518  Distribution  of  Tannin  Plants.  {A^VeSr,PS' 
stand  clearly  that  he  cannot  get  a  modern  medical  education  in  a 
proprietary,  advertising  medical  school  which  lives  on  the  fees  of  its 
students,  even  if  that  school  finds  shelter  under  the  charter  of  a 
well-known  college  or  university. 
THE  GEOGRAPHIC  DISTRIBUTION  OF  TANNIN  PLANTS.1 
By  W.  W.  Stockberger,  2 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture. 
The  constant  increase  in  the  quantity  of  tanning  materials  which 
is  being  imported  into  the  United  States  cannot  fail  to  arouse  further 
interest  in  the  source  of  these  products  and  in  the  economic  conditions 
prevailing  in  the  countries  from  which  they  are  derived.  Since  in 
recent  years  important  additions  have  been  made  to  the  number 
of  plants  recognized  as  available  sources  of  tannin,  further  knowledge 
regarding  their  abundance  and  general  region  of  occurrence  is 
naturally  very  desirable.  Also  much  more  definite  information 
is  needed  concerning  the  local  distribution  and  commercial  range  of 
all  important  tannin  plants  before  either  their  economic  significance 
or  their  practical  importance  as  an  available  source  of  tannin  for 
trade  uses  can  be  fully  determined. 
The  limits  of  this  brief  and  general  paper  will  permit  the  mention 
of  only  a  few  of  the  salient  features  of  the  distribution  of  tannin 
plants,  with  very  little  discussion  of  this  subject  in  its  practical 
aspects,  although  the  latter  are  yearly  growing  in  importance.  The 
significance  of  certain  facts  respecting  the  geographical  distribution 
of  tannin  plants  can  perhaps  be  more  fully  appreciated  if  some 
consideration  is  first  given  to  the  distribution  of  tannin  in  the  various 
natural  orders  and  families  into  which  plants  have  been  grouped  with 
respect  to  their  relationships.  This  is  a  subject  which  has  received 
very  little  attention  except  for  the  contribution  of  Dr.  Dekker  3  in 
his  invaluable  monograph  on  the  tannins,  which  has  been  freely 
drawn  upon  in  the  preparation  of  this  paper.   In  Dr.  Dekker's  work 
1  Reprinted  from  Journal  of  American  Leather  Chemists  Association, 
January,  1913. 
2  Read  at  the  A.  L.  C  A.  Convention,  Washington,  Dec.  5,  1912. 
a  Dekker,  J.,  "  De  looistoffen,"  Bulletin  van  het  Koloniaal  Museum  te 
Haarlem,  No.  35,  1906. 
