The herald., 1897-10-11

1t Is claimed that cana1gre CHIPS are
now selling in Europe at about $50 ton,
two and half tons being equal to one
ton of extract in tanning value. There
fore, $50 worth of extract will make as
much leather as $125 worth Of chips.
These relative values must fix the future
selling price Of chips at point not ex-
ceeding S24 per ton, which would hardly
cover shipping and selling expenses.
In answer to a question as to what
price the market would stand, Mr.. AL
laire said that he had run his factory
for five years. a large portion of the
time on the wild root and had sold the
product at from $50 to $110 per ton. That
price was greater than the market
would stand, and he was confident that
he could have sold twenty times as much
If he had been able to sell the product
at $50 per ton. That price was all the
future would warrant. and in the course
Of time the price might go still lower.
AT $50 ton the tannin in the extract
would be worth about 6 1-5 cents per
pound, which would bring it on a parity
with the cheapest tanning materials
on the market. In order to sell the ex-
tract at $50 ton the factory should be
able to produce it at s25 ton, net cost
f. o. b. the cars at the factory. When
freight and cost of selling are added
to this price the margin Of profit at $50
is none too large, when the cost of the
plant to make the extract and the cost
Of the land in which to raise the raw
product is taken into consideration.
In order to produce the extract at $25
per ton it is necessary to secure the
green roots at not to exceed 81. so per ton.
At the present time it is not safe to cal
culate on raising more than eight tons
to the acre. So that a gross income of
$40 an acre is about all the producer can
get out of his canaigre crop.
In view Of the fact that canaigre Is
worth absolutely nothing except to the
factory that can make the extract, 1t
will be seen that the rancher who at
tempts to grow canaigre is at the abso-
lutte mercy of the owners Of the factory,
and hence people will not, and cannot,
engage in the canaigre business unless
under contract with the factory, and
then 1t must be at price so low that
there is little or no profit in the crop.
1t will cost 1925 per ton to produce the
crop, and there is no profit in selling it
at $3.50 per ton.
There is, then, only one way to engage
in this business. and that is for the
owners of the factory to own the land
and grow their own crops Of canaigre,
so as to get it at cost price.
In order to raise a crop at 500 an acre
cheap land is g. necessity. High-priced
land cannot be used. In fact, high
priced land is not necessary, because
canaigre will grow just as we'll on cheap
land, as on higher grades of soil-if not
better-while higher-priced crops that
cannot be grown at all on the cheaper
lands will grow on the better grades
of landl
Canaigre grows during the fall win
ter and spring months, but lies abso-
lutely dormant during the summer
months. Therefore, when irrigation is
required, the water need be applied
only from the 1st of October to the 1st
of April Hence the waters from a
lowing stream can be used from Octo-
Der to April on the canaigre crop, while
it would otherwise mostly run to waste,
and from April to October on fruits,
alfalfa and other crops which may re-
quire it. In this way the irrigating
stream can be made to do duty during
the entire year, whereas without the
canaigre crop two-thirds or more Of the
years water would run to waste.
Canaigre should be planted during
the months of June, July, August and
September. 1t should all be in by the
1st Of October.
There is an abundance of land in Cali
fornia suited to canaigre culture that
r. 1oI 70 tn
Such land would have an abundance
of water for winter irrigation. Beyond
those figures it would not be safe to go
for land for a canaigre plantation.
With the price of canaigre extract
brought down to a parity with other
tanning products-say $50 a ton-the
future market for the product Is unlin-
tied, and when cheap land can be had
there is good margin Of profit in grow
ing the canaigre roots and manufactur-
ing the extract and putting it on the
market at that price. The ocean freights
from San Pedro to Liverpool should not
exceed $12 ton, and the extract could
then be placed on the markets of Europe
at $50 ton with good margin of profit
to the manufacturer over the $25 ton
cost of production.
1t is not yet known how often a. crop
should be gathered. In placing a crop
at eight tons to the acre, one years
growth was estimated. Whether or not
it will pay to let the roots grow two
or more years IS a. question that expert
ence and the future must determine.
Each year the roots will grow in size
and increase in the percentage Of tan
min which they will contain, but whether
this increase in size and value will offset
the increase of time in maturing the
crop or not, no one at present can tell.
One great advantage in growing the
crop is that it is free from probable
injury from droughts or floods, insect
enemies or diseases. If no market is
available at the end of the first years
crop, it can be left in the ground with
out cost for insurance or storage, and it
will increase in weight and value. Then
it can be gathered any time of the year.
1t is the only commercial crop known
where a man gets his seed back with
an increase of 200 to 400 per cent in its
weight. The seed potato rots and is
valueless but seed canaigre is larger
and more valuable when the crop is
gathered than 1t was when the seed was
planted.
"Of course, all estimates are made on
the crop as we find the plant today; but
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