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 S5 to S8 per ton. It brought from S12.00 to S15.00 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 fields 

 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 cind 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. 



Gambler. 



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 

 I'ncaria gambier and V acida. 



IMPORTATION OF DYESTUFFS 



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

 Commerce shows the value of d_\- woods imported for each year by 

 decades since i860 and also the years 191 7 and 1918:^ 



IMPORTATIONS OF DVEWOODS 

 Year. Total \'alue. 



i860 S 838,186 



IS70 1,337,093 



1880 1,808.730 



1890 1.725,167 



1900 862,462 



I9IO. 566.377 



I9I7 4.326,576 



I9I8 2,018,122 



• The values given for the years 1917 and 191S are those for Uie period ending June 30th 

 in each of these years. 



