Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-30
nEJ0LUr,oyIy rANyiNa.
Extraordinary Power Possessed by the
lnnnLgrn " eeh.

\ Extraordinary Power Possessed by the
| Canaigre Weed.
In the California canaigre, hitherto
looked upon as little else than boauti-
full weed, agriculturists may find new
| field for production and manufacturers
an exceptionally useful product, says
| the Omaha Bee.
| When the Span iards camo to America
| they found that the Indians Of the
Southwest were skilled in tho ol1est of
all the practical arts, that of leather
tanning The Spanish historians Of
| Mexico mention that the inhabitants
| OF the country used the juice OF u
native plant iu curing skins, and when
cattle we're introduced that this Same
| plant was found useful in tanning their
hides. Recognizing the plant as rela-
tive OF the European dock, they called
it "canaigre, which is a combination
of two Spanish woods meaning sour
dock. Canaigre possesses the geatest
store of tHnnin of any known plant, ami
| IL is this that gives it value almost
incalculahle and will make it world.
| famous.
Fourteen years ago resident OF Jer-
sey City, who was employed in railway
construction in Mexico, saw an In
dian tanning hide with tho juice Of
canaigre, and, being curious to know
the properties of the root, sent some
specimens to Boston Chemist. The
rerurt returned was that the roots con
tained pure tannin in proportion OF
40 FER cent TO their bulk. This was
the beginning of a series of experiments
conducted for seven years ami costing
many thousand of dollars and demon
strating beyond tine possibility Of
doubt that vegetable tanning agent
had besn discovered which would revU-
lutionize the tanning of leather.
| The experiments with cannigre, con-
Quoted by the United States goyern.
ment ami by private individuals. show
that the plant was evidently designet
by nature for tanning purposes. All
the tanbarks and nuts must he used
with skill and care. as the hidea left
too long in ths tanning solution are
burned and weakened. Cutting through
an ordinary piece of leather, fins dark
line is seen near each surface, showing
that ths distribution of the tanning
fluid is not uniform. Singulary enough
hides tanned by canaigre absorb only
certain quantity OF the fluid, ana no
matter how long they are left 10 the
vat will neither take more nor be in
| jured in any way by being subjected to-
the influence OF canaigre tanning.
Until Within three years ago there
was not canaigre farm in this world,
and the first commercial crop harvested
in California last year upon a farm Of
~, 600 acres, reclaimed from the desert
for the purpose. The experiments in
Arizona had proved that the quantity
of tannin in the roots Of tho plant was
largely increased by cultivation and
that no crop could lie grown with less
labor or would yield larger returns.
The bulletins sent out by the govern
ment declarp that Vt costs SIG. 30 pnr
acre to plant, irrirate, cultivate and
harvest canaigre, while tho returns nre
500 10 SO per ton and the yield from IL
to 20 tons per acre 90 new land.
Although nature succeeds in pro-
pagating canaigre from the ssed, man
has not yet learned her secret, and On
the three canHigrs farms in the South
west, where the industry ia in sturdy
and promising infancy, cuttings from
the roots are the sole means of propaga-
tiun. These roots are dug in the re.
mote desert, the supply nearest rail.
ways having been marketed in the last
three years. Only that portion of the
plant nearest the stems will grow, and
even after these cuttings have been
| llElti dub btOffu IWo NGdTb Luby TbIdln
their perfect virility. They are set three
feet apart and six inches below the sur.
face, being planted by machinery in
ridges, as sweet potatoes are set. They
are also dug with potato digger, and
their culture IL easy, two irrigationa
annually being all that is required.
After the cuttings are taken from the
upper mart of the root the lower nor
tion is eiced by machinery to the thick.
cess of Saratoga potatoes. Thess
thin slices are then spread upon canvas
and exposed to the sun for "a hours,
when they are ready TO be placed iu
bags and shipped to this consumer.
Of course the process of decay begins
in hide the instant it is removed from
the animal, and the object of tanning
fluids is to arrest decay. The sooner
the process is completed the stronger
AMI more perfect tho leather, and for
so years scientists have sought chemi-
cal combination that would imme-
diately arrest such decay. What they
failed in nature accomplished in her
desert HtorehouBo. The culture of
canaigre has opened up a great desert
agriculture, established a new industry
and source Of wealth for the nation,
The English tanneries are extensive con-
sumers. and the demand for canaigre
chips has gfown so rapidly that were
every arid acre 10 Southeastern Cali
fornia and Arizona, tho native and
favorable habitat for .4tfe plant, act
with canaigre, there Would be no dan.
ger of Cutting the market. The limited
area in which the culture is peesibIe
is only ANAL compared with the 81 1t.
ness OF our country, for thousands upon
thousands Of acres Of desert land, still
government domain, yield the wild
plant, and the marketing OF the wild
plant pays the first expense ct the cul-
tiyation.
| f,nnuuanf