120 JouBNAL OF THE MiTCHELL SociETY {^December 



commentary that Hugues died in poverty ; but his ideas lived 

 and gradually became adopted in France. 



AMERICAN IMPROVEMENTS. 



As the knowledge of the new method in France spread to this 

 country, numerous efforts were made to apply similar forms of 

 apparatus to the American system of chipping, but for many 

 years such efforts failed. No less than iifteen patents were 

 issued in the United States on this subject, but no one of them 

 proved a commercial success. 



Eleven years ago the writer began a series of field experi- 

 ments on a small scale in the turpentine forests of South Geor- 

 gia. One feature of these experiments was the use of a mod- 

 ification of the Hugues system, consisting of two separate metal- 

 lic gutters, inserted in upwardly inclined cuts in the tree, along 

 which the oleoresin flows. The upper and shorter gutter is 

 separated at its lower end about one inch from the lower gutter 

 and empties into it. The lower gutter extends from two to three 

 inches beyond the center of the angular scarified surface formed 

 in chipping, and serves as a spout to convey the oleoresin to a 

 cup suspended from a nail just below the end of the gutter. 

 These cups are made either of well burned clay or galvanized 

 iron, and have a capacity of one quart. 



Attracted by the promising character of these preliminary 

 experiments, the U. S. Bureau of Forestry began a series of 

 field tests of the apparatus on a large scale, the work being 

 under the immediate supervision of the writer. Before the end 

 of the first season of testing it was evident that the apparatus 

 was a practical success, and the results attained, both as to 

 quantity and quality of oleoresin, justified the hope of immedi- 

 ate commercial introduction of the system. But the habits of 

 long years made difficult the adoption of such an innovation. 

 This ultra-conservatism was slowly overcome and the adoption 

 of the new system spread rapidly. Only a few more years will 

 be required to witness the complete replacement of the " box " 

 by the " cup " system in American forests. A detailed account 



