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Kauri  Gum  Industry. 
Am.  Jour.  Phann^ 
Dec,  1888. 
turn  for  stores  to  the  caretaker  of  the  sawmill,  drawing  the  balance  in 
cash  or  cheque  before  going  to  town.  The  storekeeper  in  his  turn  sold 
it  to  the  gum  merchant. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  gum  fields,  the  summer  and  the  winter.  It 
is  usual  to  work  on  the  ridges,  that  is,  the  higher  ground,  during  the 
winter  months,  because  then  the  rain  softens  the  hard  clayey  ground 
and  makes  the  labor  much  lighter ;  but  in  summer,  when  the  ridges 
become  too  hard  and  the  low-lying  swamps  sufficiently  dry,  they 
transfer  their  operations  to  them.  The  gum  is  found  much  nearer  the 
surface  on  the  ranges  than  in  the  swamps,  being  only  a  few  inches  be- 
low the  surface,  and  sometimes  even  projecting  above,  whilst  in  the 
swamps  it  may  be  found  to  a  depth  of  several  feet,  the  soil  of  the 
higher  ground  having  been  washed  away  with  the  heavy  rains  and  de- 
posited in  the  swamps,  burying  the  gum  deeper  each  successive  year. 
The  spear  is  a  sharp  pointed  steel  rod  with  a  wooden  handle,  and  this 
is  thrust  down  into  the  earth  to  ascertain  if  gum  is  present.  If  gum 
is  proved  to  be  present,  then  digging  commences  and  the  whole  spot 
dug  over  until  they  suppose  they  have  got  all  the  gum  out.  It  usually 
occurs  in  very  irregular,  rough  pieces,  about  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg^ 
looking  like  a  piece  of  very  rough  clay.  This,  when  the  outside  is 
scraped  off  with  a  pocket-knife,  is  the  Kauri  gum  usually  met  wnth  in 
commerce,  and  worth  about  35s.  per  cwt.  on  the  spot.  The  smaller 
pieces  are  only  washed  and  dried  and  do  not  bring  nearly  such  a  good 
price.  As  a  rule  the  scrapings  are  not  saved,  not  being  worth  more 
than  20s.  for  a  large  sackful.  They  are  used  for  lighting  fires  and 
making  fire  lighters.  The  gum  fusing  and  burning  soon  sets  the  sticks 
and  logs  on  fire,  the  gum  giving  off  a  white  smoke  and  aromatic  smelL 
Sometimes  very  large  pieces,  a  cwt.  or  more,  of  transparent  and  almost 
colorless  gum  are  found  near  the  decayed  root  of  a  tree,  probably  the 
gum  of  the  original  tree.  This  brings  a  very  much  higher  price,  and 
is  used  for  making  personal  ornaments.  It  is  easily  worked  with  a 
knife  into  any  shape,  and  polished  with  a  soft  rag  and  kerosine  oil. 
At  times  large  masses  of  the  gum  may  be  found  exuding  from  the 
living  tree,  but  this  gum  is  not  so  good  for  varnish-making  as  the  fos- 
sil gum.  Three  or  four  thousand  men  are  usually  engaged  in  digging 
and  can  earn  in  districts  where  the  gum  is  fairly  plentiful  30s.  to  40s. 
a  week,  and,  as  the  cost  of  living  is  very  small,  they  could  easily  save 
money ;  but,  being  cut  off  from  all  civilization  whilst  at  work,  they 
speedily  spend  and  waste  all  their  savings  when  they  go  to  town. 
