The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-04-27
THE COCHINEAL INDUSTRY.

THE COCHINEAL INDUSTRY.
A Littel Woodlouse That Once Was
Important for Dyeing Birds Fair to
Becomes so Again.
Until not so very long ago cochineal,
q dried insect which furnishes the most
brilliant red color known, occupied a
very prominent position in the world
commerce. The market quotations OF
| this article were watched with as much
If not more interest than those of cof-
| fee are to-day. Immense sums ofmoney
were invested, both in the production
of cochineal and in its marketing and
transportation. While Spain was the
ruler of the western world cochineal
was one of the principal sources of
revenue for that nation, and her gov
eminent as we'll her merchants were
guarding with jealous care the monop-
oily they enjoyed in this much sought
after dyestuff.
| The center of the state of OaXaca,
with it's many high plateaus and val
leys, seems to be the native home OF
the tiny insect which produces the
| cochineal of commerce, and probably
has been the chief seat of the cochineal
industry for many centuries, as CO.
clinical was extensively used for gem
erations before the discovery Of Amer
lea by modern civilization. 1t is we'll
known that Montesuma and other Az
tee rulers before him sent merchants to
Oaxaca to procure the priced color
with which to adorn works of art and
even of common use, No doubt the
civilization known to have undoubted-
ly existed in the western hemisphere
long before the advent of European
conquerors made extensive use of the
product of the OaXaca valleys.
1t is a matter of record that during
the last half century over $90,000,000
was paid out in Oaxaca to the CO.
clinical producers, which probably does
not represent more than one-fifth of the
price paid by the actual consumers.
The Spanish government alone exacted
a tax of about SITE pound, and the
cost of transportation, which must
have been very great, and the commits
sions amounted to enough more to
make cochineal bring IS pound in the
wholesale market of Europe. But since
the middle of the present century
dangerous competitor for the Oaxaca
insect has been discovered in coal tar,
from which science is producing the
brilliant colors, known as aniline, at
an extremely low cost. If 1t were not
for the fact that there are certain class
es of goods which cannot be dyed ex-
cept with the aid of cochineal, the in
dustry would have been killed entirely.
While the producer formerly would re-
fuse less than 81 a pound, the price
went down as low as Is cents. Quite
recently, however, the demand for CO.
cineal has increased, and the price has
gone up to SO and even 60 cents a
pound, at which rate the cochineal in
dustry is paying one. In consequence
the interest in the insect has been re-
vived in OaXaca, and many new planta
tions for it's cultivation have been laid
out in the valley of Oaxaca.
The cochineal insect, which is the fe-
male of species of wood louise, feeds
upon a plant belonging to the great
cactus family commonly called the
'nopal' This plant grows from leaf
to leaf, the leaves being oblong in
shape, rather round and heavy at the
upper end, with but few spines on the
edges. If left alone the plant adds
new leaves from year to year, and will
reach a hight of from 10 to IL feet. The
cultivation of the plant use the new
leaves, after they have grown to be
about four inches broad In the largest
diameter, as sprouts for replanting and
making fields for the cultivation of the
insect. The planting Is done in shall
low trenches, about two or three inch
es deep, dug about 2 IL feet apart. The
sprouts are set at a distance of about
Is inches from each other, and gener-
ally take root very rapidly after fav-
ing been set out and grow new leaves.
Within year'es time they are ready |
to receive the insect.
AS a rule there are men who make a
business of supplying planters with the
seed of mother insects, which are set |
out in October or after the rainy sea-
son is over, as heavy rain would wash |
the insects off the plants and cause ir-
damage, because the insects
would be either total loss by drown
ng or because so weakened by the rain
that they could not return to the plant.
The insects are planted on the leaves
in the following manner. About 20 or
30 are placed in small tube, closed at
one end, about two inches long, and |
half an inch in diameter, made of the
iber of species of the maguey plant.
The tube is closed with moss, after hav-
ng been loaded, and fastened to a leaf
oy running spine through it and
pending it into the leaf. From two to
;ix of, these tubes are fastened to each
eaf, according to the size of the lat
er. and the entire plant is then COW
cred with a mat. Within few days
litter tiny white specks, barely visible
% the naked eye, except that of the
rained. Indian, begin to appear on the
caves, covering them after a while
With larger spots, looking like mldew.
f one of them Is touched it will leave
bright crimson stain.
After the leaves appear to be covered
he little baskets are removed. They
till contain the mother insects, most
# them dead. Those that are still alive
ire carefully preserved for future use.
The dead ones have been partly eaten
~ their offspring, but what remains Of
hem produces the finest quality of CO.
hineal, and it is geNNally rated at
everal cents more a pound, the color
reduced by them being of special rich
Tess. The mat covering is removed
rom the plant as soon as the leaves
H.