The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1910-08-13


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
lore 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 su.
peror 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 6 to per cent of
tannin, the sap to per cent and the heart 20
to 70 per cent AS the heart represents two-thirds
and often threefourths of the total quantity of
WOOD. the amount OF tannin In the Quebracho colo
raoo is seen to be considerable. It is merely
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 serviceabfe is it, however
that since its discovery, the tanning industry Of
the Argentine Republic has made noticeable AID.
vance. because, with both hides and extract as
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 1t is called In the trade
is easily manufactured when the machinery is
once Installed. All the wood Is passed. through
machine that cuts it into shavings or the small
est possible chips. 1t Is then collected into inn
mense kettles. in which 1t is treated by chemical
processes until all the tannin is removed: after
this the fluid preparation is reduced by eyapora,
ton to thick, jelly-like 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
outweighs 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 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
as well as days is unavoidable because the cut
ting stations usually remote from any settle
ment.
In 1895 the first real expectation of uuebracho |
extract from the River Plate was recorded The |
increase has been rapd-from 400 tons in the first
year to 5000 tons in 1902 120594 tons in the next
five years. and 2s.1s5 tons In 1907 OF this ouan |
tity the United States received 177a3 tons. or a.
most IS per cent