CHAPTER XVIII.
VEGETABLE TANNING MATERIALS.
As has been stated in the previous chapter, our knowledge of the chemistry of tannins is not sufficiently advanced to render possible any strictly chemical classification, while an additional complication arises from the fact that very different tannins may coexist in the wood, bark, fruit, galls, etc. of the same plant. It therefore seems best to follow the example of Prof. Bernardin in his ‘Classification de 350 matières tannantes,’[130] and arrange the plants under the orders of the natural system of botany, as has already been done by von Höhnel[131] and A. de Lof.[132] In the following pages, only those materials which from their high percentage of tannin, or from some other cause, are of commercial interest or value, are included, as the tannins are so widely distributed in the vegetable kingdom, that any exhaustive list would be quite out of the question.
[130] Gand, 1880.
[131] ‘Die Gerberinden,’ Berlin, 1880.
[132] ‘Matières tannantes,’ Halle aux Cuirs, Paris, 1890. See also ‘Agricultural Ledger,’ 1902, No. 1 (Government Printing Office, Calcutta, 6d.), by Mr. D. Hooper, which contains much valuable information.
Tannins are not confined to any particular part of the plant, though they are usually most abundant in barks and fruits. Insect-galls are often very rich in tannin, usually gallotannic acid; while in several cases woods are of commercial importance from their cheapness, though the percentage of tannin they contain is not generally high. The function of tannins in the vegetable economy is not well understood. In some cases they are probably a waste product of plant-life, and may help to ward off attacks of insects. They usually exist as cell-contents, and as vegetable cells have frequently thick and impermeable walls, and the diffusive power of tannins is low, much time is required for extraction, unless the cells have been previously crushed or broken.
It would be beyond the scope of this text-book to describe in detail the structures of the tannin-yielding parts of plants; but barks are of such general importance, that some particulars seem desirable.
The detailed structure of bark varies greatly in different trees, though its general principles remain unaltered. One of the best short accounts of these is given by Prof. H. Marshall Ward on page 199 of his little book on ‘Timber and some of its Diseases,’[133] and further information may be found in Van Tieghem’s ‘Traité de Botanique’ and other works on structural botany.
[133] Macmillan & Co.
With regard to detailed structure of various tanning barks, ‘Die Gerberinden’ of von Höhnel[134] is one of the best authorities.