24 JOURNAL OF THE 



that the Rosiu may contain about 15 per eeiit. of the original eon- 

 tent of spirits. At the proper time the cap of the still is removed, 

 the liquid mass inside skimmed of trash, run out through a bot- 

 tom cock, strained through wire and cotton hatting and allowed 

 to cool in the bins. The temperature of the Rosin as it comes 

 from the still is 160° C. It cools very slowly, so that at the 

 end of 4 hours, with an external temperature of 60°, it lost in 

 one experiment only 60° F., and that after it had been ladled 

 into barrels. 



From fifteen 280-pound barrels of '' virgin dip'^ there should l)e 

 obtained not less than 105 gallons of ''spirits" and 2,100 pounds 

 of Rosin. A good working rule is to allow two-thirds of the 

 weight of the Turpentine for Rosiu and one-third for '' spirits'' 

 and water. Ten thousand trees should yield the first year 280 

 barrels of ^' virgin,'' the second year 240 barrels of ''yellow dip" 

 and scrape, the third year 200 barrels of "yellow dip" and 

 scrape. Or, in other words, for the yield of each year after the 

 first year subtract one dipping of 40 barrels per year. 



All that is collected from the trees the first vear is called " vir- 

 gin," and yields the best spirits and the finest Rosin. After the 

 first year the turpentine is called yellow dip, and scrape, and 

 yields inferior Rosin, and generally not so good spirits. 



While, indeed, it is for the most part true that " virgin dip" 

 yields the finest Rosin, yet it may yield the darker Rosins by too 

 high a heat in the still. This has been denied, but the weight 

 of evidence is clearly in its favor. In the endeavor to extract 

 as much "spirits" as possil)le from the "virgin dip" and still 

 leave the Rosin pale, it sometimes happens that the temperature of 

 decomposition is reached and passed, and instead of a pale Rosin 

 a darker one may come from the still. "Yellow dip" and scrape 

 never yield pale Rosins. Whether this is due to chemical changes 

 in the Turpentine befi)re distillation, or to the action of foreign 

 organic matter on the Turpentine during the distillation, or to 

 the complete expulsion of the spirits, no definite answer can be 

 made. It has been stated that about 15 per cent, of the original 

 content of "spirits" is left in the Rosin from " virgin dip." This 



