40 ANIMAL PROTEINS 



Chinese and Malays without much supervision. Hence its 

 strength in tan and general quality is extremely variable. 

 The plant is cultivated for the purpose of extract manu- 

 facture, and prunings are taken in the plant's third year. 

 They are bruised and boiled with water in the open. The 

 infusion is strained, concentrated, and poured into cooling 

 vessels in which it sets to a paste. Two varieties of gambier 

 are well known, " cube gambier " and " block gambier." 

 In the latter the extract remains as a paste containing 25 

 to 40 per cent, of tannin. It is sold in oblong blocks of 

 i or 2 cwt., either wrapped in cocoanut matting or in 

 wooden boxes. Cube gambier is made by running the con- 

 centrated syrup into trays 2 inches deep and drying in the 

 sun. When partly dry, it is cut up into ij-in. cubes and 

 dried further on cocoanut matting. The rough " cubes " 

 as imported contain 40-50 per cent, of tannin. 



Myrabolans Extract is now largely manufactured in 

 this country. A liquid extract of 25, 30 or even 35 per 

 cent, strength is made for home consumption, and a solid 

 extract for export. The light colour, high strength and 

 easy extraction of the natural material have all facilitated 

 the task of the manufacturer. 



The material is extracted in open vats or stills of copper, 

 which take one ton or more of nuts. A battery of 4, 6 or 8 

 of such stills is usually employed, and the temperature is 

 kept well below boiling-point except in the vats containing 

 the nearly spent material. The liquors move forward 

 quickly, and the material is quite spent in 24 hours. The 

 material when cast contains less than J per cent, of tannin. 

 The liquor obtained is 40-5o Bkr. (6-7! per cent, tan), 

 and after settling is concentrated at 40-5o F. in a single 

 effect vacuum pan, which though more costly in steam is 

 quicker than the multiple effects, and gives the low tem- 

 perature required. For solid extract the more concentrated 

 liquor is run direct into tarred bags, in which it soon solidifies. 



Hemlock Extract is manufactured from the North 

 American pines and imported into this country to some 

 extent. It gives a very red colour. 



