New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-07-19
Cripple Claims TO Have Founo
/ Process For Growing Them
INEXPENSIVE FORMULA USED
Dennis TrapIey Of Savannah, Ga, Says
Any Plant Can Be Ebonixsd If Treat
| Cd With His Chemical Mixturs-cost
( Only oue-tenth That Of Cotton Dye.


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 patent
on his formula.
BY his process, which consists Of the
mixing Of three inexpensive and COM
mon chemicals into 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 cult
waited 80 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 Trapley will send from his
home in Georgia to Representative Ed.
wards for exhibit in Washington
rose plant bearing several black
blooms; also a number Of buds equal
~ 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 letter from
Colonel Lawton. who asked Represent
alive Edwards to take the man In
tow. Together the two visited the
patent Office and 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 patent. Trap
ley said to Mr.. Billings:
'.After fifteen years Of experiment.
ing l have discovered process by
which black roses and black cotton
may be produced. The formula Is In
expensive. 1t consists Of three cheap
chemicals which are diluted with wa
Ter.
II have taken an ordinary rOsebusb
and planted it in rich earth and by
feeding it this chemical fluid have
produced q rose as large and heavy as
IN 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 a plant.
"As 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 peculjarities Of the proc
ess is that after certain number of
applications during the first year 1t
can be stopped and for two seasons
the plant will bear black flowers If
the feeding process is not continued in
the third year the bush will again as
sumo its natural state.
"What 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 l have experimental upon have
grown to extraordinary size and are
of q fine FIBER
"The day my process is protected J
by patent can dispose Of it for $780,
600. This proposition has been made |
me-"
Distorted by rheumatism.
Born in the backwoods Of Georgia,
Trapley can scarcely read or write.
When a 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 adiict'
ed with rheumatism, and at seventeen
he was distorted sufferer. He NOV.
ed to Savannah to get treatment. He
began making key rings, upon which
be marked initials. Soon he became
known as 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
this life.
In the spring and long summer
after he went home Dennis
would plant roses and cultivate them.
From early boyhood he had one
thought, that Of producing a black
rose. First he tried grating. Fail.
ing, he began the use Of chemicals.
This thought occurred to him after
vceing q farmer spread lime on the
Relds which he was to cultivate. Den
,is believed that IL light soil and lime
would produce light sugar cane and
light colored sirup some chemical
night produce the black rose. About
I've years ago, he says. he produced
he first bloom Of black roses, also
black cotton. Later he produced other
black bloouaA
In P1Och, ne Aliens Fost.Esse,