March 1, 1865.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



TURPENTINE AND RESIN. 371 



In 1859 our imports of turpentine were 256,663 cwt. ; and of resin 

 886,789 cwt. The price then was about 10s. for the former, and 8s. for 

 the latter ; now it is 23s. and 28s. respectively. 



The 'Journal of the Board of Arts and Manufactures of Upper 

 Canada' of a recent date states : — We have received from Mr. Peter 

 Irish, of Brighton, county of Northumberland, several samples of resin, 

 and one of spirits of turpentine, of his manufacture. Mr. Irish took 

 the first prize for both these articles at the late Provincial Exhibition, in 

 the city of Hamilton. The samples of resin comprise black and white, 

 with many intermediate shades of both transparent and opaque. We 

 regret not having an analysis of Mr. Irish's turpentine ; we have, how- 

 ever, Professor Croft's analysis of the specimens exhibited by Messrs. 

 Connell and Cotter, of Hastings, which was awarded the second prize, 

 and of Mr. Luke's specimen, of Angus, highly commended by the 

 judges. The notes of analysis on Messrs. Connell and Cotter's turpen- 

 tine are, — " Smell much like pure turpentine ; boiling point, 154°C. ; spe- 

 cific gravity, 0-865." For Mr. Luke's — " Smell of oil from pine-wood, by 

 distillation ; boiling point, 153° C. ; specific gravity, 868." The boiling 

 point of pure spirits of turpentine is 155° C. ; specific gravity, - 865. 



In a communication from Mr. Irish, accompanying his samples, he 

 gives a description of his process of procuring the raw article. He says 

 he obtains it from the white (not the Norway) pine, by cutting notches 

 or boxes, about two feet from the ground, with long-bitted axes, and a 

 good axeman can cut about three hundred boxes per day. These boxes 

 are made dishing, so as to hold from a gill to half a pint each, and should 

 be cut between the 20th of May and the end of June. During the hot 

 weather it will be necessary to gather the sap from these boxes at least 

 once a week. In a tree one foot in diameter he cuts one box, of two feet 

 in diameter two boxes, and so on. This, he says, will injure the tree 

 but little, as the boxes he cut in some forty years ago are now com- 

 pletely grown over. 



Mr. Irish paid 10 dollars per barrel for the raw article. The price 

 obtained by him for resin during the year averaged 8 cents (4d.) per lb., 

 and spirits of turpentine If dollars per gallon. 



There is no danger of the supply exceeding the demand, even for 

 local consumption in the colony ; for, according to the trade returns in 

 1863, the imports of spirits of turpentine into the province were 

 13,913 gallons, valued at 26,312 dollars, and of resin, 3,650 barrels, 

 valued at 63,484 dollars. 



The sap in the wood of pines consists in variable proportions of 

 turpentine and resin, according to the species. When the turpentine 

 abounds, the sap of the tree operated on exudes a very fluid and 

 volatile kind of turpentine, and when dry the wood is strong, slightly 

 resinous, and generally light. On the other hand, when the turpentine 

 is viscous, it leaves, on drying,, an abundant resin in the tissues, and 

 the wood is heavier. The hooked pine, the Cembra pine, and the 



