Dyes and Tans. 



422 



[November, 1908. 



quantities of wattle bark, although up 

 till 1902 none at all was produced. 



New Zealand. — Wattle plantations in 

 Mew Zealand for the production of 

 tanning bark occupy an area of about 

 5,000 acres, in the Auckland district. 



The black wattle is the only variety 

 planted. 



The following typical analyses of 

 Australian wattles are taken from 

 results obtained by Blockley (Journ. 

 Soc, Chem, Ind., 1902, 21, 159) ;— 



Botanical Source. 



Local Name. 



A. pycnantha 

 A. Pycnantha 



A. decurrens, sur. 



nor malts 

 A. decurrens, var. 



leichardtii 

 A. decurrens, var. 



pauci glandrdosa 

 A. decurrens, var 



mollissima 

 A. penninervis .. 

 A. binervata 

 A, dealbata 



Golden wattle 

 " No. 1, special" 

 Golden wattle 

 "No. 2,ordinary ' 

 Sydney green 

 wattle 



Green wattle 



Green wattle 



Black wattle 

 Hickory bark 

 Black wattle 

 (Silver wattle 



Source, 



S. Australia 



S. Australia 

 St. Mary's 



(N. S."W.) 

 Bateman's Bay 



(N. S. W.) 

 Bateman's Bay 



(N. S. W.) 



Bateman's Bay 

 Cambervarra 

 N. S. W. 



Tannin 5 



Non- 

 Tannin 



% 



49-5 



40 2 



11 4 



38-5 



361 



38 '3 

 37-7 

 30 2 

 12-2 



Insolu- 

 ble 



% 

 9 4 



90 

 7-9 



91 



7-8 



4-4 

 52 

 6-7 

 4'3 



% 

 29-9 



39-6 

 39-2 



41-4 



44-5 



46-2 

 46-1 

 52 

 71-9 



Mois- 

 ture. 



% 

 11-2 



11-2 

 115 



110 



1T6 



lid 



no 

 11 1 



11-6 



* Estimated by ihe bell filter method (Bull. Imp.' lust. 1907, 5, 341). 



South Africa. 



Natal. — Being known to grow quickly, 

 wattles were first introduced into Natal 

 as a shade tree and wind-break, more 

 especially as a protection for cattle. 

 The value of their barks as tanning 

 agents was not recognised until several 

 years later. Np.tal wattle is nearly all A. 

 decurrens, although the " golden " 

 variety is grown to a limited ex- 

 tent- 



The chief centre of the black wattle 

 cultivation was originally in the Noods- 

 berg distrct, but at present the greater 

 part is grown round about the Umvati, 

 although wattle plantations are scatter- 

 ed throughout the central portion of 

 the Colony, and largely along the rail- 

 way from Pietermaritzberg to Grey 

 town. One of the largest wattle estates, 

 the Town Hill plantation, covers over 

 3,000 acres of hilly uplands near Pieter- 

 mar its berg. 



At present over 30,000 acres in Natal 

 are planted with black wattle, and it is 

 confidently expected that within the 

 next five years production will be 

 trebled. 



Cape Colony and the Transvaal. — The 

 pronounced success of the cultivation of 

 wattle trees in Natal has caused at- 



tempts to be made to place wattle cul- 

 tivation on a commercial basis in other 

 South African colonies, notably in Cape 

 Colony and the Transvaal. Several 

 samples of Cape Colony wattle bark 

 have been examined at the Imperial 

 Institute, and found to be rich in tannin 

 and of good qualitv (this Bulletin, 1907, 

 5, 352>. 



German East Africa. 



The cultivation of A. decurrens in 

 German East Africa has already passed 

 the experimental stage, and as early as 

 1904 samples of bark were obtained, which 

 proved to be of satisfactory quality. The 

 seed used in these plantations was ob- 

 tained partly from Natal and partly 

 from Australia, but as no special care 

 was taken in it-* selection, very mixed 

 results have been obtained. There 

 seems to be no doubt, however, that 

 German East Africa is well suited for 

 wattle growing, and that in the near 

 furture it will be able to compete with 

 Natal and Australia for the supply of 

 bark. 



Experimental cultivation of the black 

 wattle has also been undertaken in Bri- 

 tish East Africa, but so far nothing 

 is known as to the baik obtained. 



The analysis on the opposite page of 



