AMERICAN SUMAC. 



per hundred pounds, any active gatherer can make from $2 .to $3 

 a day, while at $2 per hundred pounds he can earn from $4 to $6 

 a day. 



GATHERING AND CURING. 



The general practice folloAved in gathering is to break or cut (only 

 the black can be broken readily) the new-growth stalk just below the 

 lowest leaf stem. Sumac never should be allowed to wilt in the sun 

 for more than a lew hours. It should be hauled to a barn and 

 spread on the clean floor in a layer from 1 to 3 feet deep, or on racks 

 which permit the circulation of air underneath. The sumac must- 

 be turned once or twice each day for a week, to aid in the drying 

 and to prevent the leaves from molding. The brightest sumac is 

 not allowed to wilt in the sun, but is spread at once on racks in 

 the barn or under cover. This method aids materially in producing 

 sumac of the lightest and best color. 



LOSS IN CURING AND HANDLING. 



Experienced gatherers estimate that 100 pounds of green sumac 

 makes only from 40 to 50 pounds of the cured sumac. There is still 

 further loss in weight between the time of purchase by the dealer 

 and the time of sale, due largely to loss of moisture, still present 

 because of incomplete drying, to falling of leaves, and to the re- 

 moval of adhering dirt. This loss between the purchase and sale 

 by the dealer varies in amount from 5 to 15 pounds, thus making a 

 total loss in weight of from 60 to 75 pounds per hundred pounds 

 of the original green sumac. 



Results of laboratory experiments on the curing of sumac (leaves, 

 leaf stems, and stalks), given in Table 3, show losses while curing 

 which agree well with those estimated by gatherers. 



TABLE 3. Loss of moisture in curing sumac (collected September 28, 1916). 



There is reason to believe that the loss in curing on the farm is not 

 so great as the loss observed in the bureau's experiments, where the 

 sumac dried out very thoroughly. 



