18 BULLETIN 229, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



like an equilateral triangle and in use is given a pulling motion down- 

 ward. 



The scrape is usually collected and distilled before the last dipping 

 is made, since at the end of the season the danger of fire breaking out 

 in the woods and burning the faces is very great. The dip in the 

 boxes is not so great a source of danger, since it is usually more or less 

 covered with water. In course of removal the scrape is considerably 

 disintegrated, and if stored in the rosin barrels for any length of time 

 the turpentine evaporates rapidly. 



A wooden box, called a "scrape box," is used to receive the de- 

 tached scrape. This box is about 2\ feet square and open at the top 

 and at one end. The bottom at the open end is rounded inward and 

 provided with an apron of burlap to form a close contact with the tree 

 and prevent loss of scrape. The legs project sufficiently above the 

 sides to serve as handles for dragging the box from tree to tree, 

 though sometimes the box is provided with wheels. A box will hold 

 from 100 to 150 pounds of scrape, which is transferred to rosin barrels 

 and hauled to the still. 



Raking. — After the crude gum has been collected the trash sur- 

 rounding the base of the tree is "raked" away for a distance of 2% 

 to 3 feet to guard against fire. This operation is performed late in 

 the fall, the tool used being a hoe with a broad, heavy blade. The 

 turpentine woods are intentionally burned over once each season, to 

 afford better forage for stock the following spring, to reduce the risk 

 from accidental fires, and to remove brush and other materials which 

 impede the workmen. 



Crops. — The tracts of timber to be turpentined are divided into 

 sections called "crops," a full crop consisting of 10,500 boxes. 1 

 Since each tree receives from one to four boxes, 4,000 to 5,000 trees, 

 covering an area of 200 to 250 acres, are required to make one crop. 

 For convenience in working, the crop is further divided into drifts, 

 whose boundaries are defined by lines blazed on the trees. Each 

 drift contains about 2,100 boxes, although this number varies con- 

 siderably. 



The average still has a capacity of 15 to 20 barrels, so in order to 

 make two distillations per day with a still holding 20 barrels of crude 

 gum the operator must work 20 crops, covering an area of four to five 

 thousand acres. It is seldom profitable to work less than five crops. 



CUP SYSTEMS. 



Historical. — Until recent years the box system was the only one 

 used in the United States for collecting resin. While no recent 

 figures are available, it is probable that at present the number of cups 



1 In practice a "crop" consists of the number of faces a man can chip in from four to five days. Conse- 

 quently a "crop" may vary from 7,000 to 10,000, owing to the topography of the country or density of 

 the stand. 



