ofi-l REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRTCTJI.TURE. 



ro(t('(1 tan -bark is preferable to the pure sand ; swamp muck, dried and 

 jiulvcrized, so tliat the finer i)ortions of it can be secnretl by sifting, 

 forms tbe.very best material for this jiurpose. In the garden of the de- 

 partment the sweepings of the streets are sifted and used with good 

 results. 



When the buds of the cuttings commence to swell, an additional ludf 

 inch or more of the covering is everdy distributed over the surface. 

 The 3'oung shoots push vigorously through this surface dressing, and 

 it serves as a mulch to retain moisture during summer. Although the 

 cuttings are rather closely set, owing to the limited area of the grounds, 

 yet the largest portion of the plants are sufficiently strong for perma- 

 nent planting when one year old. 



CANAIGBE. 



In the report of the department for 1878, at page 119, will be found 

 an analysis of the above-named root. The main object of the examina- 

 tion was to determine the amount of tannic acid contained in this root, 

 which was received from Texas, where it has long been used by the In- 

 dians and others for tanning pvirposes, and is said to be used at present 

 by several tanneries in and about Ban Antonio. From the analysis it 

 appears that the root contains about 23 per cent, of tannic acid, and the 

 fact that the article is employed in tanneries would seem to indorse its 

 practical adaptability as a tanning material. 



Canaigre is the bulbous root of a kind of dock S])eciiically called Rnmex 

 hymenosepalum. It grows plentifully in sandy soils over a large terri- 

 tory on both sides of the Rio Grande, and from there northward over a 

 large portion of AVestern Texas. The bulbs are x>roduced in clusters 

 Uke some kinds of sweet potatoes, some clusters weighing several pounds, 

 and can be ijrocured, it is stated, at a cost not exceeding $1 per 100 

 pounds. 



The leaves of the plant are somewhat fleshy when in the young state, 

 when they are greedily eaten by cattle, and occasionally used as a pot- 

 lierb by travelers and others. 



Roots planted last year in the grounds of the department made only 

 a feeble growth before the leaves decayed. They started into growth 

 quite early last spring, and were slightly covered duri^ig several nights 

 of heavy freezing weather. They were not perceptibly injured by the 

 cold, and as the season advanced the "plants made a favorable growth, 

 throwing up robust flower stems, which blossomed freely, and, although 

 the seed vessels formed, the seeds failed to mature before the leaves 

 turned yeUow and decayed, the plants resuming the deciduous state. 



It is probable that the plant naturally starts into growth very early 

 in .spring and rapidly matures, after which the leaves die, the root bulbs 

 probably remaining in the so-called dormant condition tor many months. 

 The plant evidently requires a cbmate where the winter is short and 

 not severe, and a dry, warm, sandy soil. 



WILIIAIM SAmTDERS, 

 Si'foermtenfJent oj Gardens and Grounds. 



Hon. W. G. Le Duo, 



Commissioner of Agriculture. 



