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TANNING MATERIALS 



TANNING MATERIALS 



becomes thick and strong, it is decanted into another 

 vessel and the evaporation continued until the extract 

 will set on cooling, when it is poured into moulds made of 

 leaves or clay, the drying being completed by exposure to 

 the sun and air. Kath, or pale cutch, is made by stop- 

 ping the evaporation at an earlier point and allowing the 

 liquor to cool and crystalize over twigs and leaves thrown 

 into pots for the purpose. Good cutch contains about 60 

 per_ cent of tanning matter, and is principally used for 

 dyeing browns and blacks with chrome and iron mordants. 

 It contains queroetin, a yellow coloring matter. " Pilang" 

 (,A. leucophlaa) is found in India and Java. The pods and 

 bark contain about as much tannin as A. Arabiea. 

 "Golden wattle," or "Broad-leaved wattle" {A. pyc- 

 nantha), is found in South Australia. It has one of the 

 strongest tanning barks known, containing 30 to 50 per 

 cent of tannin. It has been cultivated successfully in Cal- 

 ifornia and Hawaii. The Golden wattle {A. longifolia), 

 of New South Wales, contains only half as much tannin 

 as A. pycnantha. Black wattle (A. mollissima), with its 

 two varieties, A. decurrens and A. dealbata, is among 

 the most important of the Wattle family commercially. 

 The bark contains 30 to 50 per cent of tannin and is 

 grown successfully in Natal and in California. Hickory 

 bark {A. penninervis) contains about 30 to 40 per cent of 

 tannin. A. binervata, another Black wattle, contains up to 

 30 per cent of tanning matter, as does also the Weeping 

 willow (A. saligna). The bark of A. prominens contains 

 14 per cent of tannin. 



In Natal the Australian wattles (especially A, mollis- 

 sima) have been cultivated with success. The barks con- 

 tain about 30 per cent of tannin. The bark of A. mollis- 

 sima from trees growing on limestone soils contains 10 

 to 25 per cent less tannin than that from other soil for- 

 mations. An acre of ten-year-old trees will yield five or 

 six tons of bark, so that the tree promises to be valuable 

 for growing in California and other western and southern 

 states as a future source of tan bark. 



Acacia Cavenia, Espinillo. Native in South America. 

 The bark contains 6 per cent and the pods 18 to 21 per 

 cent, or more, of tannin. A. 

 Cebil, the Red Cebil, has 10- 

 15 per cent of tannin in the 

 bark and 6 to 7 per cent in 

 the leaves. It is found in 

 Argentine Republic. A. Gua- 

 rensis, the Algarobilla of 

 Argentine Republic, is said 

 to contain tannin in the bark, 

 pods and flowers. A. Timbo 

 is found in Buenos Ayres. 

 A. Angieo, or Pipiadenia 

 maeroearpa, of Brazil, yields 

 " angica bark," containing 

 20 per cent of tanning matter. 

 Acacia horrida, "Doorn- 

 bosch," of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, contains 8 per cent of 

 tannin. Inga Feuillei, " Pay- 

 pay," of Peru, is said to have 

 12-15 per cent of tannin in 

 the pods. Elephantorrhiza 

 Burehellii, Elandsbochjes, 

 Tugwar or Tulwah, of South 

 Africa, is a papilionaceous 

 plant, the air- dry root of 

 which contains 12 per cent 

 of tannin and a great deal of red coloring matter. 



Canaigre. (Fig. 851.) 



Canaigre (Eumex hymenosepalus), also called Gonar 

 gra, Red Dock and wild pie-plant, is common in the sandy, 

 semi-arid plains of Mexico, Arizona and Texas, as far 



, 851 . Canaigre (Bumex 

 hymenosepalus)^ 



north as Indian Territory and Utah, and westward to 

 southern California. It considerably resembles rhubarb. 

 The roots, when air-dried, contain 20-35 per cent of a 

 catechol tannin, probably allied to that of mimosa. The 

 fresh roots contain about 68 per cent of water and 8 per 

 cent of tannin. The tannin produces leather of bright 

 orange color, having considerable weight and firmness. 

 Sandy soils, subject to inundation or irrigation, seem best 

 suited to its culture. In California and Arizona, the 

 growth begins in October or November with the winter 

 rains. The plant blooms about the end of January, while 

 the leaves die down in May and no growth takes place 

 during the dry hot summer. Planting is done in autumn, 

 in rows 30 Inches apart, with ten inches between each 

 two roots. Roots for " seed " should be Kept in the ground 

 or stored in dry sand. The yield in an average season is 

 10-20 tons of green roots per acre. The plant has been 

 grown successfully in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and 

 California, but as a rule larger profits can be made from 

 the land by growing other crops, so that its cultivation 

 has not been a commercial success. The roots should be 

 harvested when two years old, as they contain the most 

 tannin at this age. If allowed to remain longer they 

 become darker and deteriorate. The roots should be 

 sliced and extracted at once, or dried at a low tempera- 

 ture if this is not possible. 



Other rumexes and polygonums containing consider- 

 able tannin. 



Eumex maritimus is found in Central Europe, England 

 and Ireland. After drying, it contains 22 per cent of 

 tannin. 



Polygonum amphibium is very abundant in the 

 United States, growing vigorously in wet soils. It is par- 

 ticularly abundant in the upper Mississippi valley. The 

 roots contain 22 per cent and the branches 17 per cent of 

 tannin. Polygonum Bistorta is common in damp places 

 in England. The roots contain 16-21 per cent of tannin. 

 Smartweed (P. Hydropiper) is common in damp ground in 

 northern and central United States, and contains about 5 

 per cent of tannin. 



Coccoloba uvifera, the Seaside Grape of the West 

 Indies, is the source of West Indian kino. The entire 

 plant is rich in tannin. 



Less important tannin plants. 



Bearberry (Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi) is used in Russia 

 and Finland. The twigs and leaves contain about 14 per 

 cent of tannin. 



Manzanita {Arctostaphylos Manzanita) is found in the 

 coast region from British Columbia to California. The 

 wood containing about 5 per cent, twigs about 8 per cent 

 and leaves about 12 per cent of tannin. 



"Curtidor" bark ( Weinmannia glabra, Linn.) of Vene- 

 zuela, {Weinmannia macrostachya, D. C), of Reunion and 

 New Zealand Towai or Tawheri bark ( Weinmannia race- 

 mosa) contain 10 to 13 per cent of iron-bluing tannin, and 

 have been practically used, but are not of much importance. 



Tamarix {Tamarix Africana) is secured from Egypt 

 and Algeria. The galls contain 26 to 56 per cent of 

 tannin. The small twigs, which contain about 9 per cent 

 of tannin, are collected in Tunis, and dried, ground and 

 imported into Sicily where they are used for the adultera- 

 tion of sumac under the name of "Brusca." T. articulata 

 from Morocco yields galls produced by aphides, stated by 

 Vogel to contain 43 per cent of tannin. 



Churco (Oxalis gigantea) is secured from Chile. Its 

 thin, brittle, dark red bark contains about 25 per cent of 

 an easily extracted dark red tannin, giving green-blacks 

 with iron.. 



Cleistanthus collinus, "Kodarsi," is found in the Deccan. 

 The bark is said to contain 33 per cent of tannin. 



Phyllanthus Emblica, of India, yields emblic myro- 



