The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-21
|LANTANA OF
SOME. USE
Bark to be Tested
for I aiming
Purposes.
WILL BE SENT
TO WASHINGTON
The Much 0espised Weed May
Yet Become of Commercial
Value in Hawaii.

| tanning is one of the future CONNER
cial possibilities for Hawaii. Whether
| the plant which has so long been con-
| sidered a weed of such Consciousness
as to destroy every other form of veg
citation in close proximity has a COM
mercial value is a question which Is
soon to be decided by the Department
| experiment does prove successful there
| is no one in Hawaii, but will bless the
| day the agricultural experiment station
| was established-on Tantalus hill. Even
the most sanguine, whatever their feel
ing towards the dreaded lantana,
would never have ventured the belief
that the much abused weed would or
could ever be of any value to Hawaii,
and even yet there is little possibility
of success. However, the fact/that the
Washington department is willing to
spend time and labor upon the examina-
ton of the lantana with view of dis
covering possible tanning properties is
sufficient to permit of some hope that
the obnoxious weed may yet prove of
value.
Jared G. Smith, director in charge OF
the Agricultural Experiment Station,'
wrote to Washington about a month
ago, suggesting that possibly the Ian
tana bush which covers thousands of
acres of land in Hawaii might be of
some value for tanning purposes. The
tanning barks in the United States are
crIxy Of
the increased demand, and there has
been a constant search for some sub
stitute to replace the product of the
faSt-depleted forests. Mr.. Smith said
yesterday that he was not at all posi-.
tive that the lantana bush could be
utilized as tanning agent, but he be-
lieved the matter of sufficient fmpor-
lance to warrant a test. and for that
reason communicated with the depart
ment at Washington with a request
that it be investigated. He thought
there was considerable doubt of the
success of the experiment, but in view
of the immense tracts of Iantana bush
covering the islands an examination
into the properties of the plant might
be productive of good in other ways.
The lantana is a native of Mexico,
where it is cultivated for hedges and
gardens. 1t was introduced into Ha-
wall by Dr. Hildebrand a good many
years ago as an ornamental hedge, but
it rapidly outgrew the purposes for
which it was originally brought here, |
and now covers thousands of acres, be-
ing looked upon as a weed, which is |
destructive of all other vegetation in |
its vicinity. Efforts to stamp out the |
pest have been wholly unsuccessful, |
and the thick growth has deprecated |
the value of large acreages of land |
which might have been valuable for |
other purposes.
Mr.. Smiths letter to the Washington
department brought the following reply |
in the last mail:
81 have referred to Prof. VIM. II.
Krug of the Bureau of Chemistry, your
letter of December 18th in regard to
the tanning properties of lantana ca
mara. Mr. Krug is giving special at
tention to tanning substances, and is
anxious to find some substitute for our
American barks, which are becoming
II can find no record of the use of
the plant in tanning. The only refer
ences to it which 1 have consist of
statement in Meehan's Monthly of
June, 1895, to the effect that it was
becoming abundant and troublesome as
4 weed in the Hawaiian Islands, and
he statement in Watts Dictionary of
Economic Plants that it was trouble
some a weed where it had been in
in India. Yours sincerely
LISTER H. DEWEY,
Assistant Botanist.
While there is little encourag cement in
he letter that the Iantana might be
Useful for tanning purposes, the de-
oartment is still willing to make the
analysis of the plant with view to
hiding if it cannot be utilized for the
purpose suggested by Director Smith.
t the bark once became of some COM
nercial value it would not be long be-
ore the islands We're cleared of the
antana which now runs riot wherever
t is given the smallest leeway. The
liant grows with the rapidity of .
weed here, both the climate and soil
icing exceptionally suited for its Guilt
alton. 1t would be a strange turn of
ate If the once despised lantana :
Mould become of sufficient value to
make its cultivation profitable.
Mr.. Smith intends to forward a large
lumber of plants by the next steamer
or the promised examination by Prof
Srug.