DYE WOODS AND MATERIALS 421 



yearly importation of about 4500 tons prior to this date and it is likely 

 that osage orange will gradually displace, to some degree, at least a good 

 share of this material. The latter can be purchased in Texas and Okla- 

 homa for about $5 to $8 per ton. It brought from $12.00 to $15.00 per 

 ton delivered on the Atlantic seaboard in 1916 under the name of Amer- 

 ican fustic. 



Cutch. 



Cutch or catechu is used principally as a tanning agent and has been 

 briefly described in the chapter devoted to tanning materials. It is the 

 name applied to the dried extract derived from Acacia catechu, which is 

 produced largely in India and Burmah. It is used somewhat exten- 

 sively for brown dyes. With copper, tin and alumina mordants it yields 

 a yellow dye principle called catechin. It also yields another dyeing 

 principle known as catechutannic acid. The best varieties of cutch are 

 said to come from Pegu. Bombay and Bengal cutch are also held in 

 high esteem. They are used in cotton and silk dyeing for browns and 

 composite shades. Catechu is frequently adulterated with starch, sand, 

 clay and blood. 



Gambier. 



Gambier is also a dried extract used chiefly for tanning purposes in 

 this country. It also goes under the names of gambier and pale catechu 

 and is derived from the leaves of two species of the same genera, namely 

 Vncaria gambier and U. acida. 



IMPORTATION OF DYESTUFFS 



The following table secured from records of the U. S. Department of 

 Commerce shows the value of dy woods imported for each year by 

 decades since 1860 and also the years 1917 and I9I8: 1 



IMPORTATIONS OF DYEWOODS 



Year. Total Value. 



i860 $ 838,186 



1870 i<337,93 



1880 1,808,730 



1890 1,725,167 



1900 862,462 



1910.. 566,377 



1917. . 4,326,576 



1918 2,018,122 



1 The values given for the years 1917 and 1918 are those for the period ending June 3oth 

 in each of these vears. 



