VANILLIN 



177 



V. Wood-tar obtained from conifers is lighter than water (owing to spirits of turpentine therein 

 contained); made of broadleafed species it is heavier than water. It contains toluol, xylol, cumol, naphthaline, 

 paraffine, phenol, kreosol, pyrogallol and many other carbohydrates. 



Caustic soda acts as a solvent for the aromatic alcohols contained in wood -tar. From this solution 

 true creosote is derived. 



Dry distillation of wood-tar yields: — 



Light wood -oil. 

 Heavy wood- oil. 

 Shoemaker's pitch. 



(D) CONIFERS OTHER THAN PINES are used to a limited degree in the manufacture of naval stores. 



I. Larch yields the so-called Venetian turpentine, which is obtained by boring (with I'/a-inch auger) 

 a deep hole into the heart of the tree. 

 The hole is closed by a plug. After a year 

 the turpentine, entirely filling the hole, is 

 extracted. 



II. Spruce was tapped for turpentine on 

 a large scale in the Old Country before the 

 orchards of the South were developed. Only 

 scrape is obtained from long and narrow 

 faces. The scar invites red rot, badly checking 

 the value of the timber. The output in ten 

 years is, per acre, 73 lbs. of crude spruce rosin. 



III. Fir has rosin ducts only in the bark. 

 Blisters or bubbles of the bark filled with 

 rosin yield the so-called "Canada balsam" 

 and "Strassburg turpentine," collected in tin 

 cans. The blisters are opened with the rim 

 of the can. 



IV. Douglas fir yields, when pieces rich 

 in rosin are treated to dry distillation, aside 

 of spirits of turpentine and of wood-alcohol, 



a valuable solvent for colors. The Oregon Wood Distilling Co., of Orewood near Portland, Oregon, is 

 conducting experiments in this line. 



PARAGRAPH XLI. 

 VANILLIN. 



Vanillin, a substitute for vanilla, which has caused the price of bean vanilla to decline rapidly and 

 permanently, is obtained from spruce (fresh cut) by removing the bark and collecting the sap adhering to 

 it either with sponges or with broad- bladed knives. The sap is then boiled, strained, and condensed in the 

 vacuum pan to one fifth of its former volume. 



In the cooling room, crystals of coniferine are formed from the syrup. Coniferine, when treated with 

 potassium bichromate and sulphuric acid, is oxidized into vanillin. The syrup obtained as a by-product 

 is distilled and used in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages. 



Eighty gallons of sap yield one gallon of coniferine. 



The bark itself is frequently cured (dried) and used in the tanneries. 



REMARK: — In Western North Carolina, the bark of Betula lenta, the red birch of the lumberman, is 

 used for the manufacture of true oil of wintergreen. 



The bark is peeled, chipped, and subjected to dry distillation, at low temperatures. The first distillate, 

 collected in a crude condenser, contains the oil of wintergreen of commerce. 



23 



A turpentine orchard in the spruce woods of Saxony, visited by the 

 Biltmore Forest School. 



