TURPENTINE. — TAR. 67 



our navy is indebted to the pine for something 

 of almost as much consequence as this. What 

 can it be ?" 



I was obliged to reply myself to this ques- 

 tion. Tar and pitch are the painty glue^ 

 and puttey^ of a vessel. Without these^ the 

 cordage would soon decay^ and water would 

 quickly enter at innumerable chinks. This 

 leads us to notice substances extracted from 

 the pine ; these are turpentine^ tar^ pitchy and 

 resin. 



A pine tree is a sort of cask of turpentine^ 

 which may be tapped in any of the summer 

 months ; and that useful liquid will flow out^ 

 and continue to exude, for a long time, abun- 

 dantly. Tar is obtained by burning, or rather 

 baking the roots, or other parts of the tree, in 

 a sort of pit, well covered over with tiles ; at 

 the bottom, is a hole, with under-drains, into 



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