Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-07-24
THE COCHINEAL.
PLANTATIONS DEVOTED TO THE
CULTURE OF THE QUEER INSECTS
Separation Of the Coloring Principls
How Commercial Cochineal
ID Adulterated-Producti
Fannie B. Wards Guatemala Letterl


Cattle ranches, sheep ranches, even
chicken ranches are common enough in tbs
United States, but o bug ranch would be,
the raising of hemiptesous insects Of the
bark louse family, especially the caccus
cacti or Spanish cochinilla, ID q profitable,
IL not pleasant industry. and in this por-
ton Of it vast plantations are devoted to
the cultivation OF the Indian fig, or nopal.
of the genus cacti. or opuntia cochinills
fora, for the nourishment Of the bark lice
Between the attitudes Of 500 and 5000
feet Is the favorite locality for cochineal
raising, particularly in the vicinity Of Qua
tsmals Ia Antigua, tho ancient capital,
founded by Alvarado, and in this depart
ment Of Quezaltenango.
The method Of cultivasing these insects ID
most curious They require about the Same
care that is ordinarily bestowed upon silk
worms During the lastdays Of May, immsdi-
ate!y before the annual rains begin, great
branches Of cacti, covered with the insects. arc
cut of, and stored in building erected for
the purpose, to protect them from the
weather At the close Of the wet season, or
about the middle Of October, the plantations
are restocked from these supplies by sus-
pending little nests, made Of jute, maguey. or
any other soft, woody fiber. upon the spines
Of the growing nopal, each nest containinga
dozen female insects. Warmed ty the
tropic sun, they soon emerge from their semi
comatose condition and begin to lay eggs
with marvellous rapidity, each female pro-
ducing more than 1000 young. The new
crop Immediately spreads over the plants.
the females at once swelling to surprising
size and attaching themselves so closely to
the nopal as to become almost q part OF it, so
that they resemble VEGETABLE excrescences
rather than animated insects. In this con-
dition they are gathered for cochineal, tho
females only being valuable for commercial
purposes The males are comparatively few
in number, not more than one to $50 fe-
males, and are of no use for coloring ma
terial Tho females are picked OF with
blunt knife, collected with baskets, and
killed by dipping into boiling water or by
baking them in ovens or on plates Of iron
The first crop is gathered about the mid
die Of December, and subsequently, several
more OF as many successive generations arc
obtained These tiny scions Of the numerous
family cocoide are in the form Of rounded
scales, the body covered with deep trans
verse wrinkles, bristly on the posteFior part
with abdomen Of dark mulberry color and
short black legs The male has two erect
wings the female mona. An expert laborer
can pick only about two ounces Of cochineai
in day. These lose at least two thirds Of
their weight in the process OF drying. As it
requires not less than &c. 900 insects to weigh
pound, and the average retail price Of the
commodity is only ~ cents pound in the
United States. it will be seen that the
cochineal business is by no means a sinecure
for the operative.
Occasionally bug distemper breaks out
and devastates entire estates, as in Guats-
mala a few years ago, when the haciendados
were Obliged to clear out the old stock root
and branch and begin anew The worms
are also fed upon by birds, mice and the
Larvae of other insects An inferior quality
OF insects, known as sylvsstre, which is in
digenous to wild species Of cactus, il
sometimes sold for the better variety. and
il not infrequently happens that the differ
ent species OF bark-lice become mixed in the
same plantat ton without design ON the par:
Of the owner. When the living insects have
been immersed in boiling water they turn to
powder with which the wrinkles Of their
body are loaded. Whom dried in All oven
they retain this powder, and then their
color is gray, but when baked on hot iron
thew become black This accounts for the
so-calied varieties Of the same bug, known
in the market as silver grains, black grains,
and foxy grains. Foxy grains are those
killed by boiling They bring the highest
price.
The coloring principle which causes these
tiny creatures to impart crimson hue TO
watery infusions has been separated by
chemists, who give il the name OF cochinil
inc. 1t is brilliant purplish red. very
soluble in water or alcohol, but not solu-
BILE in ether 1t is obtained by maceratinE
tho dried insects in ether, treating the resi-
due in alcohol and separating it. Next it is
purified from accompanying fatty matters
by again dissolving it in alcohol, after which
the addition Of q little sulphuric acid will
cause it to be precipitated in few days.
The coloring matter is thrown down by diff
ferent metallic salts, such rs those of zinc,
bisInuth, iron, nickel, and tin, and these
produce precipitates Of brilliant colors. By
means of the chloride and nitrate of tin the
bases of the splendid crimson and scarlet
dyes are obtained, to which the great value
Of cochineal is chiefly due. The best OF
those pigments called lakes are made by in
PRODUCING freshly prepared gelatinous
alumina into the d. coction OF cochineal
The high price Of this coloring matter has
led to the substitution Of other articles for
dyeing, lac and madden having superseded
the coccuS to a great extent Various
articles are also used In the adulteration of
cochineal, and the tricks Of the trade rival
the Yankee pine ham, wooden nutmeg, and
sawdust ginger industry. Powdered car
Donate of lead, tied in . bag and shaken
with the insects, adheres to their wrinkled
bodies and greatly increases their weight
Grains Of a substance prepared from colored
dough and clay have been manufactured by
enterprising Frenchmen to precisely initiate
coccus and palmed OF upon an unsuspscting
public. Millions Of pounds of candy and
confectionery are annually colored with
powdered cochineal
Tho Mexican coccos was introduced into
Europ, soon after the Spanish conquest,
where its superior quality soon displaced the
kermes, which until that time had been in
high repute. Even the living insects were
imported, and plantations Of Mexican cacti
cultivated, although the Spaniards
took extraordinary precautions during their
rule in Mexico to prevent the removal OF tho
coccus from their newly-acquired territories.
So highly was it appreciated that at ono
time the English government offered q re-
ward Of 6,0O0 pounds sterling t. any ono
who would introduce it into India.
In the year 1870 cochineal was first Guilt
waited in the Canary islands, and after tho
failure Of the grape crop some twenty
OF export In 1870 no lsx than
Z, 100000 pounds OF cochineal were
shipped from these islands to England, tho
product being valued On tho spot at s., aO0,-
900. About forty years ago the French sue
ceeded in establishing coccus plantations in
Algeria: and to-day the production OF that
country Is said To equal the hest Of Central
America The Dutch also have raised great
quantities Of it in Java
A variety is found in California which
has all the properties Of that OF Brazil and
southern Mexico. the only Difference being
that the California insect produces . beauti-
ful rose pink, instead Of the vivid scarlst Of
the Mexican coccuA In Mexico its cultiva-
ton Is chiefly confined To the state Of
Oaxaca. though beyond doubt it might be
grown in most Of the other states and terri
tories, with the same success as in Guate-
mala and all the 6panish-American prov.
inccs
la-A