ENTERED AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER AUGUST 20, 1928, AT THE POST OFFICE
AT TRYON, N. C. UNDER THE ACT OF CONGRESS, MARCH 3, 1879
nMin
ic per copy (The World’s Smallest Daily Newspaper) lc per copy
Seth M. Vining, Editor $1.50 Year in the Carolinas
Vol. 13. Est. 1-31-28 TRYON, N. C., FRIDAY, JAN. 17, 1941
Visit to Pipe Industry By
Conservation Committee
The Conservation committee re
cently made a visit to the laurel
root pipe industry, the results of
avhich will be of interest to the
public.
There are now several of these
plants in operation, the nearest
being the one in HJendersonvile
under the management of the Far
mers’ Federation. It was pictured
in a recent issue of the Ashe
ville Citizen and is even more in
teresting than the pictures.
First we were shown hundreds
of laurel stumps, ready for the
sawing; many were three and
four feet in circumference and
weighing, the manager explained
over a thousand pounds. The
“burls” or knots are embedded
in the root stocks so that the en
tire tree must be taken up. This
requires a trained crew of men
and a derrick. Only the older and
larger trees seem to contain the
tkurls.
-/ These stumps are then sawed
into thick blocks and again into
smaller ones nearer the size of a
pipe bowl. This process is also
one for skilled labor onlv; the
wood is exceedingly hard, the saw
ing dangerous. No inexperienced
worker need apply. Next the
blocks are boiled for many hours
to extract the sap. The farmers
tell us the laurel is poisonous to
stock. Probably the sap might be
a trifle unwholesome for the pipe
smoker. It did not have the odor
one could associate with what we
hear described as a “great smoke”.
The last exhibit was the pack-
Continued on Back Page
Basketball Tonight at 7:30;
Try on Hi Vs. Flat Rock Hi
The Tryon high school basket
ball team will swing into action
again tonight when the strong
Henderson county five comes to
the local gym. The invaders are
reputed to have one of the strong
est teams in Western North
Carolina and the Tryon quintet
will have its hands full. Flat
Rock has not played in Tryon for
several years and their appear
ance on the Tryon schedule furn
ishes the fans with an opportunity
to see a well-played match.
The Tryon team will be in full
strength for the contest, and anx
ious to start on the winning side
again.
The Tryon line-up will be taken
from the following: MtFarland,
Jackson, Green, Vining, Taylor,
Melton, Brock, Byers, Baker,
Beatson.
Referee: Culler (Appalachian);
time of game 7:30.
Tryon School Closed Today
As-a precaution to prevent the
spread of influenza, the Tryon
school closed today to reopen on
Monday. The number of cases of
illness were reported about 20 on
Thursday. Due to a change in
weather conditions, local physici
ans advised that a three day sus
pension of classes would aid in
checking the disease. Parents are
urged to cooperate in keeping
school children out of the weather
and from congregating in crowded
public places.