September 24, 1903] 



NATURE 



499 



the excellence of his primary education and by the 

 natural zeal which he possesses for the acquisition of 

 knowledge is certain to rise to the opportunity now to 

 bo placed in his way. It is unnecessary to institute 

 comparisons, but it may be safely said that this High- 

 land school will have raw material to deal with of 

 which many an English rural district might well be 

 envious. 



RESIN -TAFFISG. 



CRUDE resin is almost always obtained from pines 

 of various species, e.g. Pinus Pinaster or P. 

 maritima in Europe, P. palustris, P. Taeda and P. 

 australis in America, and P. longifolia, P. excelsa, &c., 

 in India. It may also be obtainea from other Conifers 



Fig. I.— Cup and Gutters used in collecting Crude Turpentine. 



(spruce, larch, &c.), and even from some Dicotyledons. 

 The universal practice is to cut through the cortex 

 and to allow the crude viscous liquid oleo-resin to 

 drip into some form of receptacle, e.g. a hole in the 

 sandy soil, or an excavated " box " in the foot of the 

 bole, or a metal or earthenware " pot " hung on to 

 the tree. 



From the crude resin thus obtained, numerous other 

 products are derived by means of distillation, &c. 

 Among these spirits or oil of turpentine, colophany 

 (rosin), pitch and tar are the most important, and the 

 quantities of these substances required annually for 

 naval purposes, for making varnishes, sealing-wax, 

 &c., are so great that the resin industry is a large and 

 lucrative one. 



There are certain limits to the working of a pine-' 



NO. 1769, VOL. 681 



tree as a resin-factory which increase the expense of 

 production so considerably that it has long been the 

 practice in America recklessly to abandon a tract 

 worked for resin and push forward into newer regions. 

 These limits of production depend especially on the 

 fact that cutting large holes in the basal parts of the 

 bole of a tree is bound to result in disaster sooner or 

 later; and since the American plan systematically 

 pursued has been that of " boxing " — i.e. cutting large 

 holes in the wood below, into which the resin from 

 the cut and scarified cortex should slowly drain — the 

 inevitable result has been the wholesale destruction 

 of the trees by means of rot-fungi, wind throwing, 

 ground fires, &c. 



This state of affairs has naturally driven the authori- 

 ties to seek for some better methods of extracting the 

 resin, and in a recent publication * Dr. Hertz brings 

 forward the results of a very complete set of experi- 

 ments designed to compare the yield and value of the 

 resin obtained by the old " boxing " method, and that 

 obtained by a modification of the European systems. 



The latter consists in allowing the resin from the 

 periodically scarified cortex and young wood to drain 

 down Into two slanting spouts of thin tin, which direct 

 It Into a pot hung properly beneath. The advantages 

 claimed for the improved system are, a longer life of 

 the tapped tree, a greater yield of resin all the time, 

 less waste in catching the resin, diminished evapor- 

 ation of volatile products, and less dirt and dis- 

 coloration as the liquid flows over the face exposed, 

 as well as other and minor points. 



These matters, expressed in terms of money value, 

 are given in a series of tables, from which the follow- 

 ing is one extract only : — 



Half crop. 



From 

 dip. 



From 

 scrape. 



Second year. j Dollars. 



Cups ..I 266.34 



Boxes j 104,51 



Third year. 



Cups 171.27 



Boxes 39.49 



Fourth year. | 



Cups 167.33 



Boxes I 36.09 



Dollars. 

 49.25 

 66.95 



27.44 

 26.57 



29.23 

 27.91 



Dollars. 

 315-59 

 171.46 



198.71 

 66.06 



196.56 

 60.00 



Dollars. 

 144.13 



132.65 

 13256 



The bulletin is admirably written, and affords an 

 excellent example of what may be done by a properly 

 trained expert in learning the methods of an old in- 

 dustry practised in another country, improving and 

 adapting them to the wants of his own locality, and, 

 above all, in demonstrating his points so convincingly 

 by means of experiments that the most prejudiced of 

 his workmen becomes reconciled to the innovations. 



The illustrations, of which we select one, are well 

 chosen, sufficient, and admirably executed. 



THE SOUTH PORT MEETING OF THE BRITISH 

 ASSOCIATION. 



THE Southport meeting of the British Association 

 was concluded as we went to press last week. 

 At the meeting of the General Committee on Wednes- 

 day, September i6, the resolutions sent forward by 

 the Committee of Recommendations, and printed in 

 last week's N.-vture, were adopted. In addition, the 

 two following resolutions were carried : — 



(i) That the systematic investigation of the upper 

 currents of the atmosphere by means of kites or 



1 " A New Method of Turpentine Orcharding," by Dr. C. H. Hertz. 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bu/l. xl., 1903. t. 



