The Banner-Democrat., 1900-06-30
TURPENTINE AND ROSIN.
tHE PRINCIPAL INDUSTRY OF The
LONG LEAF PINE BELT.


tanned From the Exude Gum of Yellow
Pine Rosin Used Mainly in Soaps.
The manufacture of spirits or oil OF
turpentine and rosin has been for
many years the principal industry OF
the entire part of the southern states
known as the long leaf pine belt, ana
the business of ''yarding" and snip
ping of these and other naval stores
has been and is now the basis OF the
prosperity of many of the cities on the
south Atlantic and Gulf coast.
Both spirits of turpentine and the
solid product known as rosin are oo-
tanned from the e1uded gum or resin
of various members of the yellow pine
family, but principally OF the variety
Pinus Palustris, or "long leaf yei-
low pine.
The rosin. which is of a semi-solid
consistency and whitish in color, is
insoluble in water, but readily soluble
in ether or spirits of turpentine. 1t
is obtained from the tree by boxing,
or cutting deep notch in the trunk
about foot from the ground. These
boxes hold about quart, their num-
her is limited by the diameter OF the
tree. the usual rule being to leave II
inches of bark between each box, this
giving two to four, and sometimes SIX,
boxes to each tree, the box being lO
to - inches across the opening. Ten
thousand boxes constitute one work
ing unit or 'crop," requiring from lOO
to 200 acres in the new regions along
the Gulf coast, and from 500 to 1000
in the "worked- out" districts of North
Carolina.
The boxes are cut with an axe hav-
ING a very long and narrow blade and
short and heavy handle. This is done
during the winter months when other
work on the turpeutine farm is at a
standstili. Upon the opening of the
warm weather, which causes flow OF
san into the boxes, the trees are
"chipped'' or scarified by removing
the bark and wood to depth OF about
an inch just above the box. This
! operation is repeated every week dur
ing the. season, each chipping" ex-
posing about an inch and a half
further up the tree but maintaining the
same depth. The tool used is called
a ''hack.
The gum exudes from the scarified
surface and flows down into the box,
whence it is collected every four
weeks by means of "dipper," which
is simply fat pear shaped blade and
sets into handle. The average weight
of a barrel of "crude" is 240 pounds,
and crop of firstyear or virgin
boxes should yield 35 to so barrels at
each dipping. or 245 to $50 barrels
per dipping during .ths fourth year,
at the end of which the farm Is
usually abandoned and turned over
to the timber men, although some OF
the smaller landowners in the older
districts, especially in North and
South Carolina, work their trees as
long as they can get anything out ol
them.
The stills usually hold from 10 to
so barrels OF crude and are made ol
copper. The kettle, which is In
brick setting with furnace underneath
has an opening near the bottom With
q gate faucet out of which to run the
charge after distillation.
A little water is run in when the
still is charged and heat applied
gently at first, being gradually in
creased until the whole mass reaches
the boiling point, where it is main
tanned during the remainder OF th'
process. The steam produced by tn
evaporation of the water passes owe
into the worm, bringing the turpen
tine in vaporized form with it, and
being condensed, runs off into
vessel placed to receive it, il whicl
the water settles to the bottom an
the turpentine, being of less speciti
gravity, collects on the surface and
dipped of into barrels. Water is cor
stantly added to assist in the vapol
= ization and to prevent burning of tn
. charge. With glass the distille
/, notes the proportion of spirits an
. water coming over, and when th
!. spirits has decreased to about one
!. tenth of the whole the distillation
: stopped and the remainder OF tn
!. charge is run out into woode
trough, passing first through straint
of No. s mesh, next through one (
about No. 40, and last through N
J. ISO mesh. While still hot it is dippe
y up into barrels.
q The number of charges per ola
;. which can be run in still or ordinal
4 capacity is from two to five, depen'
t ing on the character of the crude an
the time of distillation.
A charge of IL barrels of crude gu
should yield 100 to 130 gallons spiri
Q and seven or eight barrels of rosin.
i Spirits of turpentine fresh from Il
n still is perfectly clear and Transporter
n with faint, pleasant, aromatic odo
o and is very different from the
smelling, yellowish liquid that '
usually see in paint stores.
"a The spirit barrels are prepared
- being coated on the inside with giu
= which, being insoluhle in turpentin
- renders them impervious to the acti
of the liquid and prevents leakae
There are Is recognized grades
rosin.
h During the latter part OF the So
,r son, as the weather becomes cool
r. and the flow of zap diminishes, t
gum forms on the boxed face il
hard, white mass, greatly resemble
honeycomb. The scraping off a
distilling of this is the last operati
of the season. This scrape, whi
amounts to from 70 barrels per CT
i, the first year to 100 barrels in
fourth, produces rosin of an inferl
| grade and but little turpentine.
| The next important step is the sh
ping of the finished product. I
| stills are usually situated at c.