The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-06-12
No. 18.

hairs. This species is the least valu.
able of the three, and sells for the
lowest price.
-BItots copelIin0-black sumac, is
the least common of the three useful
species. 1t grows on moister soil
than the other two species. 1t rarely
grows above five feet high. The leaves
are composed of z to 10 leaflets. The
leaflets are slender and have entire
edges. The common leaf rib or
rachis is wing margined by thin,
green, leaf-like growth. The color
of the leaves is much darker than in
the preceding species. Black sumac
contains a comparatively high per
centage of tannic acid, but because
lie contains also a good deal of color
ing matter the leaf cannot be used
for the finest work. It's price is more
than staghorn, but less than white
sumac.
Rhu8 gI0bra, white sumac, is next
to our most common species 1t is
also the most profitable. 1t grows
from to 10 feet high. The leaves
are compound, containing from 13 to
81 leaflets, which are rather larger
than those of the staghorn species.
They are green above and woolly
white beneath The branches and
leaflets of the shrub are while young
very smooth and covered by a pow
derry white bloom, like cabbage
leaves.
Rbts corarid, Italian sumac, re-
sembles in its habit our black species.
It does not grow wild in this ooun-
try.
The Italian sumac being a cult
waited product, is picked and cured
with far more care and skill than the
wild American sumac receives.
There seems no good reason, how
ever, why North Carolina farmers
who have dry stoney hillsides should
not plant sumac and by giving the
crop some cultivation. With care in
harvesting and curing the leaf, OBJ
tain a price equal to that paid for
imported sumac. Either the white
or black species may be cultivated
but not the staghorn sumac.
For the benefit of those who gather
the wild sumac for market, the fol
lowing instructions are given
1. Sumac for market must be gath
cred between June 18th and October
1st. The earlier pickings are the
most valuable. No pickings can be
made after the leaves begin to turn
red. Red leaves are worthless.
2. The whole leaf should be broken
from the twigs The common leaf
rib or rachis may be taken.
g. The leaves as soon as possible
after gathering should be spread in
the sun for one or two hours until
they are thoroughly wilted. They
should then be taken to covered,
rain-tight shed and spread thinly
They must be turned several times
a day and exposed as much as pos
sible to dry wind. The. quicker the
leaves dry the better the color and
the higher the price they will bring.
A wooden fork or rake must be used
to turn the leaves as iron causes rust
spots and ruins the leaf for tanning
The leaf is dry enough to pack when
the mid-rib or rachis will not bend
but snap short under tension.
A. All trash and foreign leaves
should he carefully picked out of the
dried sumac and the latter tlen
packed as tightly as possible into
clean burlap sacks. which the sumac
grinders usually furnish for the pur-
pose. Guano sacks or feed sacks
must not be used. A sack when
filed should contain about so pounds.
No care need be taken to prevent
breaking the leaves. Broken leaves
are as good as any. The sacks should
be sown up, not tied. Dealers pre-
fer to have sumac shipped in car
load lots to save freight. Persons
who collect sunqac for market will
be furnished with names of pur
chasers by writing to the Depart
ment of Agriculture, at Raleigh.
/ repeat, there seems no good rea-
son why North Carolina farmers
who have dry stoney or gravelly
land should not cultivate sumac as
proftably as the Italians. The pro
duce of a cultivated plantation is
nInn,,4 4rrn TONS nf first class dried