The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1910-07-22
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the South American Chaco has become so CONNER
cially important that it must be understood to signi
ay only that one tree and nothing else.
The genuine quebracho tree is found in Brazil
Paraguay, and the Argentine Republic. There ar
two important varieties and a third has been dis
Singuished, although it has no great signifcanc
'botanically or value commercially. Locally and in
the trade the names given are Quebracho colorado
'(red), and Quebracho blanco (white). Quebracho
colorado has the scientific designation Of Lox-
sopterygium lorentzii, and belongs to the order of
Anacardiaciae. This is the particular tree from
which both the ~sleepers and the better quality OF
tanning extract are derived. The other, Quebra-
6cho blanco, is neither so straight nor SO service
able as the red variety, but is nevertheless of
<defnite commercial value, as it furnishes some
tanning extract and the logs can be used for
fence posts and axles. From 1t is taken also a
drug extensively used for bronchial diseases; In
fact, as a plant 1t was studied for this purpose
long before its other advantages were exploited.
The scientific name is Aspidosperma quebracho.
= Railways must have %sleepers on which to lay
their rails. In some instances wooden ones are
imported at great expense, or substitutes there
for are used If climatic conditions are favorable.
AS a rule, however, 1t is preferred to take sup
plies from native timber whenever procurable.
This was the case in the Argentine Republic when
railway building away from the coast had begun,
and no more fitting wood could be discovered than
that by the natives, both by the
name and by the experience of those who had
used 1t. The quebracho wood proved by far the
most serviceable for sleepers on South American
railways, and its reputation grew SO steadily that
today many miles of European rails are supported
by sleepers brought from the River Plate.
In one respect quebracho assemble rather ma
hogany than oak or pine. The trees do not grow
In clumps or groves, but are dispersed through the
forests and the less dense woods, singly or In
groups seldom more than four or five to the acre.
The tree itself is tall, about two or three feet In
diameter. and is crowned by a rather thin, oval,
or V-shaped, mass Of branches and leaves. The
white Quebracho Is somewhat smaller than the
red, and begins to branch lower to the ground, SO
That 1t is not hard to distinguish them from each
other. The leaves are oval, or lance shaped,
smooth, somewha shining and ~leathery; they do
not fall completely In the winter, but cling to the
Branches In company with the fruit. The tree
seems to thrive best on a sandy soil, where the at
mospheric moisture Is not very great, but where
abundant water Is provided for the roots, either
by dews or sufficient rain. 1t is neither a noun
tain nor a river growth, but lives best in the sub
tropical stretches between water courses. Al
though the age Of the tree has been given as
measured by hundreds of years, 1t is well enough
established that at ten years from planting the
first small shrubs are big enough to use for posts.
The future promises, therefore. an opportunity
for the actual cultivation of quebracho, because.
although savage inroads have been made into the
supposedly inexhaustible forests of the Chaco, 1t
As not too late to restrict the cutting of the tree.
or even to adopt modern forestry methods of
planting and conservation for the supply of COM
ing generations. In fact, the Argentine Republic
has already passed suitable laws In this direction.
and It is more than probable that under the wise
administrator OF that government there win be