The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-07-18


VEGETABLE IVORY.
TIE ooafss anA UGs os . Qeese.Iooklne
Tropical MaA.
On the Atlantic docks IN Drooklyn .
few days ago, . reporter Of tho New
York Evening Post picked up . queer.
looking nut In si2c IL might DO com.
pared with q walnut. though It was
somewhat larger; but In shape Il was
very different, being NOS round, but fiat
on several sides. It differed also from
tho walnut In tho surface OF its she'll,
which rcsemblcd tho chcstnut's in color,
hut not SO smooth; and It differed still
moro in the substance OF its shcll, which
offered only y moderate resistance to
the point Of . ponknife. Tho moment,
however, that the she'll was penetrated,
q resistance was encountered which was
by no means moderate. rho nut inside
was o solid white substance, almost a.
hard % marble.
Asccrtainlng that this vas q specimen
OF the ivory nuts. which arc articles Of
commerce, tho reporter visited the chief
local dealer in them and asked somc
questions about thcir nature and uses.
Tho dealer said: "Whilc ivory nut ID
tho name used in this country, the
Spanish name is 'tagua,' and in England
and Germany the nut is known as tho
~'corossos nut-which 1t is not, tho
corossos nut being something entirely
different. Tho nut without its she'll 10
here also called vegetable ivory It
is n Of tho uncultivatcd products
Of South America, and is import
cd chiefly from Ecuador and the
United States of Colombia. 1t grows
upon q species of palm tree about four
teen feet high. which is found in inn
mcnse groves along tue banks Of the
larger streams, preferrfng low, marshy
soil, but not dfstatntng tho higher
ground. What is called tho female trcc
yields q %pcrfumcd blossom, AMI, like
tho cocoanut tree, bears buds and blos-
SONS at tho samo time that the ripencd
nuts arc dropping to the ground. Tho
male tree also blossoms, but it's flowers
never turn to fruit. Tho nuts grow in
thick clusters close to tho trunk Of tho
tree. They arc gathered by the natives,
who carry them IN canoes or on their
backs in baskets from tho groves to tho
towns and villages along tho rivers,
whore they soil then. for q nero trinc.
Tho traffic in tho United States of Co.
lombiais chiefly on tho Magia;cna river.
and in Ecuador along various streams.
The nuts arc collected at tho villages
by small, fat-hottomcd steamers, burn
ing wood for fuel, and drawing only four
and o half fect of water when loaded.
These carry tho nuts principally to
.Aspinwall, whence they are shipped in
schooncrs and by tho steamers OF the
Atlas limo to the various importing
places. Tho schooncrs arc rarely loaded
with ivory nuts alone, but receive about
half their cargo in cocoanuts, which arc
invariably put on top Of the ivory nuts;
the latter would hroak the coconnuts IL
their positions ~crc reversed, while tho
c%oceanuts could as easily brcaka pilc Of
cannon balls
Hamburg, Germany, is the largest
market for ivory nuts. New York comes
next, and is the only port in this coun-
try to which they are shipped. San
Francisco tried tho trade but had to
give 1t up. London is third, though not
many years ago 1t was ccond / think
that perhaps fashion has had something
to do with it in setting its face against
articles made from the ivory nut.
"Thosc articles arc principally but
tons. and for o common or medium
grade button thcrc is no better material.
At tho factories boys called 'shuckcrs'
arc employed to knock OF the shells OF
the nuts. Tho ivory is then taken by
sawycrs and 'slabbed,' that is, cut with
lnc saws into disks. After being assort-
cd as 30 sizes the slabs are put in bins
To dry thoroughly. At first they arc
blush white; when dried they lose some
of their bulk and turn dead-white. Next,
girls put them into turnine-,nachincs,
by which they arc converted into various
button shapes. Dyers then take them
and turn them out OF thoir watts in four
OF lvo sets of colors. TO Others q mot
lcd appcarance is imparted with brushes.
They arc also made to initiate vcryclosc.
ly tortoisc-shclls, black cloths, especial
ly black silk, and Scotch goods. / dare
say you have often had ivory.
nut buttons on your clothing, and
thoughtthey were bono or cloth-covcred.
They Q and hold apolish cxcellcntly.
Such ehings IS baby r%attles, umbrella
heads, cano heads, and hooks and eyes,
arc also madc from i%vory-nuts.
"1'hc older the ivory gets, the harder
it becomes, and. II undyed, the whittier.
Its usefulness has become greatly 70.
strictcd by tho small size Of tho nut.
Experiments have long been unsucccss-
fully tried to mako tho ivory into blocks
of any size by reducing tho nuts to pow
der and then moulding the mass to-
gether by powerful machine pressure.
II any n could succeed in inventing
means to do this, it is safe to say q fort
unc would await him. Vegetable ivory
would then superscde cclluloid, which
is affected by moisture and smells of
camphor, and is also much moro expcn-
sivc. Tho supply Of ivory nuts is vast.
AT tho head of tho Amazon river, not to
mention other parts of South America.
there arc thousands of acres thickly
covered with nuts, which, left for years
untouched. arc rotting away.
I'm the market hero eight grades arc
recognized, according to tho places from
which the nuts como. Tho Ecuador nuts
rank highest, and Of these there are
two grades, the first coming from Tuna
co. and tho second from Guayaquil."
a Sample Of London Usury.
A case Of money lending at 100 pei
cent. came out in tho Lord MAYORS
Court in London . short time since,
The defendant in the case, named Bry.