The herald., 1893-12-10
SOMETHING ABOUT cANA|GRE.
Interesting Facts About the
Great Tannin Plant.
Advantages Which It's Culture Will
Give to Farmers.
Another Possible Great Industry for
Southern California-The Product
of tho Plant and How 1t
Is Grown.


ing article, on a matter OF interest to
farmers and landowners:
Southern California is destined to
have another great industry added to
its many sources of income, within the
next few years.
The tanning of leather is an industry
that will probably never cease and each
year increases the business in that line,
and this increase will ever continue un-
til some great discovery revolutionizes
the manufacture OF leather and makes
unnecessary the use OF millions of tons
annually of tannin, which is now pro-
cured from oak and hemlock bark. At
the present time the great drain on these
barks is being seriously felt, and as .
result the price of tannic acid is steadily
advancing.
In the great economy Of nature when-
ever there is demand for a new article
that article is always found. At present
there is demand for more tsnnin-from
some new source of supply-and that
new source of supply appears to have
come to light.
Csnaigre is plant that has it's native
habitat In the arid regions of Chihuahua
and Sonora. The root of this plant fur
nishes tannin in large quantities. A
ton of the dried root furnishes 300 per
cent more tannin than is to be found in
q ton of oak bark.
The United States experiment station
at Tucson, Ariz,, under charge of Prof.
F. A. Gulley, and the government sta
tion at Los Cruces, N. M, under charge
of Prof. A. E. Blount, have been experi-
menting with this plant in practical
way during the past four or five years,
and the results of their experiments
have been given to the public in various
bulletins that have been issued from
time to time. From these experiments
it appears that this plant is very easily
cultivated. While it is suited to dry
so.l and climste, it grows more luxuri-
ously aided by irrigation. Roots planted
i'll the spring of 1894 will perfect crop
during the summer of 1895 that will
yield II tons to the acre. This crop OF
roots is worth $40 per ton in their green
state, or will work up into two tons of
dry extract that is worth 500 per ,pn
or 5000 per acre. The cost of cultivation
is put at less tnan $17 per acre, and the
cost OF converting the roots into the ex-
tract about $l.50 per ton or $l8 per acre,
leaving, net profit OF $l65 per acre
With view to establishing this in
dustry on the Mojave plains under the
Minneola canal near Daggett, Mr.. VIM.
\ Dietcrie, secretary of the Southern Cali
I fornia Improvement company, wrote to
Prof. Gully for information relative to
the canaigre plant, and received the
| following reply, under date OF December
4th, which contains much vsluable in
formation and will be read with interest
by those who are anxious to see addi-
tional paying industries added to the
present phenomenal resources of South
ern California:
Replying to your favor OF the 9th of
November. mail you copies of our bul-
letin on canagre. In No. you will
find pretty full account of this plant
and method of cultivation. The work
OF the past year corroborates all the
statements made. We have also been
working on the extraction of the tannin
extract, which is the valuable part of
the plant. We made an exhibit at Chi
cago of roots, liquid and dry extract,
and sliced and dried roots.
From inquiries made while was at
Chicago, and from my correspondence,
also from sales made by the DeminQ
factory, l find that an extract containing
40 per cent of tannic acid will cell for
about four cents per pound, and q go
per cent acid such as we made and had
on exhibition at about six cents Der
pound In Chicago, New York or Liver
pool.
1.-The plant of the Deming factory has
cost probably 100000. 1t is teaching
process, requires tho roots to be sliced.
and dried, and at best can only turn out
a A0 nor can't lIut1i1 ooid O1~
shows that a very much less costly, and
in every way better method, is one
somewhat similar to the process used in
making beet sugar. This will take the
roots fresh dug, get the acid out down
to less than one per cent and reduce the
liquid to dry powder that may be
shipped in sacks.
1T is first a diffusion process the same
as in the beet sugar factory, and requir-
ing nearly the same kind of diffusion
battery, but the drying down part diff
fers as this material will not crystalise
like sugar.
"While no large plantations of canaigre
have been started in Arizona, we have
planted 1t in d number OF places and on
variety of aoils, su ticient to show that
there is no difficulty in growing 12 to Is
tons to the acre with fairly good treat
mont. drOWtp 6tsIbS ii OCtOD6r and
ends in May, so that very little work ia
called for to keep down weeds, and at
this time of the year q very moderate
amount of water suffices 10 keep the soil
moist and the plant growing. 1t is dry
soil plant naturally, but with irrigation
makes more and larger roots.
''The cost of making dry extract
will not exceed 81 30 per ton OF green
roots in large factory. An acre of roots
dug from IL to Is months after planting
will yield two tons OF dry extract that at
present prices OF tanning materials
would be worth about 500 per ton at
the factory.
"From the above it will be seen that
4 plantation and factory would be much
more profitable than sugar beet grow.
ng and sugar making.
II have gone over the cost of machin-
Try with several sugar making experts
md builders of this class OF machinery.
md find that factory with a capacity
o work up 200 tons OF roots per day
, i'll coet about $l0N 900. II would not
70 advisable to pu4 up a smaller plant
han this, as the expense OF machinery
md cost OF running factory one-haif
II the size would bs nearly as much.
II have been working az tnis problem
or the past two yesre, trying TO get
actory started in this territory, and