A NEW SOAP MATERIAL 



SETTLERS in western Kansas which purpose it is considered especially 



are cutting and marketing soap suited, since it contains no alkali, 



weed, or Spanish bayonet, to Present day soap manufacturers use 



supply the demands of soap it for toilet and wool soaps. Its 



manufacturers, according to a report qualities have been known for a long 



recently received from officers of the time but the harvesting of soap weed 



Kansas national forest. There are vari- is just now becoming commercially 



ous plants in the southwest locally important. 



known as soap weed, called amole by The industry is now operating on 

 the Mexicans, but the one gathered lands adjacent to the Kansas national 

 by the Kansas farmers, technically forest and it is expected that the de- 

 known as Yucca bacata, a species with mand will soon spread to that forest, 

 exceptionally large fruits, is the most some portions of which bear an abund- 

 used. The soap manufacturers, how- ant supply of the plant. There is a 

 ever, utilize the tops or the roots, plentiful supply of it throughout south- 

 Manufacturers are paying $8 a ton for ern Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, 

 the plant at the railway stations, while and Texas. 



the estimated cost of cutting, drying, Forest officers have considered this 

 baling, and hauling ranges from $5 to weed a nuisance since it is the nature 

 $6, depending upon the distance to the of the plant to spread over entensive 

 railroad. Since a man can ordinarily areas and kill off other vegetation. It is 

 get out a ton a day, the gathering of particularly a pest on stock ranges. In 

 the soap weed affords an opportunity line with its policy of range improve- 

 to secure a fair day's wages at a time ment, the Government is anxious to rid 

 when other ranch activities are not the forage areas of all such injurious 

 pressing. After cutting, the soap weed plants, and it is the hope of the forest 

 is allowed to dry from 60 to 90 days and officers that the commercial demand for 

 then is baled up in the ordinary broom- soap weed will soon reach such propor- 

 corn baling machine. tions that it will not only take an other- 

 For a long time this weed has been wise useless product, but also will 

 made into a soapy decoction which the eradicate it from areas which could be 

 Indian and Mexican women have used, utilized to better advantage for the 

 particularly for washing their hair, for supplying of forage to cattle and sheep. 



WHITE PINE GROWING PROFITABLE 



THE growing of white pine, says grows rapidly, has a heavy yield, and is 



the Department of Agriculture easy to manage. 



in a bulletin recently issued on Second growth white pine, 50 years 



the subject, is a profitable old, on good soil, may yield as much as 



undertaking at 6 per cent compound 49,000 feet of lumber per acre. On 



interest. To bring in these returns, the medium soil, stands of the same age 



trees may be cut when not more than 36,000 board feet, and even on poor 



from 35 to 70 years old. soil, 24,000 feet. White pine boxboard 



The original white pine forests are ap- lumber, one of the chief products of 



preaching exhaustion, according to the such stands, sells for from $12 to $18 



department, and with the growing a thousand board feet. Material for 



scarcity of large-sized, high-grade white making matches, another product, sells 



pine lumber, lower grades now find a for from $17 to $18 a thousand. Even 



ready market. Besides this, the tree larger material, suitable for sashes and 



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