The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-05-20
MAINE SPRUCE Gun.
Getting Dear O. Aeeount q Gfpw-
isg Scarcity.


ne Uoo1s - MsI1s yiel1 Urore tAsa
r.ne-haIf ~ tae 1se to1s ~ geaalae
eofaee eLsHlar lsm consumed la t1ia
e1snfry erery year. Ihcl4h TIE efJ
faefories farn out large quantities p
artificial gum. n4te from pitamens
pitch and paraflne aud favored With
many heY1Dinr eseHees. and sfii faeifI
proIaefs ~ rheaFlF that fhe poorest
esfizea ran a1org - NY aii The gum
Ee rante ~ chew. ftf clean. amber.
finfed Ife-bioo5 ~ fhe black spruce
tree % getting q q ~ expensive INK.
ufy aya fhe NeN York aan.
Before fbe pulp uiils came ~ Maine
crystal pure Ram Haa soi1 ~ che job
bere Tor from 30 ~ ~ cents 3 pound
Most ~ 81 vas selected from newly
chopped trees ~ lbe lunDermen. The
advent ~ thf palp mills and The rapid
transportation ~ the cot timber -
r4il from the stump 20 The factory
brought about d change ~ method
Oh growth spruce timber. from which
fhe best quality ~ vam S. obtained il
now 80 rare that - aeriTe i1mbermaB
viii not secure ere man q Sound oi
gum in . winter.
The demand confinuing constant
prices loabied in 4 few years. giving
barth 20 new industry. which gives
profitable employment ~ more thar
20 men for q month in every year. II.
has taken about - years 10 cOmplete
the evolution ~ gum picking from 3
crude art ~ = science.
The men who engage IN the busl-
ness have regular routes, which they
travel FOR year after year. The terri
tory is leased from the land owners.
Before coming down from n tree the
hunter makes deep horizontal Qashes
on the sunny side of the trunk. form
ing the wounds from which pitch will
exude during the summer and later
harden into gum for tho nest harvest.
Little gum ~ last seasons ripening
has come 70 market. and The rates
charged are $50 ~ f2 n pound. IN
April, when the pickern come IN with
ssaeir packs, The price will fall 10 fi.2s,
below which figure no gum will be
bought this year
n Is asserted that the habit of gum
chewing gives one clear brain, and
that the chewcr can think quickly and
act wisely in conducting The affairs u
life. More than two-thirda Of the gum
gathered 10 Maine ia sold IN Boston,
and most Of this IS retailcd 10 local
customers. fact which may account
for che high intellectual condition Of
Boston
Persons who visit the bockwoods.
towns o. Maine hear many stories
about cntcrprlaing citizens who have
gained sudden wealth by cornering
a. gum supply In 1896 Mr. Brown,
Boston druggist. went to Bangor TO
purchase lumber for group Of cot
tagcs he was about TO put In near Cot
tnrc city lie sold spruce gum IN his
store buying II from the iobbcrs az an
average rate Of 81 a pound. Finding
that he could buy II In Bangor for so
cents pound. he purchased all he
could get. visiting the camps In order
10 secure az much nspossible.
he bought nearly two TONS which he
packed IN boxes and stored away to
await the opening of the river 70 that
Il could be taken down 20 Boston by
boat The ice was late In going out Of
The Pcnobscot that year, and before
the druggist received his gum the price
had gone up 20 g. a pound. he made
a profit OF more than $1,000 on an in
vcstment OF less than $4,000.