The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-11


 produced in 1943. That's a lot of na- val stores, for unit is one 50-gal- lon barrel of turpentine and 3 l-3 barrels of rosin at 500 pounds to the barrel.
 But it looks as if Secretary Wickard's prayer may be answer ed, as result of the U. s. Forest Services new process for stim- ulating the flow of resinous gums by as much as 55 per cent above normal
 Naval stores are obtained by distilling the trees natural gum, which flows from the wounds or "streakS" into containers. In the still the pine gum vapor conden- ses into water and turpentine. The turpentine floats on top of the water and is drained of.
 The gum residue in the still is rosin, which is discharged into vats, where it is strained through two layers of wire and one of cot- ton batting laid on fine wire. While molten is ladeled into bar- rels, where 1t solidifies.
 Credit for this country's pro- gress in the field of chemical stimulation largely goes to Mich- igan-born T. A. Liefield, duiet- spoken Forest Service silvicultur- ist. News of the German discov- cry reached this country in 1887, and he has worked In this field almost exclusively since then. He has spent 10 of his II years in the service in the Olustee Experimental Forest.
 Last year Liefeld and his as- sociates - R. A. Chapman, A. G. Snow, Jr., and R. P. True - found that a 40 per cent sulphuric acid solution applied to fresh "streaks" clipped in the faces" of gum- producing slash pine stimulated the gum flow by 55 per cent. A half a thimbleful of this solution, sprayed or brushed on, turns the trick.
 But the 40 per cent solution did next to nothing in stimulating the gum flow from long leaf pine. It was only this year, after experi- menting with 70 or 30 chemicals, that the doctors in forest green" achieved success with this species, finding that a 60 per cent sul- phuric acid solution worked like magic. They also found that 25 per cent solution of sodium hy- droxide Oye or caustic soda) stimulated long leaf even more and acted favorably on slash.
 SEEK SINGLE STIMULANT
 Their new problem is labor saving one. Since slash and long leaf are intermingled throughout the turpentine country, it would save many hours of precious lab or If one solution could be used to stimulate both. Liefeld thinks now that the Forestry Service will recommend the use of 25 per cent sodium hydroxide solu- ton for weekly chipping, and c 40 per cent sulphuric acid treat ment for use with bi-weekly chip ping.
 For oddly enough, an analysis of records has shown that the 10 per cent sulphuric acid solution first used successfully on week. ly-chipped slash = works well on bi-weekly clipped long leaf. The solution really does the business the second week after application.
 In the area surrounding Olustee, 19 large operations this year CO., operated with the Forest Service in using 40 per cent sulphuric acid solution on slash pine. With two exceptions, the increase in gum was marked. One operator had a 60 per cent increase in the first half of the current season.
 Tree expert Liefeld and his as- sociates now believe that with the full cooperation of naval stores operators. chemical stimulation of long leaf and slash pines will practically double the present pro- duction with normal labor, or main- tain better than-average produc- ton with one-half the labor now available.