The record-union., 1896-05-04
FARM and ORCHARD.
Commercial Culture Of CanaiSre, or
Wild Rhubarb.
Eggs by Weight Directions tor Bud
ding-Bean-C Culture-Give the
Ranch a Name.

In the rainless regions of the South
west the MeXicanS have for centuries
been tanning hides with the roots OF a
sour dock or wild rhubarb, rumex ny
menosepalus, called by the early mis-
sionaries sour cana, cana agria, which
was finally pronounced cah-na-ger and
spelled canaigre With the advent of
the Anglo-Saxon and the railway, the
plant was utilized in the local tanneries,
and recently stock companies have been
organized to gather, slice, and sun-dry
large quantities of the roots of the wild
plant, and many carloads have been pre-
pared and shipped to American and
European tannerieS. A canalgre tan
ming extract is also made, which is very
similar to the gambler tanning extract,
derived from the leaves and young twigs
of an East Indian tree. The United
States imports gambler to the extent of
a million and a half dollars annually,
and also sends abroad for hemlock bark
and other tanning materials to the value
of a million dollars more The world S
yearly crop of gambler is valued at ten
million dollars, and nearly all of it is
shipped from India to Great Britain,
and is thence exported to the other Eu-
ropean nations, and to America, being
wholesaled at from to 5 cents per
pound. Canaigre finds it's strongest COM
petitor in gambler, as the tanning prop
critics of the two substances are very
similar.
Leather acquires from canaigre a
clearer, brighter orange color than from
any other tanning material. The use
of even small quantity gives brighter
Tint To "a nd ic no
very best material for retaining poorly
tanned hides. The great value of canal
gre lies in the fact that it tans quickly,
colors deeply and seems to give
strength to the soft, durable, impervious
leather which is very tough and pliable.
1t is adapted to the tanning of fancy
leather, uppers, saddlery and the finer
kinds of sole leather, as the product
is of a pleasing color, and neither
shrinks or swells. AS 1t is the first to
act on the hide, small amount of
canaigre, used with pine or other barks,
causes the latter to tan the leather more
rapidly and uniformly. Hence there is
an increasing demand for this new
American tanning material. Canaigre
is dock-iike plant or narrow-leaved
rhubarb, growing during the moister
WSdlISI VI d southwestern Idll anu VIII
ter, and throwing up a seed-stalk three
feet high, bearing pink flowers, which
change to purple. The valuable part is
the tuberous roots, which resemble a
cluster of sweet potatoes. These tubers
are the permanent part of the plant,
making their growth before the hot dry
summer, which kills all of the plant
above ground. The roots continue to
grow and increase in tannin for years.
The tannic acid in the green root in
creases from per cent. in the young
root to 10 per cent in the old. The tan
min in the air-dried root varies from Is
per cent. In the young root to 35 per
cent In the old. The leaves and stems
contain l per cent. of tannin when
green, and per cent. when dry. One
year-old tubers, when air-dried, are
about one-fourth tannin.
A moist, sandy soil is preferred by