of
resin at certain periods, and is probably connected in some way with the
excessive moisture or dryness of a particular year's growth.

The tree is often attacked by a boring grub, which enters by making a
very small pin prick opening, and during its existence in the tree grows
and bores an ever enlarging hole until often it becomes half an inch in
diameter. It would seem almost incredible that a grub could live either
on the resins in the tree or be able to bore through what is one of the
hardest woods in the world.

Of recent years this timber has also been put to another use--that of
producing tan. When used for this purpose, the tree was cut down, its
outer sapwood removed, and then taken to the river to be finally shipped
to the United States of America or to Germany.

It was soon found that the railway and shipping freight charges absorbed
a considerable amount of the profits to be obtained in making this
tannin extract abroad, and, therefore, extract factories were erected in
Argentina. The process of obtaining the extract is very simple; the logs
are first put through a machine which reduces them to chips, the chips
are then boiled in water till all soluble matter is extracted from them,
and the solution obtained is concentrated down to the consistency of
pitch; in this form, after being dried, it is exported, and is used by
tanners the world over. The great necessity and essence of success, in
the present way of working the business, is good water and plenty of it.

We do not know who first noticed the tannin material oozing out of these
trees, but no doubt attention was called to the fact by pools in the
neighbourhood of the trees being often red in colour. Undoubtedly the
Germans first took this business up on a large scale, and to-day they
hold an enormous quantity of forest lands.

Hitherto the extract has been brought on to the market in a solid state
very much after the style of Burma cutch. The Santa Fe Land Company have
recently produced the material in a fine powdered state, absolutely
pure, and containing a great deal less moisture than any other form of
extract on the market, and they are about to erect a factory to work
this process in connection with their saw mills at Vera. This new
process requires very little water as compared with the old method, and
can be adopted, in huge areas hitherto unsuitable for the industry.

About mid-day we approached a plaza, or wood deposit, of the La
Gall