The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1910-02-22
ROSE AID COTTON
BLACK AS COAL
Cripple Claims to Have Found
Process For Growing Them.
INEXPENSIVE FORMULA USED

ANY FtanN YAH DC A-1S'ite-SS -
ed With His Chemical Mixture-Cost
Only One tenth That of Cotton Dye.
Floral culture and the cultivation of
cotton will be revolutioniZed II the
formula which Dennis Trapley, a
rheumatic cripple of Savannah, Ca,
has discovered proves all he asserts
1t will. Trapley recently went to
washington to try to obtain a patent
on his formula.
By his process, which consists of the
mixing of three inexpensive and COM
mon chemicals into a fluid, black cot
ton can be produced at an expense
one-tenth that of dye. He says he
has produced black roses, and he de-
clares that any flower can be culti-
waited so that its blooms will be black.
Back of Trapley and his claims are
representative Edwards of Georgia
and Colonel A. r. Lawton, vice presi-
dent of the Georgia Central railroad
and wealthy lawyer of Savannah. On
March l Trapley will send from bis
home in Georgia to Representative Ed
wards for exhibit in Washington
rose plant bearing several black
blooms: also a number Of buds equal
ly black. This was the statement
made to Representative Edwards by
Trapley the other afternoon.
Like Watering Plant.
Before Trapley arrived in Washing
ton he was preceded by a letter from
Colonel Lawton. who asked Represent
alive Edwards to take the man in
tow. Together the two visited the
patent office aud told the assistant
commissioner of patents, Cornelius G..
Billings, of the wonderful discovery.
Commissioner Billings Immediately
gave Trapley the required papers to
make application for a patent. Trap
ley said to Mr.. Billings:
after fifteen years of experiment.
ing | have discovered a process by
which black roses and black cotton
may be produced The formula is fn-
expensive. 1t consists of three cheap
chemicals which are diluted with wa
ter.
II have taken an ordinary rosebush
and planted 1t in rich earth and by
feeding it this chemical fluid have
produced a rose as large and heavy as
an American Beauty and as black as
coal The petals of this rose have the
same gloss and luster as the American
Beauty. The feeding process is exact
" the same as watering plant.
CAS- the first shoots of the bush push
up through the earth an extraordinary
darkness can be noticed. AS they
grow their colors become darker. The
same is true of the foliage. The leaves
of the bush are almost black. The
buds when they appear are black.
Plants Benefited by the Chemicals.
Zone of the neculfarities of the proc
ess is that after a certain number of
applications during the first year it
can be stopped and for two seasons
the plant will bear black flowers. II
the feeding process is not continued in
the third year the bush will again as
sumo its natural state.
"Nhat is true of the rose is true of
all other flowers and also of cotton.
BY the use Of my chemical secret
can produce black cotton, and it will
cost little or nothing as compared with
black dye. One of the features is
that the chemicals seem to have a
general good effect on the plants.
Those / have experimental upon have
grown TO extraordinary size and are
of a fine fiber.
"The day my process is protected
by patent can dispose of it for $780,
600. This proposition has beer made
me-
Distorted by Rheumatism.
Born in the backwoods of Georgia.
Trapley can scarcely read or write.
When boy Dennis, as he is known
to every merchant in Savannah. fished
in the creek which ran by his home
When he was fifteen he became affiict-
ed with rheumatism, and at seventeen
he was distorted sufferer. He NOV
ed to Savannah to get treatment. He
began milking ley rings. upon which
he marked initials. Soon he became
known us the key ring boy of johnson
square" On corner Dennis, in an IN
valid's chair. would sit fourteen hours
day making Key rings and selling
them. For fifteen years he has been
following this life.
In the spring and long summer
evenings after he went home Dennis
would plant roses and cultivate them.
From early boyhood he had one
thought. that Of producing black
rose. First he tried grating. Fail
ing. he began the use OF chemicals
This thought occurred K, him after
seeing a farmer spread lime on the
fields which he was to cultivate Dem
his. believed that If light soil and lime
would produce light sugar cane and
light eolorsd strip some chemical
might produce the black rose About
i've years ago. be says. he produced
khe f41t 1,irn$4, ,F Jfan3- rnras rs.,