The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1908-11-27
Make Your Own
CamphOr at Home.
An Industry IN Which Tallahassee
and Leon County People May
Find Profit and Pleasure.

ana throughout Leon county, SnOWHsB
that the plant is especially adapted to
this soil and climate, The True Demo
crat reproduces the following from the
st. Petersburg Independent, hoping
that the industry may in time become
profitable one in this section:
With further reference as to camphOr
culture, one Of our representatives
called at the home of L. P. Butler sew
eral DAYS ago and secured from him fur
Their facts about the planting and set
ting out of the trees also the method of
dstilling the camphor from the leaves
and tWigs.
Mr.. Butler, at present popular con-
ductor on the A. c. L., now yardmas-
ter in this city, was for eight years
manager of the famous Lake Villa MUIR
series, located some years ago at Fruit
land Park, Fla. After leaving this
place, he held the position of travelling
manager in Florida for NJ. h. Gillette,
the gentleman who had such a run on
naval oranges some sixteen years ago
in California; going from place to place
in the State and closely watching the
culture of that variety of oranges that
in later years was to become sQfamous.
By the foregoing it is easily seen that
Mr.. Butler is an authority In this line,
and that his predictions as to the future
industry of camphOr culture in this
State can be relied upon.
Mr.. Butler, in his garden in this city,
has at present, twenty-four thousand
camphor seed planted, and is making
20 raIU q 4 hnWdnnrn
more. He makes bed five feet wide,
hilled up to about six inches deep and
thoroughly vets; then taking board
ax4 inches, long enough to reach across
the bed, he sets to work to make his
burrows, as you might call TIA. The
board is set upon its edge across the
bed and is struck several smart blows
for the purpose of driving it about one
and a quarter inches deep, it being re-
moved after it has served its purpose,
and the next furrOw made in like man
ner, parallel with the other and about
three inches.
The seed are then dropped about an
inch apart in the furrow, and the board
is again inserted and struck several
times, for the purpose of breaking the
thick and pulpy hull that surrounds the
seed proper. The board is removed and
the burrows thoroughly Watered again
Mr.. Butler states that even in rainy
weather he waters the seed-then the
board is again brought into play by
setting it on edge, as before, only it is
placed outside The furrow and held in
q slanting position, being struck hard
enough to force the earth into the fur
row and to cover up the seed. The
whole is again watered, in fact, flood !
ed; the edges Of the bed being raised !
to hold the water on bed. Then about !
half an inch of earth is put over the
entire bed and the whole leveled off, |
completing the planting
After the seeds have sprouted and /
the plants are about eight inches high,
they are reset in rows foot apart, and
are kept thus until they are needed to
set out in a grove or yard, as the case
may be. These trees, TO get any result |
from the operation, should be set out m
the autumn or winter, as at that time
the sap is in the roots, and the tree is
not growing to any extent.
In getting the material from the tree
from which to distill the camphor. men |
90 down one side of a grove and clip |
the leaves and small twigs, taking them
to the watts where the camphor is dis |
titled from them. Only one side Of the
trees are clipped, the men going the en-
tire length Of the grove, and returning |
up the other side. By the time they ar
rive from whence they started the side |
clipped few days before has put out
new leaves and twigs and can be again
clip, thus furnishing a good supply all
the time.
For the benefit of those who may be
skeptical of the foregoing, we take pleas
ure in giving Mr.. Buffers process for
extracting the crystalized camphor.
Having no still or equipments, be pro-
cured an old iron washpot and filling 1t
nearly full Of water, brought it TO
boil. Having gathered a small amount
of leaves and tWigs, he threw these in
to the boiling water and covered the
top of the pot with an old piece Of bur-
lap, or, what is commonly known as a /
croaker sack. Regulating his fire 30 as
to boil the leaves and twigs slowly, the
steam penetrated through the burlap,
leaving deposit Of crystalized camphor
on the under side of ii. Mr.. Butler |
sent Quantity of this 10 Washington,
and on being analysed, il was found TO
be 80 per cent pure. - -
Besides being Of commercial value,
camphor trees are beautiful when set |
out. on lawns and streets. ST. Petersburg |
- ..s.s..fa., I.r.f.... L. .....ak r.snr,xr o.,.oo