The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-05
CORNHUSkS ARE SCARCE,
Many TamaIe Men Are Forced
to Close Their EStab-
liShmentS.
Several Tons Secretly Gathered Up
in Mexico to Relieve the
Local Famine.

Local tamale manufacturers are being
forced out of the business. The trouble
has arisen through a scarcity of husks
Usually these indispensable adjuncts OF
the toothsome Spanish dainty sell from
cents to cents pound.
This year they began to get scarce about
January 1. Prices began to 90 up.
1t was then discovered that there were
no husks to be had IN the United States.
Early rains had spoiled most of those
picked for the tamale trade, and the rest
were not available.
Charles S. Kapp of the firm of Kapp &
Street secretly sent a man to Mexico to
buy up all the husks in the market there.
Yesterday Mr.. Kapp was the happiest man
in the city.
He had received ten tons of husks, and
though some of them cost him 40 cents q
pound he was glad to get them at that
Had they not arrived he would have been
forced to give up what he has made very
lucrative business.
The fluctuations of the cornhusks have
been peculiar. When Ned Foster received
the tamale concession of the Midwinter
Fair he had fifty tons of husks picked for
him, most of which came from MERGED
County. They cost HIM and cents a
pound.
After the fair he had about twenty-four
tons left. In November, 1894, he sold ten
tons of these to Mr.. Kapp and the rest to a
Mr.. Palmer at 5 cents pound. On Janu-
airy Mr.. Kapp paid Mr.. Palmer cents
for portion of his husks. In February,
he paid him Is cents, and in March he
bought all that Mr.. Palmer would sell him
for Is cents a pound.
Most of the husks used here come from
Southern California. That source of sup
ply was exhausted carly this year. From
Kansas and Colorado few were obtained.
Then the whisky men were appealed to.
The answer was that in Kentucky they
burnt the husks or fed them to the cows,
butthat there would be plenty next year.
The small local tamaleimakers who buy
their tamales as they use them have been
forced to go out of the business, as the
men with large stocks will not sell. Even
n. Garcia the pioneer of the tamale in
dustry, who has stewed up chicken and
peppers in Hinckley alley for that pur-
pose for twenty years, has had to discon-
tinue.
j. T. Swoffort, who has had large bust
ness for eight years, daZzled by the oppor-
tunity of selling husks, for which he had
paid 2 cents pound, for 25 cents, sold his
entire stock, thinking the top notch was
reached, and he could bay more soon at
low figures. He has had to shut up his
shop.
Foster, after selling his husks, decided
to open tamale-garden on the roof of the
buildings in the Blythe block. This plan
fell through. Later he contracted for the
lot on Eddy street, recently bought by Mr..
Spreckels from the old hermit who had
lived there for years.
Mr.. Foster bought vast quantities of red
pepper, made his contracts for chickens,
and then found he could not get husks for
love nor money and had to give up his
scheme.
Corn husks are not very heavy, but in
San Francisco an average of 600 pounds
are used every night for tamales. On Sat-
nrdays this figure will reach 800 pounds.
From this an estimate can be gained of
what privation would ensue should the
husks now on hand be DESTROYED.