Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-15
en-. HERTY To
TURPENTINE
OPERATORS
ASSOCIATION LEARNS MUCH OF
VALUE TO NAVAL STORES IN
DUSTRY THROUGH DR.. HER
TVS EXPERIMENTS.

after one OF the most profitable sessions
possible. During the sessions from ume
20 time since Wednesday morning many
very fine addresses have been delivered by !
prominent operators and others and great
good has resulted 70 the operators OF the
south generally.
Mayor Fletcher. OF Jacksonville. and
Governor Jennings. OF Florida. delivered
addresses OF welcome yesterday morning,
both OF these gentlemen going fully into
the preservation OF the southern pine for
ests and the eliminating OF the present
waste IN the manner OF collecting the
gum from the trees
These have been the principal ideas adj
vanced by every speaker during the ses-
sions OF the association.
year ago. at the first meeting or the |
association. DR.. Charles II. Herty. then
a member OF the faculty OF the University
OF Georgia, was invited 10 address the |
association along the lines OF the preser-
walton OF the pine trees used for turpen- 4
tine. DR.. Herty had made some investiga- |
lions along this line and was convinced
that a method entirely different TO the
present method which IS as old as the
turpentine and naval stores business. I
could be inaugurated which would yield
fully as much gum per tree and at the
same time get a better grade OF gum and
preserve the tree for first grade timber,
or leave Il in as good condition for tim
her purposes as IL was before II was tur-
pentfned- This had been one OF the prob
lens OF the turpentine men for a number
OF years, and many were skeptical as TO
Dr. Herty's ideas. He came here and
delivered an address and while he was
shown every consideration. IL was evil
dent that he had failed TO impress the OPP
orators with his ideas. At that time he
had never had any practical experience in
turpentining and had only his own ideas
OF the industry TO present 70 the opera
tors
Or. Herty not Discouraged.
This experience did not discourage DIR.
Herty in the least He was certain that
his fdeas were practical and that they
could be used 20 great advantage by the
operators and saw mill men OF the south.
He realized that the pine trees OF Geor-
gia, Florida, North and South Carolina.
Mississippi. Alabama and Louisiana, were
being rapidly destroyed by the present
method OF extracting and collecting the
crude turpentine. He realized that this
was working great damage to the south.
and especially to the lumber industry OF
this section OF the United States depart
ment OF agriculture and within a few
months he was at work for the United
States government. in the department OF
forestry. making experiments In Irwin
county. Georgia. as 10 the best method OF
extracting and collecting the gum from
the pine trees and at the same time pre-
serving the trees for timber. These mat
tiers DR.. Herty worked out on the tur-
pentine farm OF Powell. BuIlard & Com
pany. IN Irwin county, along the ideas
that he presented 70. the Turpentine Oper-
ators' association at their nrst annual
meeting I'm this city last year.
Actual Results Shown.
Last night DR.. Herty again appeared be-
fore rne Turpentfne Operators association
by invitation. This time he had some
thing more than hfs individual ideas to
~ -
actual results that had been obtained on
a Georgia turpentine farm from his ideas
executed under the auspices OF the United
States department OF agriculture. The
treatment accorded DR.. Herty this year
BY the turpentine operators could not ex-
eel the treatment he received at the
hands OF these gentlemen last year. So
ciaIIy. but after he had presented his fig
ures in an address which was illustrated
by stereoptican views, showing the old
and the new method OF extracting and
collecting the gum from the pine trees and
leaving the trees in good shape for timber.
the action OF the operators with refer
ence to DR.. Herty was nothing short OF an
Z ovation. The operators say that DR.. Her
u was entirely correct In his ideas last
year and that they were entirely wrong.
They saw that he had obtained even bet
fer results than he had assured them that
he could obtain at the meeting year ago.
They saw that where he had told them
he could increase the quantity OF the pro-
duct OF gum ten per cent he had increased
the quantity by his method nearly twenty
rive per cent They saw that where he
had assured them that he could increase
the .auaIity OF the crude turpentine about
fifteen per cent that he had actually near
Is doubled this. They saw that where he
had assured them that they could increase
the price OF rOsin. by the use OF the meth
cd he suggested. twenty-five 70 ntty per
cent that he had actually increased the
price more than hundred per cent.
Or. Herty's Speech.
DR.. Herty spoke in part as follows:
ssThe southern forests OF yellow pine
constitutes the great bulk OF the turpen-
tine timber OF the world. A large portion
OF this rich heritage is already valueless
from the naval stores standpoint, and
the tremendous increase in the size Of the
Industry during the past decade gives us
good ground to stop and consider whether
this great source OF revenue in the south
shall forever pass away Is II possible 10
devise such means as viii check at least
temporarily this rapid disappearance OF
our forests2 No one cause can be as
crihed for that disappearance. but on one
point practically all are agreed. viz, the
great damage done 20 the timber by the
cutting Of the box for the collection OF
the crude turpentine-
Our efforts at Ocilla. Ca. during fle
mast season have been directed solelyato-
ward this one point; Inc tnorougn testing
OF the system which does not involve the
cutting OF the box at the loss OF the tree.
ssIe Is needless for me 10 recount the
numerous evils resulting from the box,
you. as operators are acquainted with
these. The blowing down Of the timber.
especially back-boxed timber: the numer-
Gus danger 20 the timber as the result
OF fires passing through the forests and
burning the old gum in these boxes; the
. fact that timber is much more subject
70 the action OF worms after such fires,
many trees dying from this cause alone
all Of these dangers must be considered
and efforts made 10 avoid them I'm the
devising Of any substitute for the box.
'sIn addition TO these come other points
not as effective OF danger OF affecting the
revenue OF the turpentine operator, such
as the waste OF gum around the base OF
the trees as the turpentine work goes
higher up the tree. the formation OF
scrape during the latter years Of the work
resulting in the loss % q vast amount OF
spirits Of turpentine ~ evaporation and
the lowering Of the grade Of rosin: still
another waste lies in the manner OF dip
ping the gum from the boxes and finally
the fact that very often enc product OF
the best running trees must be wasted
when the box IS filed On advance OF these
AVERAGE timber