The Principles of Leather ManufactureProcter, H. R. (Henry Richardson)
History
The Principles of Leather Manufacture
Procter, H. R. (Henry Richardson)
Leather
_Rumex maritima_, or _maritimus_. Central Europe, England, Ireland. It
is said by de Lof to be found in California, where it is used by the
Indians for tanning; but he probably confounds it with canaigre. De Lof
found its roots, wet, to contain 6 per cent. and after drying, 22 per
cent. of tannin, together with starch and an acid allied to malic.
Several English docks contain tannin; the writer had a sample of leather
tanned with dock-root (very possibly _R. aquaticus_), many years old,
but still soft and close in texture, and of excellent quality.
_Polygonum amphibium._ Said to grow on thousands of acres (?) on the
lower Missouri. Roots contain 22 per cent., branches 17 per cent. of
tannin. _P. amphibium_ is a common English and European plant, with
spikes of pink flowers, growing in marshes and ponds. Probably this is
the _Polygonum_ analysed by Fraas, who found 20-26 per cent. tannin.
_Polygonum Bistorta._ Common in damp places in England. Bistort,
Snakeweed, called “Eastermer giants” in Cumberland, where the young
leaves are used for making herb-puddings. Fraas found 16-21 per cent.
tannin in the roots.
Other species are known to contain much tannin. Perkin found a red
colouring matter in _P. cuspidatum_, a native of India and China,
commonly grown in gardens as a foliage plant (Journ. Chem. Soc., 1895,
p. 1084). _P. tinctorium_, used as a source of indigo in China and
Japan.
_Coccoloba uvifera_, Seaside Grape of West Indies; source of West Indian
kino. Whole plant rich in tannin.
LAURACEÆ, Bay Family.
_Persea_, or _Laurus lingue_. Bark used in Chili for tanning Valdivia
leather. (According to Arata, _Laurus caustica_.) A tree 25-30 feet high
and 2 feet in circumference. Bark rough outside, and whitish, with an
aromatic smell and taste, brittle and easily ground, contains 17-19 per
cent. of a catechol-phloroglucol tannin, greening iron salts (Journ.
Chem. Soc., 1881, p. 600). About 60,000 heavy hides are tanned yearly
with this bark in Valdivia and district, and mostly sent to Hamburg. The
hides are thick and scarcely tanned through, colour fair, leather soft
and porous.
_Persea Meyerina_ N. and _Laurus Pneumo_. Said to be also used in Chili.
SANTALACEÆ.
_Osyris compressa_ (_Fusanus compressus_, _Colpoon compressum_, _Thesium
Colpoon_), “Cape Sumach,” “_Pruim Bast_,” leaves and bark, Cape of Good
Hope. Leaves contain about 23 per cent. of tannin and form a useful
substitute for sumach; but the tannin is not identical, and is of the
catechol class, resembling gambier.
_O. arborea._ Northern India. Leaves rich in tannin.
_Fusanus acuminatus_ (_Santalum acuminatum_), “_Quandony_.” Australia.
18-19 per cent. tannin, dark coloured.
_Exocarpus cupressiformis._ Australia. Bark contains 15 per cent.
tannin.
DAPHNOIDÆ, Spurge Laurels.
_Daphne Cnidium_ L., “_Garou_.” Algeria. Used for dyeing and tanning.
PROTEACEÆ.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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