6 BULLETIN 706, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
scattering — species of sumac collected, and whether leaves, leaf 
stems, and stalks, or only leaves and leaf stems are desired. The 
amount of sumac collected by one man in one day may weigh from 
150 to 600 pounds when dried, but averages between 200 and 300 
pounds. From experiments conducted by the bureau, in which the 
sumac was collected by an experienced gatherer, it has been esti- 
mated that the following amounts of sumac (leaves, leaf stems, and 
stalks combined) can be gathered in one eight-hour day by an energetic 
man, provided the stand is good, so that little time is lost in going 
from one patch to another: 
Dwarf — 728 pounds green; loss of water in curing, 54 per cent; cured sumac, 335 
pounds. 1 
White — 1,744 pounds green; loss of water in curing, 67 per cent; cured sumac 576 
pounds. 
Staghorn — 952 pounds green; loss of water in curing, 58 per cent; cured sumac, 400 
pounds. 
Where the stand is scattering or the gatherer is slow, the quantity 
gathered will be less, but in no case should an able-bodied man be 
satisfied with less than 200 pounds of cured sumac (leaves and stalks) 
from his day's work 
GATHERING AND CURING. 
The general practice followed in gathering is to break or cut (only 
the black can be broken readily) the new-growth stalk just below the 
lowest leaf stem. The sumac is then allowed to wilt in the sun for a 
few hours or a day, and hauled to a barn, where it is spread on the 
barn floor in a layer of from 1 to 3 feet in depth, or on racks which 
permit the circulation of air underneath. The sumac is then turned 
once or twice each day for a week to aid in the drying and to prevent 
the leaves from molding. Some gatherers do not let the sumac wilt 
in the sun, but spread it at once on racks in the barn or under cover. 
This method aids materially in producing sumac of the lightest and 
best color. 
LOSS IN CURING AND HANDLING. 
Experienced gatherers estimate that the green sumac loses from 
50 to 60 per cent in weight during curing. There is still further loss 
in weight between the time of purchase by the dealer and the time 
of sale, due largely to loss of moisture, still present because of incom- 
plete drying, to falling of leaves, and to the removal of adhering 
dirt. This loss between the purchase and sale by the dealer varies 
in amount from 5 to 15 per cent, thus making a total loss in weight 
from the original green sumac of from 60 to 75 per cent. 
Results of laboratory experiments on the curing of sumac (leaves, 
leaf stems, and stalks) given in Table 3 show losses while curing 
which agree well with those estimated by gatherers. 
i The dwarf sumac was more scattered than the other two varieties. This may account for the com- 
paratively low figures for this species. 
