THE SEMLWEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE. NEBRASKA.
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DOES NOT SEEK PUBLICITY
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HERE la a wltchory about
tho smell of new-mown hay
that appeals to humankind
of high as well an low degree.
There seems to ho a tendency to
rovert to tho prlmltlvo and bu
colic In moBt of us, howovcr
ofToto and blase our tastes may
havo becomo, and tho fragranco
of tho fields gratlflos tho olfac
tory nerves of princo and paupor,
g Wt LiiU QUUUI HlttlU UiiU V4w JUI)I'
pored social butterfly, whoso more or less rcmoto
ancestors doubtless breathed In tho porfumo as
It roso from tho dow-covcrod, tondor grass they
mowed with shining blado and gathered with
tholr own strong arms. Tho attraction of the
porfumo sooms to havo llngorcd evon through
many generations.
Now-mown hay not being always available, and
somewhat too bulky for aesthetic uso ovon when
It Is, tho art of tho perfumer has been called
upon to gratify tho sense of smell which longed
for this particular aroma; so "now-mown hay"
was addod to tho varied "perfumes of Araby"
UBOd as tollot accessories In liquid form, nnd now
"milady" may Inhalo tho delicious odor from her
cut. glass scont bottle. Mayhap sho pictures to
herself tho sturdy youth with big, baro arms
swinging his gleaming scytho and gathering tho
swoot young grass which sho fondly thinks is
tho sourco of tho delicious essenco sho now In
hales. Hut perfumes, like many other things,
aro not always what thoy soom. Grass, freshly
cut or othorwlse, has had nothing to do with tho
production of tho sweet-scented liquid labeled
"now-mown hay." Tho source of tho essence Is
really a bean. Not tho prosaic, everyday, com
monplace odlblo bean of our market gardons,
but a boan that grows In that section of tho
world whero onco El Dorado, the "Glided One,"
was thought to rule In glittering splendor; that
fablod land In tho fruitless quest of which bo
man) daring, gold-loving adventurers spent
monoy, tlmo, and ovon lives most lavishly, it Is
known as tho Tonqua, Tonka, or Tonquln bean,
said to bo so called because It was erroneously
thought to have been first Introduced Into Eu
ropo from tho Chlneso province of Tonquln. How
over it got its name, tho real Bourco of tho bean
is to bo found In tho tropical countries of South
Amorlca, chiofly In tho valloys of tho Orfnoco
Caura, nnd Cuchivoro rivers In Venezuola nnd In
cortaln Boctlons of Colombia.
Tho bean is tho seed of DIptorIx odorata, n
troo belonging to tho logumlnosao or puIbo family
Tho gonuB dipterlx comprises about eight spoclea'
nil largo trees, to bo found In tho forests of Bra'
nil, tho Gulanas, Venezuola. Colombia, and trop
ical South Amorlca generally, having no repre
sentatives In northern localities. Tho troo grows
from GO to !)0 foot high, with a' trunk somotlmos
throo foot in diameter. Tho Irldosccnt pods aro
obotit two Inches long, almond shapod, nnd very
thick; tho Blnglo Bood Is over an Inch long and
Bhapod somowhnt llko a largo kidney bean; It
has a wrinklod skin of a shiny black color when
ready for the markot. Tho odor, which Is re
markably strong, resembles that of Bweot clovor
or now-mown hay, and Is duo to tho presence of
coumarln, a concrete crystnlllzablo, volatile,
neutral Bubstanco, which Is soluble In alcohol
and othor nnd somowhat bo In boiling water,
from which it crystallizes on cooling. The bonns
aro ofton frosted with crystals of this Bubstnnco.i
which show distinctly on tholr black surfaco and
give thom tho nppearnnco of being Bugnr coatod.
A stated, tho troo is Indigenous to tropical
South America, but tho section whlrh producos
tho largest quantities and perhaps tho best va
rloty of tho beans Is tho region botween tho
Caura and Cuchivoro rlvors. Tho watershed bo
twoon thoso two atrenms cousli.ta of sovoral
mountain ranges of granitic formation, tho most
consldorablo of which Is the Serranla do Mato.
On tho right bank of tho Caura river mountains
of similar formation, of which Turagua is tho
highest, also oxtnt. Tho averago altltudo of theso
ranges is botween 3,000 cm 4,000 feet, although
there are peaks as high as 0,000 feet. Bosldos
tho mountain ranges many isolated hills and
Inrgo open mnBsos of granite, only u llttlo higher
thnn tho surrounding country, aro scattorcd
through tho forest. Tho land In tho vicinity of
thcBo mountains consists lurgely of granitic grit,
and It Is this eoll that seems to bo tho most fa
vorable for the growth of tho tonqua-bcan troo.
Tho trens aro not usuully found In groves, but
grow singly, though small clumps nrc occasional
ly found. Tho gntherlng of tho nuts Is thus all
tho moro dllllcult nnd arduous. Tho wood of tho
trco Is remarkably closo-gralned, very hard nnd
heavy, and of a reddish color. In somo respects
It resomhles llgnum-vltno n'nd Is frequently mis
taken for it. It Is highly prized as n cabinet
wood. Whtlo cultivation of the troo has been at
tempted In Trlnldnd and other of tho West Indios
to n limited extent, tho fact that It takes from
ton to twolvo years to come Into bearing has dis
couraged any systomntlc offorts along this lino,
and the wild product Is still depended upon to
Bijpply tho market Again the crops seom to
bo very Irregular, and It Is impossible to forecast
tho ylold of any particular year. As a rule there
Is porhaps not moro than ouo good crop In every
threo years, production In tho Intervals bolng
bo scant that It hardly pnys to collect tho beans.
In Venezuela tho troo Is known aa sarrnpla, nnd
tho men engaged in the collection of tho floods
or beans aro called sarrapioroB. CMudad Bolivar
is tho conter of tho tonqunbean industry of
Vonczuola, and it is thoro that the sarrnploros
market their product.
One factor which has much to do with curtail
ing tho tonqua-bcan crop is tho presence of birds
In tho tropical forests whore tho treos grow.
Especially aro tho largo macawB with tholr gor
geously colored plumage and tho many othor
varieties of tho parrot family to bo found In
7 .v am
theso regions an abomination In the eyes of tho
sarrapleros. Thoy feed on the small lmmaturo
fruit of tho trees in tho months of October and
November, long boforo tho benns nro ready to be
gathered, nnd often flocks of these devastating
birds may bo aeon wherover a largo tonqua-bean
trco Is to bo found. According to Eugono Andre,
the English naturalist, no birds are more extrav
agant than parrots in their method of feeding,
not bo much on nccount of what they consume
as of what thoy waste. Wherever thoso birds
hnvo eaten tho ground Ib strewn with fruit only
clawed and then awkwardly dropped, or porhaps
with Just a small pleco bitten off. Hence tho
destruction before maturity of enormous quanti
ties of tho vnluablo beans.
In Andre's nccount of tho Industry In "A Natur
allst In tho GulanaB" ho states that It Is usually
about tho beginning of Fobniary that the sar
raploroB begin to orgnnlzo tholr expeditions to
tho Interior to collect tho beans. For two or
threo months thorenftor the Caura rlvor presents
a scono of animation. Boats of overy bIzo nnd
description may bo seen making tholr slow prog
ross up tho Btrong current of tho river. Hero
will bo seon n largo bongo, or dugout canoo, of
soveral tons capacity, carrying an entlro family
up tho stronm and laden with provisions for a
stay of sovornl weoks. Again Binall skiffs, Just
largo enough for tho two hurd-worklng paddlors
and tholr outfit may bo seen making somowhat
hotter progress. Occasionally a flotilla of several
boats carrying n larger expedition, conslctlng of
15 to 20 men, is mot with. Progress up tho
rivor Is slow nnd frequent stops at tho settle
ments along the banks ure made for the purposo
of laying In fresh supplies, resting, nnd having
n good tlmo. Many of tho sarrapleros aro old
hands at the business nnd usually stop at the
places loading to tho Barraplales with which
they nro fnmlllar. They know overy inch of tho
ground and overy tonqua-bean troo In tho dis
trict. Cano Guaynpo. Suapuro, Tomblndor, nnd
I.n Prlslon nro tho names of soma of tho sottlo
monts whero most of tho bontB atop. A fow of
tho more enorgotlc sarrapleros piiBh on farther
to Cangrojo. but It is hard work getting through
tho rnpl(5s of Mura and Pirltu.
As booh ns a party has selected a spot aa a
contor of operations, tho men build tho ranchos
or huts which aro to bo tholr homes for porhaps
two or threo months. If the fruit is sulllclontly
rlpo and has commenced to fall, thoy begin gath
ering at onco. Othorwlso they spend tho Inter
vening tlmo In locating tho best trees and m
hunting and fishing. When tho fruit beglnB to
fall, ovoryono gets busy. Men, womon, and chil
dren nil take part in tho work of collecting. By
daybreak tho workers scatter through tho forest
and no frutt-bonring trco Is overlooked. After
nil tho fruit of tho trees nonr to the ranchos has
beon gnthored tho men go further Into tho for
osts, somotlmos taking supplies with them nnd
romnlnlug absent for a wcok or two. During
this tlmo thoy sloop in tho forest in tholr ham
mocks, using plantain loaves or palm branches
aa a covorlng to keep dry when it rains.
Tho fruit of tho tonqua-bean tree, or sarrnpla,
rcBomblus a mango in appoaranco, has but llttlo
2gyZft& M&VV-c? kL
pulp, which Is rather sticky and tasteless but Is
edible, and the seed Is covered with a hard furry
substance. After a sufficient quantity of tho
fruit has been gathered, the sarraplero takes
tho lot to somo open place whero he can get tho
benefit of strong sunlight. Tho hard shell Is
carefully crushed botween two stones, and n sin
gle 'oblong bean of dark-brown color Is obtained.
After a heap of theae has been secured they aro
spread out on tho large open masses of granite
called lajas, which form a peculiar feature of the
forests of this region. When dried, these are
tho tonqua beans of commerce as they are sold
to the morchantB nnd exporters In Cludad Boli
var. By tho end of May or the first part of
Juno the crop Is about exhausted and tho Caura
river again becomes allvo with tho returning
boats. From tho Caura thoy go into tho Orinoco
and thence down to Cludnd Bollvnr, whore tho
sarrapleros sell their accumulations of beans to
tho largo exporting houses.
Boforo tho tonqua beans aro exported they go
through a process of crystallizing by , being
stooped in strong rum or alcohol. Casks open at
one end nro placed In rows and filled to within
about a foot of the top with the beans. Tho
rum is then poured in until the cask is full. It
Is then covered by layers of bagging or gunny
sacks. At tho end of 24 hours tho rum that has
not boen absorbed Is run off and tho beans taken
nut and snread out to dry In a current or air,
When first taken out tho beans are of a dull
black color and aro soft and awollen with tho
absorbed fluid. On drying shiny white crystals
anooar on tho surfaco of tho beans, which gives
iiom thn suear-coated noDearanco they have
when they arrive at tholr final destination in
Europe or tho United States. In tho drying
process thoy ahrlnk considerably, and this gives
thorn tho wrinkled 8urfaco. They aro shipped
in wlno casks or rum puncheons to tho markets
of tho world.
As Indicated heretofore, the valuo of the bean
llos In Its sweet nnd lasting odor, nnd Its nctlvo
prlnclplo Is much UBed by tho manufacturer of
perfumes as a basis. While tho odor Is really
that of sweet clover or freshly cut grass, It re
sombles that of tho vanilla bean so closely that
the tonqua bean has been used as an adulterant
In tho cheaper grades of vanilla oxtracts. Onco
upon a tlmo, when our not very romoto fore
fathers had tho habit of taking a pinch of snuff
to tltlllato their olfactories to tho sneezing point,
tho bean was In great demand. Every Jar of
Biiuff on the shelves of tho wealthy contained
several of theso sweet-smelling beans, and oven
In the gold or silver pockot snuffboxes carried by
our grandfathers a single benn was usually found
to mid Its fragrance to tho pungent powder
which gave them bucIi delight. Later tho boans
were used In pulverized form to give a delight
ful aroma to smoking tobacco, ono use to which
thoy aro still sometimes put. A chcapor substl
iuio nas oeen round. However, in tno so
called "wild vanllln." found In Florida, and tho
ordinary grado of Bmoklng tobacco knows not
the fragrance of tho tonqua bean
The prlco of tho beans varies greatly and de
ponds largely upon whether thoro Is a good or
poor crop. The crop of 1912 was very short
and the prlco roso to $4.87 per pound. According
year it fell to loss thnn $1 per pound. According
to the commercial statistics of the United States
Importations during tho year ending Juno. 30
i;u.s, amounted to 7S3.8S8 pounds, valued at
?l. 110.101). Those llguroB aro Bomo ovidonco that
the aeent of "now-mown hay" is still oulto ponu
lar in tho United States, for tho scont is about
all there Is to tho tonqua bean. It lends Its
fragrauco to fine tobacco for the smoker, to flno
toilet soaps, to "brllllantlno." nnd othor hair
dressings and dyes, to dainty cosmetics that
softly tint tho cheeks nnd Hps of benuty, to flavor
ing extrncts used In confections and Ico creams,
nnd to many othor things that gratify tho sense
of sinoll. Thus hns nu agreeable odor becomo
an important commercial commodity.
INSULTED.
"Why aro you so nngry at tho doctor?"
"Because when I told him I had a terribly tired
feollng ho told mo to show him my tongue."
Fun.
Ask almost any man in Washing
ton to name tho assistant secretaries
of stato and this is the kind of an an
Bwer you will get:
"Lot's see. Thero is Adee, who
has been In tho department since it
was invented, and Phillips, a Repub
lican, who camo in in the midst of
this administration because thoy
wanted another experienced man in
tho department. Why, hang it all,
there must bo another assistant some
whero! 1 have it. What's that fot
low'a name who camo hero from Wy
oming? I think he was a druggist,,
and, if I remember correctly, ho is tho
Democratic national committeeman
from that state."
"John E. Osborne?"
"Sure, that's tho follow. By Jlm
miny, I have not heard of him slnco
he was first appointed. Whoro does
he keep himself?"
John E. Osborne keeps himself
pretty much out of sight, so far aa
publicity goeB. Ho is not mixing up in international matters to any great
extent, and consequently his name is not getting into tho newspapers.
However, Mr. Osborne 1b not loafing on his Job, which has to do mainly with
the finances of the department.
Although ho succeeded in substantially burying himself, for publicity
purposes, Mr. Osborne has kept the state department out of bankruptcy,
which was no mean Job when the European war broke out and everybody
looked to tho United Statea for help. Botween times he ha3 found oppor
tunity to set out a few diplomatic seeds, and one of them Is now blooming
in the shape of a readjustment of Sunto Domingo matters which he handled
when on a special mission.
AID TO SANTA GLAUS
At one of the desks in tho United
State3 patent office sits a young wom
an ecanning a pile of drawings. They
aro odd-looking sketches, consisting of
hundreds of dotted lines, big circles
nnd little circles, almost all the letters
of the alphabet, and shndowy forms of
human beings and animals. She is Miss
AHco Purinton, an assistant examiner
in tho patent office, and it is her duty
to pass upon the patentability of chil
dren's toys'.
Hundreds of drawings and specifl
cations of evory toy Imaginable find
their way to her desk dally, and this
material must explain exactly how the
toys are made and operated. It ia ab
solutely necessary that the toys work
as the specifications state, and any
skilled mechanic is supposed to be able
to make them. If tho description of a
certain toy Ib not lucid enough for
Mlsa Purinton to derive a clear under
iitanding of the mechanism a model
must bo submitted. The submission
of models is being discouraged, however, as they only accumulate in tho
patent office, collecting dust and taking up space.
One of tho first and foremost requirements of a new toy invented la
that it must have some now feature or improvement over an old and similar
toy, or that it be a new and original idea entirely.
Mechanical and electrical toys with action aro the mo3t popular nowa
days, according to Miss Purinton.
VICTIM OF RACE HATRED
Sir Edgar Speyer, member of a
banking firm that has houses in Lon
don, Frankfort and New York, haB
truly becomo a victim of race hatred
generated by the war. Because he is
a native of Germany, his loyalty to
England, his adopted country, was
fiercely attacked, and finally ho re-,
signed his post as privy councillor and I
camo to America. Ho tried also to re-t
sign his baronetcy, but found ho would'
have to remain a nobleman for life. ,
Sir Edgar has lived most of his
life in England and was made a baro
net becauBo of his munificent philan
thropies and his public spirit. Up to
the outbreak of tho war he was one
of the most popular men In London,
and he remained popular until last
spring, when the undercurrent of Eng-,
llsh resentment toward Gormany and;
Germans became vindictive. He was,
attacked in the newspapers, and'
desplto a public nssuranco by Premier
Asqulth, long his friend, that ho was
loyal to England, It became necessnry to placo a guard around his London1
residence. Deeply hurt by the aspersions cast on him, Sir Edgar finally f
decided to quit England, at least for the present.
"TORPS" OF THE BRITISH NAVY
THE HOME COLOR SCHEME.
"What makes you look so blue, Jonks?"
"My wife's Just drawn on mo to go to a white
salo."
"Torps" Is tho nlcknamo of tho
orpedo lieutenant on a battleship. Sir
Henry Jncksou, now first sea lord of
tho admiralty. Is the "Torps" of tho
British navy, for ho Is unquestionably
its leading torpedo expert. His se
lection as successor to Lord Fisher Is
recognized ns most fitting, for Ger
many's naval tactics havo forced Eng
land to admit the importance of sub
marine warfare.
When Sir Henry entered tho navy
In 1868 tho world was still chiefly
thinking nbout tho cnido "spar" tor
pedoes which Cushlng and othor Amer
icans had used In the Civil war, with
tho result that they were apt to blow
up the torpedoor as well as tho tor
pedoed. In 1881 ho was appointed to
tho Vernon, the old torpodo school
ship at Portmouth, as a young lieu
tenant for a courso of instruction.
When that was completed he was able
to start his career as torpedo lieuten
ant on a battleship, ana that soon
brought him to tho command of the Vesuvius. This craft was attached to
the Vernon as an experimental vessel and tho captain of the Vesuvius showod
so much zeal and knowledgo that he was sent off to Flumo to learn about
the Whitehead torpedo, which was being manufactured at tho Austrian port.
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