The herald., 1893-12-17
cANA|GRE PROMISES WELL,
1t Will Supercede Oak and
Heml0ck for Tannery.
An Industry Suitable for the Arid
Land Regions.
1t Has Become = Comm ercial PROPOSE
tion Only I'm tho Past Four or
Five Years-Some vaiu-
able Inform alton.
IBY L. NJ. HOLT. |

[BY L. NJ. HOLT.
This canaigre plant very much re-
sembles the rubarb or pie plant in leaf
and it has root very much like beet.
it 10 q native of Chihuhahua, Sonora,
New Mexico and Arizona. and is found
Wild in some parts OF Southern Cslifor-
MIA.
1t is only during the past four of five
years that this plant has attracted
public attention az a commercial prep
osition. In 1882 and again in 1884, at
tempts were made to utilize the canaigre
root by making shipments of the wild
root to the eastern states and to Europe,
but the scarcity of the root was an OBJ.
stscle to success, and the idea of culti-
waiting the plant was not then thought of.
The value of the root consists in the
amount of tsnnic acid which it carries,
which ranges from 20 to 80 per cent,
and this acid is used extensively all over
the world in the manufacture of leather,
the present source of supply being oak
and hemlock bark, which are getting
very scarce, and hence the price of tan
The first shipment of this root in it's
green state was made to Glasgow, Scot
lsnd, In 1887, and after trial it was
stated that one firm there Martin &
Miller could use 10000 tons a year at
$40 per ton, in its sliced and dried state.
At Eddy, in the Pecos valley in New
Mexico, the farmers are cultivating
canai2re and are getting $40 per ton in
its green state for all they can raise.
The commercial value of canaigre sp-
pears to be established beyond all ques-
tion.
Professor Either of the Vienna re-
search station says that ''canaigre is
suited for tanning uppers, fine saddlery
aud fancy feathers. 1t can be used alone
or III connection with other materials"
He also recommends it for its quickness
and thcrougbness in tanning, color,
beauty, consistency and pliability. He
slso Gays that the price, $65 per ton for
the dried root, is very reasonable.
In 1891 and '92 the shipments of the
canaigre root assumed considerable
proportions. Between n 500 and 1000 car
loads found it's way to market from Arl-
zoDa, New Mexico and Texas. And in
addition thereto large quantities of the
product was stored at the extract works
at Deming.
Thus far most of the canaigre root
product has been gathered by digging
the wild plant, but this is unsatiefac-
tory, for 30 mucn territory must be
worked over to get limited amount OF
the root.
1t has now been demonstrated beyond
question that the plant can be success
fully cultivated, and that there is more
profit in cultlvating the crop than in
relying on the wild product, which ia
necessarily so scattered as to take away
all the profit fn the extra expense of
gathering.
AT $40 per ton, which appears to be a
minimum price for the root crop, the
profits are more than double the profits
of beet culture, for the yield per acre is
about the same, while the cost of pro-
duction is less and the price per ton is
more than double.
The amount of tannic acid used in the
world is enormous, and while the de-
mand is increasing the supply is rapidly
decreasing.
In addition to the supply of oak and
hemIock barks, our country is import
ing large quantities of gambler from the
East Indies. During 1891, Is 900 tons
were brought iuto this country, which
was valued at $1,000 per ton or ST., ,500,-
600. Six tons of green canaigre root
will make one ton of tannic acid worth
500, and this acid can be manufactured
at q cost of about $40 per ton, and this
would make the green canaigre roots
worth SIS per ton-three times tine value
of the sugar best. 1t would require 5000
carloads of green canaigre to take the
place OF the imported gambler, to say
nothing OF supplanting the oak and
hsmlock bark and exporting to other
countries.
While canaigre is a dry climate plant
its growth is assisted materially by irri
cation, but it is one of those crops W here
no irrigation is necessary during the dry
summer months of June, July, August
and September. The plant begins to
grow in October and natures In May,
after which the roots or tubers increase
in size and value during the summer
months, but the top dies down and no
water is necessary.
The canaigre tuber resembles in shape
the sugar beet. They are planted one
in hill like potatoes, the rows being so
inches apart and the plants from 8 to IL
inches apart in the row. A ton of tubers
will plant an acre. The plants grow
vigorously, and dozen tubers, more or
less, form in each hill, where the seed
tuber grows in size and, unlike the seed
potato, at the end of the season it is as
good as any taken in the hill. only it is
larger. The tubers are planted and har-
vested as potatoes are planted and har-
vested.
The man who grows this crop can do
80 with many advantages in his favor.
He takes care of his crop during the
fall, winter and spring months, using
such irrigation as may be necessary and
J desirable, and wnen the hot summer
months come he ia through his work
for the season, and he can retire to the
seacoast and take the summer easy with
no farm cares 10 worry him. In the
/ following October he can harvest HE
crop, and plant again getting ready for
another season.
1t seems as though the market for
this crop was practically unlimited and
that the business would never be over
done, but OF course regarding this the
future will decide more definitely.
So far as experience goes, the canal
gre tuber improves with cultivation.
1t would be strange If this were Eot so.
The tubers will probably increase in
size, the yield per acre will probably
increase aleo, and the percentage of
tannic acid will likely increase with
cultivation. and possibly choice varie-
ties may come to light which will be an