Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-06-23
GATHERING RESIN.
An Important Industry in Forests of
South Carolina.

In an interesting report on the
tnrpcntine industry in the United
States, Mr.. Bell, British commercial
agent. says the gathering of resin in
the United States dates back to the
time Of the early settlers of that part
Of the country which is now North
Carolina. From there the industry
has extended, and is now carried OF
in al regions where the longlcaf pine
is found in sufficient abundance. and
more especially in the south Atlantic
and eastern Gulf states. In addition
to the resin and turpcntinc. the i'll
duStry includes the manufacture of
tar and pitch. the distillation of spir-
its of turpCntine and other hy-prod-
ucts. The process. in brief. is as fol r.
lows: The trees are tapped and TIL"
sap allowed to flow into rccepta-
Giles prepared for. the purpose. This
resin is distilled. and spirits of. tur-
ECntine and resin are obtained. Tar
is obtained by the destructive distil-
lation of the wood itself, and oil Of
resin. oil of tar, common pitch, brew
ers' pitch. etc. are obtained by a re
distillation or combination of the
above named products.
Resin is obtained chiefly from the
lnnelcaf pine. of which there was
formerly an unbrokcn forest extend
Ing from southern Virginia through
Tho south Atlantic and Gulf states to
eastern Texas. More than onc-half
of the original forest. however. has
been exhausted. and there has been
little or no renewal. For a number
of Yeas the seat of the naval stores
industry continued near the forests
Of North Carolina. 1t was transferred
IL South Carolina at a later period,
and within recent years. owing to
tn" Increased demand for spirits of
turpcntine ana resin having caused
a large growth of the industry the
districts have been very much cx-
tended. and now the center is III
Florida. and reaches into Alabama.
Mississippi and Louisiana. The
southern states abound in sandy soils
suitable for the growing of pines.
These tracts were at one time COW
cred with what We're supposed to Dc
boundlcse forests. Though there are
still large areas which have been
Untouched the greater portion of
hest timber removed. Forest fires
and the operations of the turpentinc
gathcrcrs have greatly damaged the
remainder. Under the present meth
od., of cutting the trees it is merely
q quest ion of comparatively short
time before the supply will be eX-
harsted 1t has been at last realized
that the timber supplies are not I'M
limited. and il is absolutely necessary
that there should b" some modifica-
ton Of the present treatment if con-
tinllcd reproduction is to be insured
instead Of the complete exhaustion.
which threatens 10 dcspoil the mag
niticent forest resources.
As "becding' pine trees for the pur-
pose of extracting turpentine and resin
has been regarded as injurious to the
timber. the agricultural department
undertook Il special investigation in
vOlving mechanical tests: physical
and chemical analyses We're made Of
the wood of bled and unbled trees
from the same locality. The results
proved conclusively % that bled tim
Der is as strong as unbled if of the
same weight: t2) that the weight and
shrinkage of the wood is not effected
by the bleeding: go that bled trees
contain practically neither more nor
less resin than unbled trees. the loss
Of resin referring only to the sapwood.