El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-18
Written especially for the HERALD.

sduASF ooCh, ESo ooSh ou0 o.
on.
For years the plant has been known
70 the Mexicans and Indians for its
medicinal qualities-the root being
dried and ground; whilst its leaves and
stalks have been used az food In the
same way as the stalks of the cultivated
rhubsrb. The Indians made much
use of the tanning qualities of the root
for curing hides.
GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION.
The canatgre plant resembles in
general appearance the common sour
dock, with its large, dark, green
leaves Its root is much like that OF
size dahlia or sweet potato, being tn Der.
Gus. These roots vary in size from the
fraction of an ounce TO more than two
pounds In weight, and grow In clusters
which increase 10 number and size
from year to year. The roots vary in
shape with the conditions under which
they are grown, and grow darker and
harder as they grow older. A plant
grown from seed will produce . root
from one to four ounces in weight the
fret season; and this root will produce
from two to dozen other roots during
the next season. In this way the plant
increases during its life time, which
extends for q period of usually i've or
six years. Plants growing wild on the
plains will frequently be found 10 yield
as many as 80 to 100 roots, weighing
eight or more pounds.
Il lie by these roots that the cauaigre
plant re produces itselfin itsnssive state,
and not by seed. Whilst some expert
ments have shown large proportion
OF the native seed to be tnfsrtile, 9th.
ers have resulted in very sstisfsc. tory
results from sowing the seed. It ap-
pears to be true. however, that in it's
native state the canaigre seeds, which
are produced in large quantities on the
tall seed stalk, seldom terminate. This
is probably due to the fact that the
plant scstters its seed at the beginning
OF the dry season, and several months
before the conditions are suitable for
propagation. In cultivation, the plant
has also been satisfactorily propagated
by cutting the tubers, as we'll As by de-
sschirg the shoots, in the ssmet way
that the sweet potato IL propag ased.
Csnaigre makes its growth during
tie winter season. After the hot and
dry summer weather il over, It begins
to send up it's green shoots and .he
roots make their years. growth be-
tween the months of Septembe and
May. During March and April the
plant blooms, and usually by May it
hss died down and the roots lie dor
mant until the next fall. A mean
temperature of about 10 degrees or
less appears to best suit the growth of
the plant, as above that point even
with ample moisture, the growth is
feeble. The plant will stand q good
deal of cold, in one instance q plant
being reported as having withstood q
temperature of Is degrees below zero
In New York state. Under such un-
favorable circumstances, however, the
plant. whilst it does not die, makes NO
great increase in growth.
PERCENTAGE OF rANNIN
Extensive experiments at both the
New Mexico and Arizona experiment
stations have shown that the per cent
Of tannic acid in the canaigre roots
runs from % to over 80 per cent in
mature roots. In the newly formed
roots, the percentage is less, but this
Increases steadily during the summer,
and when the roots sprout in the fall
he percentage increases rapidly. At
The Mesills Park station, one year old
'oots showed from 20 to % per cen. of
annic acid, and older roots m2re than
10 per cent. At the Arizona station,
analyses OF canaigre roots collected
rom many different points throug b out
hat territory, most of the roots being
'ver one and two years old, showed an
'verage percentage of 1882 tannic
lcid. The effect of cultivation on the
'lant appears to be shown more in in
creased sizs and number of the roots
han In increased percentage Of tannic
'cid, although the latter is not re-
luced.
MARKETING CANAIGRE ROOT
The fret efforts to place csnaiere |
cots On the market we're not success
ul, due to the difficulty in shipping
he green roots in proper condition.
n 1892, Col. J. G. Tifinay, then the
government agent for the Apache
indians at Fort Carlos, Ariz., shipped
quantities from Deming.
7. M, and FL Paso, Tex, to New
,ork City, England, and different