Newspaper Page Text
20
THE ATL ANTIAN
L. V. WILLIAMS,
I FRENCH SYSTEM OF TUR
PENTINING.
(By A. L. Brower, U. S. Forestry Ser
vice).
Washington.—A Study of the French
method of turpentining demands es
pecial interest at this time when the
naval stores industry has. assumed
such large proportions in the South
and when improved methods similar
and probably more advanced than the
French system are coming into such
wide use.
In France bleeding trees for tur
pentine has been carried on for thirty
years or more without killing the
trees or diminishing their flow of ros
in. Here in the United States, even
in the righest forests of virgin yellow
pine, the productive life of a tree is
only four to six years when turpen
tined by the old destructive box meth
od, and fifteen to twenty years when
the cup and gutter or cup and apron
systems are used, and shallow chip
ping carefully followed.
The French method of turpentining,
however, requires more labor and
greater skill, and is less productive
than any of the several methods in
use in the United States. Owing to
social and economic conditions in the
United States, it is extremely doubt
ful if the French hethod will ever re
ceive the favorable consideration of
the American turpentine operator.
The rapid diminution of the supply
of longleaf timber suitable for turpen
tining and the immense loss that has
attended former practices of turpentin
ing in the United States, has led to a
desire to inaugurate more conservative
systems. A description of the French
systems will furnish an example from
which may possibly be drawn sugges
tions and ideas useful in the conser
vation of the longleaf pine forests of
the United States.
In French practice the pine tree is
first bled at an age of about fifteen
years. Trees from four to six inches
in diameter, breast high, are common
ly found to contain a single face from
three to four inches w'ide. Before
placing the face, the rough, outer bark
is removed as far up the trunk as it
is expected to wound the tree for that
season’s working. Beginning about
the 1st of March, the face proper is
started by cutting out a small chip,
about four inches square and one-half
inch thick, as near the ground as pos
sible. An incision is then made in
the lower part of the face, by driving
a chisel-like tool into the tree at an
upward angle. The edge of this tool
is in the form of an arc of a circle
instead of a straight line.
A strip of zinc is fitted edgewise into
a groove on the back of the tool, and
is then inserted in the incision by a
smart blow from a wooden mallet.
For the first year the gathering cup is
placed just beneath, on the ground.
For the succeeding years the gutter is
raised at the beginning of the season
and the cup crowded between the gut
ter and a nail driven in the tree lower
down.
Manager for Pope Brown’s Campaign and
a Prominent Member of the Fourth
Estate.
THE ISSUE—THE RESULT.
The present Gubernatorial campaign
involves three important issues.
While there are more issues at stake,
yet the three things of greatest im
portance are:
The Preservation of the Reform
Legislation of the Last Four Years.
Advancement that is of Interest of
the Farmer, the Laborer, the Manufac
turer, and Keeping Out of Georgia
Open Barrooms.
If an unprejudiced mind will con
sider both sides of these three great
issues, and reflect for a minute upon
the intelligence and integrity of peo
ple of Georgia, there can not be but
one conclusion reached both aa to
what should be done and what will be
done.
There is about one candidate in the
field, and that is Hon. Pope Brown,
who takes the affirmative of all of
these questions, and who stands for
everything that is right, progressive,
and conservative in all questions that
effect the State Mr. Brown fought for
all the progressive measures (com
monly known as Hoke Smith meas
ures), and is the only candidate at
the present time who has the cour
age to declare in favor of maintaining,
and making stronger these laws that
have done so much to further the ad
vancement of the State.
He is in favor of maintaining the
present Railroad Commission, that
has saved the shippers of Georgia
millions of dollars. He secured for
the people of Georgia a reduced pas
senger rate, and is in favor of keeping
It. He is a farmer of experience, and
favors progress along the line of agri
culture. He favors giving inducement
to diversified manufacturing interests,
and feels as that by giving encourage
ment to producers of wealth, that the
people, as a whole, are the greatest
recipients of the benefits thereof. He
favors good pay and reasonable hours
for honest labor rendered. He has the
confidence of all with whom he has
ever dealt and has never been accused
of being unfair in a private or busi
ness transaction.
While it is to be expected that the
manager for a candidate for office
should predict the success of his can
didate, yet I believe as stated above
that no reasonable man can look the
situation clearly in the face, and fail
to reach the conclusion, that such a
man as Pope Brown, who stands for
the things which he does can not fail
to receive the endorsement of the
great State of Georgia.
(Signed) Volney Williams.
HOKE SMITH,
United States Senator From Georgia.