Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-03-30
ADIRONDACK GUM PICKING.
Large Quantities Are Taken from the
Great spruce Bc1t.


From the great spruce belt Of the
Adirondacks the uhcOuth gum iickcrs
nave been vending their way tc the set
| Elements. says IL correspondent of the
Brooklyn Eagle, hauling or bearing on
| their brawny shoulders bags filled with
amber Jumps of spruce gum, u swap Ior
the dollars of the druggists who al
ways bid in the best gum crop for man
Efacturns tho tin-fol coated article
| sold In sticks under the name of pure
spruce gum" The gum picker has toll
Cd ut his arjuOus calInS in the depths
Of the spruce forest all winter, his life
| being tho most lonely that man can
lead, and the rcsinous spot lie has
| gathered from the spiutes will net him
from 500 to $500. every cent of which
| lie Eas earned by hard. lonely work.
There are three classes of gum gath
tres III tue great North Woods but one
OF which Is recognized by the natives
of That region as genuine gum pick
crs. I'm" gum ga'hcrcr may be "shanty
| 10y, VINO mas c"h" mo some lumber
camp to swamp roads or chop trees at
y" Il month ana found ana WI" ADDS
to his income by "sklnning the skidway"
|
Sunday. th" gum he secures being the
poorest collected. Thcn there Is inc
Lackwo'ds farmer ot guide who puts IN
the winter int"rmittcntly gathering gum
and hunting. one Of the many Adiron-
dack huntcfs, who lives III some hui
trapping fur bearing animals and pick
ing gum as IL companion Vocltion
None of these arc so successful As the
1.s.tn ifnr In hl Il n
occcupntion ~ me study ana mas re-
duccd the gathering OF gum 10 science
ana Who follows MS calling the year
| th'uuSh. IN" Nc.e''h gum PrN'r 'raE-
els alone and is as Scrrctivc as the Solu
tuntcr. Tie follows the wake OF the
oid wh'ri"nds mat rave ie1t long iur-
rows IN Inc "lldcrh' 81 ana nom inc
s1!ih'crcd trees cthcrs rich harvest
When he gets into good gum country
the professional keeps as quiet regard
ing his lind as the genuine angler d'cs
regarding IN" location OF Trout pool
until hc has sathcr.d the last lunh IN
sight.
sometimes u" h'idS that II ''Nai his
crossed MS trail on inc "'nola'' 'l'ns
which ne is w"rklnT' ana mas intercepted
his further advance win food PICK
ing the professional can gather from
one I" four pounds of choice gum per
day, worth $50 per mound. Will" the
lumbcrman gcn"cilly gets from ton tn
thirty pot nds of 'barky' product dur
ins tn" winter. which he sells for from
So cents To $500 per pound. Tho veteran
SUM PICKER can skin ur spruce that
towers loD foot high. and skin 1T bare
nf sun, from stln,p to top. while the log
;,"r would sttnd helpless at the base of
tn lofty tree.
But little is known outside Of tho shad-
Nv of the spruc"s regarding the pro-
f"ssoi,nl gum picker. His hume is us
ua!ly some snug cabin back ,mcng tho
deep 4ulrhes Of tho hills. where he is
pcrhap, bringing up Il family Of sturdy
boys to follow tho vocation of gum
riTkcrs. Her" and there around through
the forest h" knows the location Of de-
serted shachS or hunters shnnties or
abandoned logging camps Mi Ii Will af-
fnrd him shelter VIII le working the sur
rounding woods and here on bod OF
iasan hoIyhs he sleeps securely a,
night. covered by ragged blanket.
From ON" Of these camps the gun
picker will pluacc each morning into
tho forest viii nothing but his own
krowcdsc Of wo"dcrat tn guide him
and bring him back ut the close of the
hay.lIis outiit consists chiefly of sever
ii slender poles OF VARYING lon@th tipped
With sharp chis'' ana called gum
s.nuds' r" tn" pole. gust below inc
chi1'l-tipprd end is wired h"ttoni"S'
tonI or corn can which forms the
neck to "t"n' cloth sack holding :
couple Of quarts. This the gum picket
Shovcs far ~ tho trunk "f tho spruce
looscnS with the chisci the chunk %
gum which falls int" the sack and Il
. eventually cmntict INTO a hac stiapl'c'
tn tho gum ea;horcr's back. u" ais
carries a pair Of "c'mn"rs IKE thos
uscI nv telephone hn'ncn for asc'ndin;
, small trees. and several knives. Gu'
, and small dog arc usually his 'ompan
, ions In winter J." strides through IN
forest IN snow shoes. During Il pros
rcrous season h will i'll several grain
bags. each holding 30 pounds. w.:h tn
T amber resin Of tho spruce
Tho pure gun, If thu spr icc cXu'c
from some wound or crovicc in tie bari
r ~ the :roos Xix drors of waN, cry stal
) ixcs ana eventually hardcns into :, res
? inous n.tss Of tn" color of the bark. III
! most vnluanI, is "'hlstor gun" whc
IS found in ncmi-lqu'd form beneath til
bark 1t is translucent and soon hard
..ns This variety turns blue after bein
chcvad n while After being scrapc,