ACACIA 



CATECHU 



Cutch 



Dr. Warth's 

 Investigations. 



and Calechin. 



Recent 

 Investigations. 



Preparation of 

 Kath. 



Wood-spotted 

 White. 



Dr. Leather's 



Investigations. 



Commercial 

 Valuation. 



Important 

 Consideration. 



Great Economi es , 



THE CUTCH TREE 



Improvements in Manufacture. The Agricultural Ledger (1895, No. 1) 

 records Dr. Warth's experiments in the manufacture of cutch, with 

 the results obtained and the correspondence that ensued on his recom- 

 mendation for the establishment of central factories under Government 

 control. Warth showed that the Native system was wasteful and 

 destructive, more especially through the use of iron cauldrons. He 

 explained that the active principle of cutch was the tannin known as 

 Catechu-tannin. This forms a greenish-brown compound with ferric salts. 

 There is also present, however, another substance known as Catechin, and 

 this is the active principle in hath, or the edible form of cutch. Catechin 

 is, however, easily changed into tannin. It is soluble in hot water but 

 practically insoluble in cold water, while catechu-tannin is completely 

 soluble in cold water. From this simple fact Warth proposed that catechin 

 should be invariably separated from the catechu-tannin and sold by itself, 

 but he showed that it was essential that this should be accomplished by 

 a rapid process and in concentrated solutions. Etti had previously pointed 

 out these peculiarities, but Warth gave them a practical value. The 

 concentrated decoction is by him recommended to be set aside for five 

 days, to allow of the formation of the crystalline catechin. Cold water is 

 then added and the solution filtered, and the filtrate again boiled down 

 to form cutch free from catechin. As already suggested, it seems probable 

 that by some such process Jcath may be regularly manufactured by the 

 drug dealers of India, since the Kumaon supply could hardly suffice to 

 meet the Indian consumption. 



Warth then demonstrated the injurious action of iron on catechin, 

 and urged that the cauldrons used should invariably be copper. His 

 observation that wood spotted with white deposits is richest in catechin, 

 and that such wood is more prevalent in Oudh than in Burma, confirms 

 a widespread Native opinion, and probably points to something peculiar 

 in the variety of plant grown in Oudh (var. a, Catechu, above), as compared 

 with that of Burma (var. y8, Catechu aides). 



The inquiry was next prosecuted by Dr. Leather, Agricultural Chemist 

 to the Government of India. His assistant, Mr. Collins, furnished a most 

 instructive table of analysis, in which he showed that commercial valua- 

 tions rarely coincided with percentage of catechu- tannin and catechin (more 

 especially of the latter), but were dependent mainly upon the appearance 

 of the extract. So far as the tanner is concerned the complete absence 

 of catechin might be said to be a recommendation. Leather dealt 

 in a most interesting manner with the best methods of cutting up the 

 timber, with the effect of different kinds of water, the quantity of water 

 required, and the time which was essential to boil the wood. He showed 

 that it would be more economical to reduce the wood to shavings by the 

 carpenter's plane than to cut it into chips as at present. When reduced 

 to shavings the yield of catechu-tannin and of catechin was much higher 

 than with chips ; the proportion of water to weight of wood could be 

 reduced from 20 to 10 or even less ; and the duration of boiling might 

 be reduced from twelve hours to half an hour. All these circumstances 

 indicate not only vast financial economies, but the production of a superior 

 quality of extract, owing to the smaller amount of boiling that is necessary. 

 The separation of white catechu (or catechin) from cutch (or catechu- 

 tannin), might be made a commercial success if accomplished from an 

 extract prepared in the manner indicated by Leather, 



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