The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-05-16
MAKES FINE wax
FROM MERE WEED.
Mexican Discovers Method Of
Utilizing candeIilla Plant
For Profit.
STARTS A NEW INDUSTRY
DJ8covERY ADDS MUCH TO THE
WEALTH or MEXICO, TEXAS,
ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO AND
NEIcHeoRiNc STATES.


Galveston, Texas, May 15.-The dis
covery by Oscar Pacius, of Monterey.
Mexico, of a process for extracting
wax from the candelilla weed has
created new and important industry
IN Mexico and Texas.
The candelilla weed is a desert
plant which grows abundantly upon
many million of acres of semi-arid
land in Northern Mexico and parts OF
Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. 1t
1s one of the types OF vegetation pc
culiar to the Southwest which long
had been looked upon as useless. It
was despised by cattlemen because it
has the faculty Of forming such a
dense growth upon lands as to shut
range for grazing purposes.
To Reap Fortune.
Land owners who have thus form
erly despised weed growing upon
their holdings now find themselves In
. fair way to reap fortune from the
utilization of the plant This already
10 being done in Mexico. and steps
have been taken in Texas to carry
on the manufacture of wax from the
plant
When 1t was discovered few years
ago that q good grade of crude rub
Der could be manufactured from the
guayule shrub experiments were be-
gun by Mr.. Pacius and others with
various other kinds of wild vegeta-
ton. Mr. Pacius found that the can
delilla contained wax to the amount
Of 81 to per cent. He perfected q
process of extracting the wax, and 1t
IL in practical operation in several
factories that have been established
in Northern Mexico.
The new industry is having q rapid
growth. It is predicted by men who
are familiar with the different variet-
les Of commercial wax that it will not
be long until the principal source of
supply of that product will come from
the candelille plant. 1t means an
enormous increase Of wealth to the
people Of Texas, Mexico, Arizona and
New Mexico, where this plant is found
IN Ito native state.
On Paying Basis.
The manufacture Of this vegetable
wax already Is on q paying CONNER
cial basis. The demand for the pro-
duct comes at this time chiefly from
Germany. and the factories which are
In operation are making regular ship
ments to Hamburg. The present
price in Mexico IL 5000 gold per ton.
It is said that about thirty tons Of
the weed are required to make one
ton Of the crude wax. The same fac
tory that manufactures the crude wax
from the plant also puts the product
through the refining process.
The cost OF producing ton Of the
wax 10 SIS gold. One important and
valuable advantage Of the new In
dustry is that the refuse Of the week
10 available for fuel for the factory.
The land upon which the candelilla
weed grows profusely is producing a
big revenue per acre in the localities
where factories have been established
It Ii said that where land il well set
IN the plant 1t can be made to yield q
profit OF $500 to $500 gold per acre
Per annum. It has been demonstrated
that cutting off of the stems Of the
plant close to the ground causes it to
multiply its shoots, and the yield will
be increased each year until the whole
surface Of the ground IL densely COW
cred with the weed
Demand n H~avv.
II IL asserted that the demand for
vegetable wax in Mexico and many
foreign countries Is far In excess Of
the available supply. A vegetable
wax 10 made In Brazil from the carna-
uba plant. The candelilla product has
been tested by electrical and other
concerns In Germany and Austria and
pronounced first class. It's superior
hardness has caused It to be in de-
mand for the manufacture Of phone
graph records, pharmaceutical arti-
cles. varnishes, shoe leather and wood
polishes. insulation In electrical wir-
ing gums and candles. In Mexico
alone the annual consumption of can
dies 10 enormels In every village
and town candles constantly are burn
ing In the Catholic churches. and wax
tArers are in use in many homes.