed o.
the top OF cottonwood stump tha
vas on the island and showed that
contained 56 circles, or rings, begin
ming at the heart. His statement wa
that ring was formed in the tire
| OrCi SSdi, NOuSC lIO tIcO HdS Al 3D. Z
ling 55 years ago, and was consequent
ly growing there 36 years before til
island became part of Tennessee.
| In order to prove that a ring wa
formed every year he testified tha
! while hunting, about 20 miles from
that place in 1866, he had tapped
cottonwood tree for water, and ha,
put q plug in the hole afterward t.
| keep the water from wasting. Hi
theory was that the tree in its growtl
would have covered up the plug ane
that the number of rings from thi
plug to the bark Of the tree would be, il
The year 1899, 81, showing that rim
had been formed for every one of th
81 years it had been imbedded in tn
wood.
The tree was found and sawed up
The plug was discovered. and was dis
tant from the outside of the tree ex
actiy "a rings.
Although such testimony would no
be doubted by a woodsman, it was nc
received as evidence by the court