The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1910-07-22

portion not reserved for posts and sleepers for
this extract In Paraguay and areas in the Chaco
remote from good roads, so that the cost of sup
plying timber is excessive, every particle Of the
wood is turned into extract because the demand
is usually in advance Of the supply and it is there
fore more profitable to manufacture the more
concentrated article which can be easier and more
economically carried to market.
One feature of quebracho, in which it is SUI
perior to other sources Of supply is that the bark
the sapwood, and the whole of the central part
Of the tree produce the extract in considerable
quantities. The bark contains to s per cent. Of
tannln, the sap to 5 per cent. and the heart 20
to % per cent AS the heart represents twothirds
and often three-fourths of the total quantity Of
wood, the amount Of tannin In the Quebracho colo
RADIO is seen to be considerable. 1t Is merely q
chemical question whether this tanning material
is equal or inferior to that from the oak but later
methods of preparation point to full justification
of the claim that the leather from quebracho ex-
tract grades up to that resulting from any other
tanning substance. SO serviceable is it, however,
that since its discovery, the tanning industry Of
the Argentine Republic has made noticeable ad.
vance, because, with both hides and extract az
great natural products Of the country, the govern.
ment is making every effort to foster the leather
industry within Its own border.
"Quebracho extract" as it is called in the trade
is easily manufactured when the machinery Is
once installed. All the wood Is passed through
a machine that cuts it into shavngs or the small
est possible chips 1t is then collected into i'm
mense kettles, in which it is treated by chemical
processes until all the tannin is removed: after
this the fluid preparation Is reduced by evapora.
ton to thick. jellylike mass, which is poured
into sacks, where 1t is finally dried into the sub
stance sold in commerce.
The difficulty of gathering the raw material far
outweghs the preparation of the finished article
especially as the extract Is no longer to be con
sidered by-product, but is coming to have more
Importance and value than posts and sleepers. In
Paraguay particularly. where all the wood is util
lied for extract the hardest part of the business
lies In gathering wood for the factory The trees
are cut In the heart Of the virgin forest and
hauled by OK teams to the nearest clearing. ONLY
native Indians have proven themselves suitable
for the work, as they are thoroughly acclimated
understand the wilderness, and can withstand the
plague of insects which make life at night mis-
cradle for the foreigner; and exposure for nights
well as days is unavoidable, because the cut
ting stations are usually remote from any settle
ment.
In 1895 the first real expectation Of quebrach,
extract from the River Plate was recorded Th,
increase has been rapid-from 400 tons in the frs
year to 5000 tons in 1902 12o594 tons In the mex
five years, and 2S,195 tons In 1907. OF this guam
tity the United States received 1873 TONS or al
most 65 per cent