The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-11-25
NUMBER 30
WEST VIRGINiAN WILL START
A RANCH OF MILK TREES
Has Remarkable Plant on Exhibition
Now in Huntington.

Now in Huntington.
According to the Huntington Adver-
tiser, Cabell county man intends to
revolutionize the dairy industry of that
county. He proposes to furnish his
patrons with cowless milk, and there
will not be single cow in his herd. if
II can be called herd. His product
will be purely vegetable, but he will
probably have to consult the pure food
law before he sells it as milk, that is.
as milk as 1t is commonly understood.
Instead Of herds Of aide, the gentle
bessie will be ab-eat. IN her place, his
dairy will consist OF an orchard Of trees.
and milking viii be the simple process
OF making an incision in the bark of the
tree and catching the precious fluid in
pals. The product is pure vegetable
milk, rich and nutritious and valuable
fooG product, but there is some ques-
ton as to its butter-making capabiIi-
ties. At any rate, there is no danger
Of the existing diaries going out Of
business all at once, or even soon. The
Advertiser says:
There stands in the lobby of the
Huntington theatre one of the most re-
markable specimens of the worlds fora
ever discovered. The scientific name
Of this plant would be understood bv so
few that it is omitted here, and the
less technical term of milk or cow tree
is substituted. The tree has an album
dance of milky juice, and is allied to
the fig tree. When the trunk is incised
rich, milky, nutritious fluid IN ap-
pearance and quality like cows milk. is
discharged in such abundance as to rem
der 1t an important food product to the
natives where it grows. The tree is
common in Venezuela, growing to the
height of 100 feet. The leaves are
leathery, about one foot long and three
or four inches broad. The milk of
which resembles cream in consistency,
but is too Viscid to be a safe article of
food. The specimen now on exhibition
is about eight feet in height and the
main bole is two inches in diameter.
Beginning at a height of one foot from
the root, a myriad of sp0nge-like
branches strike out in every direction.
In spite of the number and size of these
otfshoots, the tree maintains its size
until near the top, where an umbrella
like canopy Of branches spreads above.
The specimen now on exhibition is
potted, but the tree is quite capable of
surviving in the open The milk tree
is aptly named. By making an incision
in one of the branches a steady flow of
rich, thick milk breaks forth the sack
like bark seeming to be stuffed almost
to the bursting point with the milky
fluid.
This much for description of the
plant itself
Mr., Gamer, manager of the theater.
Is the owner Of the plant. 1t has been
demonstrated that the main branches,
if clipped close to the body of the tree,
will live, if planted in moist earth. take
root and grow with remarkable rapid
ity. 1t is said that a full grown tree,
if properly cared for, will produce four
quarts of rich milk day. This product
is palatable, and a chemical ANALYSIS
shows it to be entirely wholesome.
Mr.. Gamer recently purchased
number of lots and it is said by some of
his closest friends that he intends to
establish a milk ranch, upon which he
will grow the milk tree and market its
product. Mr.. Gamer owns two lots
3OX2O0 feet 1t is estimated that this
space will accommodate 1000 milk
trees of average size. With this num-
Der Of trees showing a production OF
four quarts daily the total output of the
ranch would approximate 1000 gallons
per day.
The butter making qualities of the
fluid have not yet been tested. One
milk tree requires as much water as
the average COW, but one of the pecu-
liar qualities of its product is that it
absolutely refuses to coalesce with
water. The instant water is poured
into the fluid a sort of rubber shield
forms on the surface, leaving the water
standing clear above"