Foxfire Four.pdf by dbm

Author:dbm [dbm]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-01-15T07:47:16.890000+00:00

MAKING TAR

hen wagon axles and wheel

W hubs were made completely

of wood, resin (or "tar")

melted out of fat pine was smeared on the axle ends to minimize the friction of the turning wheel hub. In addition, the tar found other farm uses: when cattle were dehorned, it was smeared on the stubs of the horns to keep flies away; when livestock got scraped or cut, it was smeared on the wound, and when they got sore feet, their hooves were poured full of it and bound up with rags; and when sheep got "head rot," a little tar was forced down into their tear ducts to open their heads up. Even humans used it. For coughs, a syrup made of one part tar, five parts molasses, and two parts sulfur, taken one teaspoonful at a time, supposedly helped. Tar was also put on blisters, sores, and sometimes even poison ivy.

One day a neighbor walked into our office and asked us if we had ever seen tar made. He had just heard of a rock on Wolffork where the community used to gather to do it, but it had gotten turned over on its side over the years. We tracked it down, turned it back upright, and with the help of Mack and Terry Dickerson, put it back into action.

When I first walked out to the tar rock with the rest of the crew that had helped turn it upright, Mack and Terry were getting ready to make it. I felt excited. I was getting an opportunity to witness and learn about something few teen-agers my age ever get a chance to see. I felt proud that I was a part of it, and I was determined to make something out of this rare experience. I knew it was something special when some of the neighbors came out to watch it. I wondered how many other kids my age had had this chance to see how tar was made long ago. Perhaps they had read about it in books, but really getting to see it? There was something inside of me that told me to never forget so that someday I could tell my kids how it was done, and then they could tell their kids and so on. At least somebody would still know how to do it.

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