Arizona republican., 1914-05-09
WAR MIGHT WRECK GUM TRADE

The latest stistics published by the department of commerce show that in the caienuar year 1913 the United
 States imported 13.401,316 pounds of chicle, valued at $5,119,50O The
 word "clicle" to many persons might
 be Greek-but it isn't According to
 the pamphlet on Mexico recently is- sued by the Pan American Union at
 Washington the word "chicle'' is of
 Aztec origin. and is the name given
 to the sap Of tiie sapote tree, botan-
 ically known as the Sapota Zapo-
 tilla. It is this sap which is the
 basis Of practically all the chewing
 gum used in the United States
 The Aztecs of Mexico are said to have been the first gum chewers known on this, or for that matter any other, continent The followers of Cortez reported that the Indians chewed gum to quench thirst, and relieve exhaustion. They obtained 1t from the sapote tree by tapping, and today the manner of gathering the sap is in close analogy to the process of gathering maple sugar in New England. The tree is indi- genous to the northern countries of South America, Central America and especially in Mexico, the last named furnishing about six-sevenths of the entire supply consumed annually in l the United States.
 The sapOte tree is usually found | in groups, frequently grows to d height of forty to fifty feet, is gen. erally very straight and has a long, clear length which makes it most | desirable for timber. The wood is
 of q reddish mahogany color, is quite | hard, heavy. compact in texture and | fine grained. Doorsills and frames | of this remarkable wood have been | unearthcd in the prehistoric ruins of Uxmal and found-to be in an excel lent state of preservation. The wood
 is in demand today by cabinet mak- CTS, who employ it in the manufac- ture of high grade furniture and i household fittings.
 ! The fruit, the sapodilla pear, was
 once very popular in Latin-A American
 markets. but the constant demand | for the gum and the consequent tap
 ping so reduced the size and quan-
 tity of the fruit that it has become /, almost negligible product.
 l Throughout the rainy season, while
 the sap is up, the tapping is done | by the ''chicleros,' whose only imple- ments are a machete and a piece of rope. The rope is fastened about the waist and slipped around a tree, leaving the chicleros hands free to
 make the v-shaped incisions spirally | along the incisions and is collected in cups at the base. It looks like milk at first, but soon turns to a
 yellowish color and thickens to the Iconsistency of treacle. It is collected and boiled in rather primitive
 manner in large kettles, and when
 it has reached the proper consistency 4 it is kneaded and the surplus mois-
 ture expressed. It is then moldet into large loaves and is ready fol
 shipment When it reaches the fac tories in the United States it is mix , ed and boiled in large copper kettles , Itc a required consistency, flavorin' ? extracts. such as. vanilla, peppermint Y Or Wintergreen, are added with tn | required amount of sugar. It i 2 there whipped into a dough and re
 moved to tables and kneaded i I powdered sugar rolled into sheets e cut to desired sizes wrapped by ma a chimes in attractive paper, packe $ into fancy boxes and is then tn : chewing gub of commerce