Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-02-02
A NEW SAVING IN THE TUR-
PENTlNE INDUSTRY.
Further Economy Effected in Ex-
periments Made by the Forest
Service, which introduced
the Cup and Gutter
system.

The recent experiments of the Forest
Service, designed to conserve the life of
turpentine trees, gives promise of re-
markable success. 1t is believed that
the improvements tested in these expert
ments will, in addition to p%rolonging the
life of the trees, greatly increase their
total yield of turpentine.
When the cup and gutter system of
turpentining was introduced by the For
est Service some three years ago, the
economy which it secured led to its
adoption on a large scale by southern
turpentine producers. What lends this
system its great value is the fact that it
does away with the old practice of
choking" which consists in cutting a
deep cavity or ''box" at the base of the
tree for the purpose of catching and
holding the resin which flows from the
Clipped face of the tree trunk above.
In place of the "lox" an earthenware
cup, of the same capacity, is fastened to
the tree. To this the flowing resin is
directed by means of metal cutters.
The disuse OF the box effected a two
fold gain-tirst, a saving of the deep,
fatal wound in the base of the tree. and
consequently a conservation of its vital
ity; and second, much less waste in the
gathering of the product, with a greater
yield of turpentine and better grades of
resin.
While this decided improvement
spared the tree very considerably, the
method of chipping faces to stimu-
late resin flow remained unchanged.
This in itself necessitates a deep wound,
which, 1t is believed, exhausts the vital
ity of the tree more than is necessary.
Exhaustion is evident from the fact that
after the first year the yield quickly falls
of, and the total productive period is
also limited. A further step in advance,
to supplement the gains already secured
by the cup and gutter system, was there
fore sought in the new plan. This aimed
to reduce the size and number of faces
Clipped, and also the depth of the chip
ping, without diminishing the flow of
resin.
In the experiments carried out dur.
ing the past season the first object was
to show that at least an equal flow of
resin can be secured from shallower
and shorter ''faces.' The success of
these experiments has tentatively estab-
lished the practicability of this plan. A
great saving naturally results for by re-
ducing the depth and the superficial
extent of the wound the drain on the
vitality of the tree is reduced, and at
least an equal yield is secured without
~discounting the product of future years.
Under the old system the annual yield
gradually falls off, largely in consequence
of the formation of ''dry-face," which
is a kind of local death, affecting the
exposed wood of the tree.
1t is highly probable that with this
diminution in the severity of the opera.
ton the ordinary term of three or four
years during which a forest is now
worked can be greatly increased. This
means not only a larger total return, and
consequently larger profits, but also that
the investment period for turpentining
capital is heightened, a fact which espe-
clally appeals to the investor.
The experiments are being conducted
in cooperation with the Hillman-Suther-
land Land Company, which last year
placed -four crops of trees, of about
5000 trees each, at the disposal of the
Forest Service, and for the season of
1906 has consented to supply still more
timber to further the study.