In  this  manner  a  segment  is  removed  from  the  trunk  and  a  triangular  trough  formed  4  inches  deep  and  4  inches
wide  at  the  top.
Two  such  boxes,  or  upon  a  large  trunk  sometimes  four,  are  made  on  each  tree.  A  "crop",  the  unit  of  production
among  large  operators,  consists  of  10,000  such  boxes.  The  boxes  are  cut  early  in  November  with  a  narrow-bladed
ax  specially  manufactured  for  the  purpose,  and  the  trees  are  worked  on  an  average  during  thirty-two  weeks.  As
soon  as  the  upper  surface  of  the  box  ceases  to  exude  freely,  it  is  "hacked"  over  and  a  fresh  surface  exposed,  the
dried  resin  adhering  to  the  cut  having  been  first  carefully  removed  with  a  sharp,  narrow,  steel  scraper.  The  boxes,
especially  after  the  first  season,  are  often  hacked  as  often  as  once  a  week,  and  are  thus,  gradually  extended
upward  until  upon  trees  which  have  been  worked  during  a  number  of  seasons  the  upper  surface  of  the  box  is  often
10  or  12  feet  above  the  ground.  For  these  long  boxes  the  scraper  is  attached  to  a  wooden  handle,  generally
loaded  with  iron  at  the  lower  end  to  facilitate  the  operation  of  drawing  down  the  resin.  Once  in  four  weeks,  or
often  less  frequently,  the  resin  caught  in  the  bottom  of  the  box  is  removed  into  a  bucket  with  a  small,  sharp,  oval
steel  spade  attached  to  a  short  wooden  handle.  The  product  of  these  "dippings",  as  this  operation  is  called,  is
placed  in  barrels  and  transported  to  the  distillery.  The  first  season  a  turpentine  orchard  is  worked  boxes  are
usually  dipped  eight  times,  yielding  an  average  of  300  barrels  of  turpentine  to  the  crop.    The  second  year  the


THE  FORESTS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.
