Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-01-22

ST. NICHOLAS HoTEL.t
New York. JaH. z, 1870.

new E0fkg Jaus " AotV.
MR. EDIToR: No person Of Ordl-
nary observation, who has travelled
through the Gulf States, can have
overlooked the extent to which the
SWmGC plant ls prOdnced all
through these States. kHmac is
produced to q considerable extent
in alt States South Of the Ohio
river, lying between the Potomac
aud the Rio Gfande But no where
is its spontaneous growth more
prolific aud lnxuriant than in the
States bordering on the Gulf Of
Mexico, and in the States on both
shores OF the Mississippi. Our
people have, until quite recently,
regarded this plant as Of little or
no account, II not as utterly worth
less. The success, however, which
has resulted to the people OF Vir-
ginia, from their efforts to utilize
the plant in that State, within the
next few years, has Influenced some
few Of our more public spirited citi-
zens to put forth some little effort
in the way Of enquiry as to the na-
ture and the remunerative char
acter of the enterprise, with the in-
tentiOn of encouraging the inau-
guration OF the manufacture,
through the States in question,
should the results Of their investi-
cations warrant them in so doing.
The prosecution of these investiga-
ti0ns forms the principal object
which caused my present visit
to this city. Since my
arrival in New York l have call
ed on several OF the more prominent
Merchants who are engaged in the
importation and sale Of SamGc, and
from them learn that the demand
calls for all they can procure; that
il Is steadily Increasing, and Is al
ready practically unlimited. The
market price for the several grades
of SWm0c range from $40 TO $500
per ton.
The importers ell concur in the
opinion, that the SWmGe plant,
grown in the States bordering on
the Gulf, samples Of which have
been subjected TO chemical tests by
several Of our most learned Chem
ists,) contains a much greater per
Centage of tannin and colOring
properties than Is found In the plant
grown in any of the countries from
which we receive our supplies.
They assure me that with the same
care used in its cultivation aud
manufacture, rs characterize Its pro.
ductiOn and manufacture abroad
our Samdc would rise in value, the
choicest grades, imported from Mo-
rocco or Algiers, and would shut
or imporations from Italy aud
the Barbary States, just as soon
as our home product should
eqlal the demand. Tie importers
seem disposed TO encourage the
manufacture in the Gulf States, and
to this end several of them, have
purchased pamphlets descriptive
of the mode of cultivation aud man
ufaclure, as practiced in the
several countries, from whicl
we receive our princpa
supplies. Messrs. Wakefield, Prat
Il Co, Of Barclay street, and the
Messrs. Johnson u Sons, Of 10 Cliff
street, New York, have thOsC
pamphlets, with elaborate engraY'
ihgs of the most approved ma
chinery used in the manufacture IN
this country and abroad. They
also contain n graphic descrip'
tion of the various modes Oi
cultivation, time Of gather
ing, manner Of curing thI
plant, or Its leaves, twigs, and
buds, preparatory to its manulac
ture, etc, as practiced in Sicily
Southern Spain, Moscow, Tunis
Tripoli and Algiers. The Jour
nal of Commerce Of this city, II
many of its back numbers, during
the past two years, gives all the
details necessary to a genera
knowledge of the cultivation and
manufacture Of this plant into tht
various grades usual to these mar
kets.
| hope to see this new branch Of in
dustry inauguTated, at an early day
all through the Gulf States, as
am fully confident 1t viii develops
to our people, one Of thei
most productive resources. l
will not only afford to thl
women and children Of ou
labOriDg class the most profitable
. and appropriate emplOymen
to which their labor can be direct
ed, but It will greatly enhance tho
value Of the lands which will b
used in the culture of the plant
which will gradually embrace sucl
as are comparatively useless TO
other purposes. J. w. II.
!