a.35 
 
 L7U5 
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES
 
 LICORICE CIRCULAR 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 
 
 Washington, February 10, 1885. 
 
 To 
 
 SIR : In view of the large import into the United States of licorice, 
 in its various forms the import of the root alone, in 1884, amounting 
 to 39,057,000 pounds, valued at $800,000 and believing that the plant 
 can be grown in some portions of the United States, many parties in- 
 terested herein have requested the Department to secure through its 
 consuls resident in the licorice-producing districts, certain information, 
 embraced in the following questions: 
 
 1. Does the plant grow wild, or is it cultivated? 
 
 2. What kind of soil and climate are best suited to its growth! 
 
 3. If cultivated, describe the mode and manner of its cultivation. 
 
 4. How long does it require to reach maturity? 
 
 5. Beyond the root is the plant or stalk utilized? 
 
 In addition to the foregoing you are requested to supply as much in- 
 formation as possible concerning the plant; the manner in which the 
 root is prepared for the market; whether it is subject to any adultera- 
 tion in its preparation for the market; the amount exported from your 
 district to the United States, where it is raised, prepared, and how it is 
 shipped hither, &c., in fine, everything which can be of service to parties 
 engaged in the trade, or who contemplate the cultivation of the plant 
 in the United States. 
 
 I am, sir. your obedient servant, 
 
 W. HUNTEE, 
 Second Assistant Secretary. 
 
 (3) 
 
 145806
 
 CONSULAR REPORTS 
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT, 
 
 AUGUST, 1885, 
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 REPORT BY CONSULAR AGENT WHITMAN, OF HJTDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND. 
 LICOKICE AND ITS USES. 
 
 Before proceeding to give an account of the cultivation of licorice 
 in this district, it may not be amiss briefly to quote from several author- 
 ities some facts regarding the introduction of the plant into England, 
 its other habitats, uses in the pharmacopeia, &c. : 
 
 Licorice is cultivated throughout the warmer parts of Europe, especially on the 
 Mediterranean shores, and its geographical limits travel eastward throughout Cen- 
 tral Asia to China, where its cultivation is also prosecuted. 
 
 In the United Kingdom it is grown in Surrey and Yorkshire. The roots for use are 
 obtained in lengths of 3 or 4 feet, and averaging in diameter from one-fourth to one 
 inch. * * * The root is an article of some commercial importance on the con- 
 tinent. 
 
 Stick licorice is made by crushing and grinding the root to a pulp, which is boiled 
 in water over an open fire, and the decoction, separated from the solid residue of the 
 root, is evaporated in copper pans till a sufficient degree of concentration is attained, 
 after which, on cooling, it is rolled into the form of sticks or other shapes, for the mar- 
 ket. The preparation of the juice js a widely extended industry along the Mediterra- 
 nean coasts ; but the quality best appreciated in the United Kingdom is made in Ca- 
 labria, and sold under the name of Solazzi and Corigliano juice. The licorice grown 
 in Yorkshire is made into a confection called Pontefract cakes. 
 
 Licorice in various forms is a popular remedy for coughs, and it is largely used by 
 children as a sweetmeat. 
 
 It enters into the composition of many cough lozenges and other demulcent prep- 
 arations, and in the form of aromatic sirups and elixirs it has a remarkable effect 
 in masking the taste of nauseous medicines, a property peculiar to glycyrrhiziu. 
 
 A considerable quantity of licorice is used in the preparation of tobacco for 
 chewing. 
 
 Commercial licorice paste is frequently much adulterated and often contains dis- 
 tinct traces of copper, apparently derived from the vessels in which the juice is in- 
 spissated. From the ninth edition of Encyclopedia Britannica (vol. 14, pp. 687, 688), noio 
 in course of publication in England. 
 
 Referring to the writer's statement as to its growth in Surrey, I 
 quote from Murray's Handbook to that county, p. 101 : 
 
 At Mitcham we are in the midst of the great Surrey "flower-farms." The soil of the 
 parish is a deep black mold, some hundred acres of which are covered with planta- 
 tions of lavender, rosemary, mint, peppermint, licorice, chamomile, and other herbs 
 for the use of the great London druggists, perfumers, and distillers. * * Mitcham 
 has been famous for its plantations of medicinal herbs for the last century. 
 
 (5)
 
 6 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 From information of a reliable character obtained at Pontefract, I 
 gather that the plant is cultivated only at Mitcham as regards the 
 county of Surrey, and, as appears from the above account, in but a 
 small way for near consumption. 
 
 Eeferring to the Pontefract industry, the only important one in the 
 British Isles, Murray in his Handbook for Yorkshire, third and last 
 edition, 1882 (p. 359), gives the following account: 
 
 Licorice was first cultivated in England in the reign of Elizabeth (Stowe). * * 
 The plant, very graceful, with feathery leaves, is planted in ridges, and does not 
 come to perfection until the fourth year. 
 
 The sandy soil suits it, and the fibrous rools are sometimes ten or twelve feet deep. 
 These are dug in autumn, and pounded in the following winter; the juice thus ex- 
 tracted is boiled down and mixed with gum arabic and other ingredients, and mixed 
 into large cakes. * * * The trade is slowly decaying since Spanish licorice is 
 now imported free of duty. 
 
 As showing how widely diffused the. growth of this plant seems to 
 have been I find in an account of its introduction into England, given 
 by McKenzie's Cyclopaedia (unfortunately I cannot quote the article, 
 not having the volume in the town), that it originally came from Ger- 
 many. If true, the plant must indeed be a hardy one, since the Ger- 
 man winters often rival those of the United States in severity. Further 
 on, I shall again refer to the question of climate, naturally a very im- 
 portant one to growers in the United States. 
 
 Messrs. Chambers give an excellent account of the plant in their 
 popular Encyclopaedia, revised edition 1874 (vol. 6, p. 147), from which I 
 may pertinently furnish a few extracts: 
 
 The roots of licorice * * * are a well-known article of materia medica, and 
 were used by the ancients, as in modern times, being emollient, demulcent, very use- 
 ful in catarrh and irritation of the mucus membrane. 
 
 The roots of the common licorice are chiefly in use in Europe. * * * It is culti- 
 vated in many countries of Europe, chiefly in Spain. * * * The roots are exten- 
 sively employed by porter brewers. They are not imported into Great Britain in con- 
 siderable quantities, but the black inspissated extract of them (black sugar or stick 
 licorice) is largely imported from the south of Europe, in rolls or sticks packed iu 
 bay leaves or in boxes of about 2 cwt., into which it has been run. 
 
 Licorice is propagated by slips, and after a plantation has been made, almost three 
 years must elapse before the roots can be taken up for use. The whole of the roots 
 are then taken up. 
 
 Licorice requires a deep, rich, loose soil, well trenched and manured ; the roots 
 penetrating to the depth of more than a yard, and straight tap-roots being most es- 
 teemed. 
 
 The old stems are cleared off at the end of each season, and the root-stalks so cut 
 away as to prevent overgrowth above ground next year. 
 
 The plant is propagated by cuttings of the root-stalks. 
 
 The root of the prickly licorice (Glycyrrhiza echinata) are used in the same way, 
 chiefly in Italy and Sicily, Russia, and the East. The only American species is 
 Glycyrrhiza lepidota, which grows in the plains of the Missouri. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF LICOKICE IN ENGLAND. 
 
 Thinking that something might be learned from persons in the busi- 
 ness residing at Pontefract, I visited this place armed with letters of 
 introduction to several of the largest manufacturers there. Before en- 
 tering on the method pursued for making the so-called "Pontefract 
 cakes" from the licorice juice, I, perhaps, cannot do better than describe 
 the system of cultivation, soil, &c., as obtained on the spot from three 
 practical men, two out of the three being growers of the plant, which 
 I was then told had been introduced into Pontefract by the monks, 
 whose simple pharmacopeia embraced licorice root among the large 
 number of herbs prepared by them for medicinal purposes. 
 
 The soil about Pontefract is well suited for the growth of the plant,
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 7 
 
 being of a sandy, loamy character, though from all I could hear in this 
 particular, a rich black soil would answer equally as well, the only 
 requisite being considerable depth, to allow cf the downward growth 
 of the roots. 
 
 The beds are prepared by being well trenched, the width of trench and 
 bed averaging 3 feet, having the appearance, when finished, of wide 
 celery beds. Commencing early in April or late in March, a top dress- 
 ing of good stable manure is applied, and then lightly covered over, 
 leaving the trench, perhaps, 6 inches below the level of the raised bed. 
 Buds and suckers, slips or runners, specimens of which (^os. 1 and 
 2) are herewith forwarded to the Department, are then lightly stuck 
 into the soil by one person in the field I saw a girl was employed in 
 this task while another follows along with a small spud or (local) dib- 
 ber with which holes are made at a distance of some few inches apart, 
 and the buds and suckers inserted therein, say 4 inches below the stir- 
 face that is, the tops covered-by about 4 inches of soil. 
 
 This forms the double crop, that is, the buds growing downwards 
 producing licorice roots (specimen Ro. 3), the suckers forming buds for 
 future planting, width of bed permitting of cross rows of plants. The 
 buds and suckers are left in the ground for three years and a half, no 
 crop being obtained until the September following the fourth spring. 
 The first manuring is sufficient, the plants being weeded as required 
 during each summer. They do better in a hot, dry summer after the 
 first season, the last five or six wet years before that of 1884 not hav- 
 ing proved good ones for the crop. 
 
 Frost, it seems, does not harm the plant, though in this matter I judge 
 that our very severe few England winters might prove harmful 
 the coldest season in Yorkshire seldom showing a greater degree of 
 frost than several degrees above zero, though the ground is often frozen 
 solid to some depth. I was assured that the plant is very hardy, had 
 no worm or parasite, and gave little trouble in its cultivation. Having 
 the trenches virtually idle for the first two years, since the tops of the 
 plants do not until the third years show any luxuriance of growth, the 
 universal custom is to plant the trenches for the first year with "ash" 
 potatoes, described as being a potato with a very small top, since the 
 ordinary potato vine would overshadow the staple, which, of course, is 
 the grower's prime care. For the second year, cabbages are grown 
 between the beds ; but for the third and fourth (that is, six mouths) the 
 trenches must lie fallow, as the licorice plant is then luxuriant, and 
 presents in the summer months the appearance of a plantation of young 
 ash trees, for instance. 
 
 The grower plants a fresh crop in the spring of each year, and in the 
 fall of the same year harvests the one of three years and a half's growth. 
 The only labor required beyond this is that the beds in all their stages 
 must be kept free from weeds, and in November or December, when the 
 sap is out of the plants, they must be cut down. If a winter proves un- 
 usually severe the tops of the plants may be protected by a light cover- 
 ing of earth. !No irrigation is required even in the driest summer. 
 
 GATHERING AND PREPARING THE ROOT. 
 
 The mode of gathering the root is as follows, namely : The trench, 
 not the bed, must be dug down to a great depth, thus exposing, without 
 injuring, the roots, and the whole plant carefully taken out of the ground. 
 The earth from the second trench is thrown "into the first, and so on, 
 to the other side of the field.
 
 8 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 The roots are placed in dry cellars, after removing the tops and suck- 
 ers, the latter serving for the next spring's crop to produce " bud," that 
 is, roots iu their early stage for another year, sand being used to cover 
 the roots. After the roots are dry they form the ordinary yellow lic- 
 orice for producing the juice of commerce, except a small portion of the 
 top of the root next the bud ; this, it appears, is not so valuable as the 
 rest, and hence is separated from the root and disposed of to be ground 
 into powder (specimens 4 and 5), which is sold to chemists, and by them 
 retailed for medicinal purposes, for mixing with stout and beer, and as 
 a remedy even for horses in certain cases of sickness. That part of the 
 plant above the ground seems to be of no value except for burning. 
 
 The three and a half years' sucker which is gathered with the licorice 
 plant has now produced "buds," which are reserved for planting in the 
 following spring, and the new suckers also to be planted have been 
 propagated from the old root and are cut off from it before storing it. 
 To preserve these " buds " through the winter they are put either into 
 a dry cellar, and, according to McKenzie, covered over with rotten dung, 
 or, as in Pontefract, " pied," that is, made into a mound out of doors 
 and well covered over with earth or moist sand. 
 
 They seem in this way successfully to endure the cold, wet winters of 
 Yorkshire. 
 
 RENT OF LAND, ETC. 
 
 Some particulars I gleaned as to rent of land, &c. : $30 per acre is 
 the common rent for licorice land, the usual rent for cereal lands being 
 $10 at present. One man and a boy can carry on several acres, but the 
 work is hard during the planting season. 
 
 One informant, Mr. David Longstaff, who has been very many years 
 in the business, stated that he considered $500 a liberal estimate to 
 allow for "laying down" an acre from the start to yield of the first crop. 
 He gave rent as $120 out of this, saying that the two crops of ash 
 potatoes and cabbages hardly more than recouped the grower for his 
 trouble, seed, &c. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF LICORICE IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 Mr. Longstaff spoke most hopefully of the introduction of the plant 
 into maiiy of our States, declaring that in Spain it grew wild in great 
 abundance, owing to the hot climate, while he never knew it to be in- 
 jured by worm, parasite, or frost. 
 
 The rainfall of Pontefract, I should say, is, of course, considerably 
 more than that of many of our States. 
 
 Mr. Longstaff corroborated what I had heard from others, that the 
 difficulty would be to obtain buds in sufficient numbers to furnish our 
 would-be growers with seed. He stated that some time ago he had 
 endeavored to obtain five hundred buds for a gentleman in London who 
 wished to try some experiment with them, and it was only with con- 
 siderable difficulty that he finally got them. 
 
 No one seemed to think there was any way of planting by seed alone, 
 at least, from the cultivation of the plant in England. 
 
 As regards export to the States, Mr. Longstaff said that all the 
 licorice grown in Pontefract was used in this country by chemists, &c., 
 and that "Spanish juice" as now admitted, free of duty (it paid duty 
 up to ten years ago), was so cheap that no English-grown licorice was 
 now crushed and made into the material for Pontefract cakes, &c. In fact,
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 9 
 
 he thought the cultivation of the plant had decreased in the neighbor- 
 hood by 100 acres since the large importation from Smyrna and Spain 
 chity free. 
 
 Though some little jealousy may exist as to explaining the growth, 
 &c., of the plant, I was assured by Mr. Longstaff that the process de- 
 scribed to me, and partly witnessed, was a simple one, the great secret 
 of the trade being the way in which the Spanish juice is boiled and then 
 compounded for being made into cakes, &c. 
 
 MANUFACTURE OF LICORICE IN ENGLAND. 
 
 Gathering from the general request of the Department for informa- 
 tion as to the uses of the plant that some description of the method of 
 manufacture of the crude product into the sweetmeat may not be un- 
 welcome. I will state what I learned from the largest manufacturer 
 there, Mr. Hillaby. This gentleman received me very kindly, and, after 
 some general information as to the growth of the plant in Pontefract, 
 stated that the manufacturers depended for their supplies entirely on 
 Spanish and Smyrna juice, samples of which, Nos. 6 and 7, I inclose. 
 This extract inspissated from the plant either in its wild or cultivated 
 state comes to them in large packing cases of 2 cwt. each, the cases 
 securely dovetailed and lined with paper to avoid leakage in case of 
 heat the juice being really a solid plastic mass of a dark brown color, 
 feeling like tar and inclined to run if subject to great summer heat. It 
 may, indeed, be run into these cases (vide quoted account). This juice, 
 as I gathered from Mr. Hillaby, could not be obtained from the Pontefract 
 roots, partly owing to their small size, and partly because it paid growers 
 better to sell to chemists, &c., who found a ready market for the roots 
 as they were. 
 
 I judge, therefore, that our hot summers would produce equally large 
 roots with those crushed in Spain, so that this product, if now largely 
 imported into the United States, could be obtained in paying quantities 
 from the home growth. 
 
 Understanding this juice to be unadulterated, I presume there is no 
 secret in the crushing of the roots to furnish it, though I found no one 
 who seemed ready to explain the sort of machine formerly used, and 
 all that I can hence oifer 011 this point is found in the quoted accounts 
 previously given. 
 
 Explaining very courteously to me that the mixing and boiling pro- 
 cess was a secret, Mr. Hillaby was good enough, however, to show me 
 through his extensive premises iu order that I might see the process of 
 manufacture after the juice was properly boiled and mixed for being 
 made into cakes. In the first room I found large masses of the "juice," 
 now perhaps more properly called embryo Pontefract cakes, spread on 
 heavy tables, and there rolled by women as dough is worked. This 
 mass was then rolled out by a machine into thin sheets, laid on trays, 
 and removed into a room at a temperature of about 100 and there left 
 until the following morning, when it was cut out, stamped by machinery 
 into various forms, including the well known " Pomfret cake" (sample 
 Ko. 8), which holds its own, with many other novelties of design, such 
 as letters of the alphabet, fluted sticks, &c. 
 
 The sweetmeat, as it has now become, is again subject to a high tem- 
 perature to " skin over," and is then packed in card-board boxes, which 
 are placed in wooden cases and sent off to all parts of the British Isles 
 and the colonies.
 
 10 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 Mr. Hillaby's manufactory is fitted up with machines entirely of his 
 own invention for the conversion of the crude product into pom fret- 
 cakes, &c., to the perfection of which he has devoted the best years of 
 his life, the result of which is an extensive business and an increasing 
 demand for his special make. 
 
 Since writing the above report I have obtained the following addi- 
 tional information from Mr. Longstaff: 
 
 (1) The average cost of Spanish or Smyrna juice is about $11 per CWT. In conse- 
 quence of the low price of foreign juice there is none now made in England. 
 
 (2) The inferior part of the root, called the "chumps," is ground into powder [vidt 
 sample Xos. 4 and 5]. A much finer powder is made from the finest root (decorti- 
 cated), and is used tor medicinal purposes. The main part of the root is sold in 
 sticks, of which a considerable quantity is consumed by children. 
 
 (3) The average price of buds and runners is about S3 per thousand. The grower 
 must wait until the crop is ready before the buds produced from the runners are 
 available, being taken up with the crop. 
 
 (4) If any grower writes to me I will, as you request, do my best to procure for him 
 a sufficient number of buds for an experiment.* 
 
 (5) The approximate cost of an acre of licorice on new ground is about 6450. which 
 I arrive at as follows : 
 
 Trenching and preparing land $80 00 
 
 Forty thousand buds, at $2.50 100 00 
 
 Planting and manure 85 00 
 
 Four years' rent aud rates (taxes) 125 00 
 
 390 00 
 Four years' interest on above, say 75 00 
 
 Total 465 00 
 
 Average produce of one acre of licorice, 45 cwt., at 14 630 00 
 
 This calculation is on the assumption that this is the first crop of licorice, the 
 cost of preparing the land afterward being about one-half. 
 
 The value of the buds will fully repay the cost of cleaning, taking up, &c. 
 The rent is calculated at 830 per acre. 
 
 C. W. WHITMAN, 
 
 Consular Agent. 
 UNITED STATES CONSULAR AGENCY, 
 
 Hucldersfield, April 7, 1885. 
 
 LICORICE IN SPAIN. 
 
 REPORT BY COXSrL MARSTOX, OF MALAGA. 
 
 I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Department circular 
 under date of February 10, 1885, upon the subject of licorice, aud to 
 make the following answers to the questions contained therein, viz : 
 
 The plant grows wild. It requires wild, low, marshy ground, along 
 the banks of rivers. The climate of Spain, say in the provinces Murcia, 
 Aragon, and Toledo, is most suitable. It cannot be cultivated so as to 
 increase yield. 
 
 In Spain it requires, say, on an average, eight years to reach maturity. 
 
 The plant or stalk is not utilized beyond the root. 
 
 * Mr. Longstaff's address is "David Longstaff, esq., Monkroyd House, Pontefract, 
 Yorkshire, England."
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 11 
 
 Exports of licorice from Malaga to United Stales in 1682, 1883, and 1884. 
 
 Paste. Eoot. 
 Tear 
 
 Quantity. 
 
 Value. Quantity. ! 
 
 Value. 
 
 Boxes. 
 1882 .... 1 348 
 
 Boxes. ' 
 $32, 841 15 3, 365 
 30, 152 46 8, 285 
 4, 770 96 7, 309 
 
 $9. 336 51 
 24, 371 59 
 21, 688 39 
 
 1883 1,264 
 
 1884 .... 200 
 
 
 Total 2 812 
 
 18 959 
 
 
 
 
 
 LICORICE ROOT. 
 
 There are several districts in Spain in which licorice root is obtained 
 and large exports are made from Spanish sea-ports to the United States. 
 
 France also consumes large quantities of this root in the manufacture 
 of licorice paste, and probably takes nearly as much as the United 
 States. 
 
 This root is used in the United States principally for sweetening in 
 the manufacture of plug tobacco; it is also used in the manufacture of 
 drugs and in the preparation of medicines. 
 
 It grows wild in the lower lands, in marshy grounds, and on the banks 
 of rivers. Probably the best quality obtained in Spain is found in the 
 provinces of Aragon, Murcja, and v Toledo. The very best Spanish lic- 
 orice root is found near the margin of the Ebro, in Aragon. The next 
 in point of quality is obtained near Cordova. Where it once takes root 
 it is almost impossible to eradicate it. It grows in many countries, and 
 varies in quality according to soil. Spanish licorice differs quite mate- 
 rially in the several provinces, the principal variations being that in 
 some parts the bark is red, brown, and light color, the inside varying 
 from light yellow to brown ; the proportions of saccharine and starch 
 vary also. Many kinds are fibrous, while others are almost as hard as 
 wood. The ground is pulled at intervals of three, four, or five years, 
 according to circumstances, by digging trenches, pulling everything 
 visible as long as possible until it breaks. 
 
 After a year or two it shows above the ground with a little stem; in 
 the spring over this stem there are little flowers. 
 
 From the time this stem appears until the flowers have all fallen this 
 root is not in condition to extract, for the sap does not return to the root 
 till then. 
 
 Each year, till the ground is culled, the quantity of roots and tops 
 increases, until the ground is unfit for cultivation of any kind. 
 
 It is from September till March that the root is gathered, and goes 
 through a process of drying or curing before it is considered marketable, 
 the time required for the drying or curing process being from four to 
 five months and requires a dry climate. 
 
 LICORICE IN THE SEVERAL COUNTRIES. 
 
 Licorice root is also found and gathered in Asiatic Turkey, Greece, 
 Italy, in the Sicilies, &c. In the Sicilies and in Italy very little, if any, 
 is exported as root, it being used in the manufacture of roll or stick 
 licorice. There is a small section in England which produces a limited 
 quantity. The United States also have licorice root in several parts of 
 the country, but the quality is not such as to give it value.
 
 12 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 The quality of root produced in the different countries is as follows, 
 viz : Asiatic Turkey, decidedly bitter ; Greece, bitter, but not so bitter 
 as Asiatic Turkey ; Sicily, sweet, but less so than Spanish ; Spain, rich 
 and sweet ; Italy, richest and sweetest of all. 
 
 EXPORTS OF SPANISH LICORICE. 
 
 Malaga has not up to the present time been considered an impor- 
 tant shipping point for root ; Seville, Alicante, Barcelona, and Bilbao 
 are nearer the producing districts, yet during the past three years a 
 marked increase in shipments from Malaga has taken place, as per sta- 
 tistics inclosed, while the shipments of licorice paste have materially 
 decreased. The value of this root does not in Spain admit of its being 
 increased in crop by cultivation, and the quantity gathered depends 
 greatly upon the severity or mildness of the winter. If severe it lessens 
 the quantity gathered. 
 
 Again, if other crops are good, labor being scarce, less root is gathered j 
 consequently prices are higher. 
 
 MANUFACTURE OF LICORICE PASTE IN SPAIN. 
 
 There are one or two large French establishments in Spain for making 
 paste and stick licorice, one in Seville and the other in Saragossa, be- 
 sides a few small Spanish concerns also engaged in the manufacture of 
 licorice paste. 
 
 H. C. MAESTOX, 
 
 Consul. 
 UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 
 
 Malaga, March 9, 1885. 
 
 LICORICE IN WESTERN ANDALUSIA. 
 
 REPORT BY CONSUL OPPENHEIM. OF CADIZ. 
 
 In deference to directions given in Department dispatch dated Feb- 
 ruary 10, 1885, I have the honor to forward herewith such data as I 
 have been able to gather upon the subject of licorice production in this 
 district. 
 
 I regret to have to say that the information is somewhat meager and 
 not likely to be of much value in the way of practical guidance to any 
 one wishing to introduce the licorice culture ; yet it seems to be all that 
 was obtainable in Seville, the point whence most of the root produced 
 in this district is exported. 
 
 Here in Cadiz I could find no one at all conversant with licorice 
 culture or production, neither could I obtain any hint as to the existence 
 of the needed data in agricultural reports or text-books. 
 
 From a practical botanist, at present temporarily absent from this 
 city, I expect to obtain data as to the plant's position in the Linnean 
 system of classification, its morphology, mode of development, &c., and 
 as soon as the information reaches me it shall be forwarded to the De- 
 partment to serve as a complement to what is herewith inclosed. 
 
 The plant grows wild in this district and it is believed that it is not 
 cultivated in any part of Spain. 
 
 A clayey alluvium produces the best quality of root, but alluvial soils
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 13 
 
 of a sandy character give the heaviest yields. The bottom lands of the 
 great Spanish rivers, such as the Ebro, the Tagus, and the Guadalquivir, 
 are the plant's usual habitat, and such lands are presumably more re- 
 tentive of moisture than the uplands. 
 
 A warm climate and the absence of severe ground frost seem to be 
 conditions necessary to its existence, but data as to the way the plant's 
 growth and the annual yield are affected by the variations in the rain- 
 fall or temperature are wanting. 
 
 The plant and stalk are not utilized in this district ; they are burnt 
 or removed. 
 
 The licorice plant is here looked upon as a weed, and such a vigorous 
 one as not to need the interference of man to protect it from the en- 
 croachment of other weeds or other noxious influences. The cropping 
 consists in simply cutting the roots at the depth of about 1 yard ; the 
 roots are stocked in well-ventilated sheds until dry, and are then 
 cleaned and packed into bundles for shipment. 
 
 The yield is stated to vary from 30 to 40 cwt. per aranzada (0.9284 
 of an acre), worth usually about 5 pesetas per cwt. The usual mode of 
 preparing paste from the root is by crushing, boiling, and evaporating, 
 but there are said to be other processes in use which are looked upon 
 in the light of valuable business secrets and are jealously guarded from 
 would-be inquirers. 
 
 The proportion of paste extracted from a given weight of root varies 
 in subjection both to the richness of the root and to the quality of paste 
 it is desired to produce. The dried root generally yields from 18 to 20 
 per cent, of its weight in paste of the best grade, and from 25 to 28 per 
 cent, in that of ordinary quality. 
 
 The licorice root and paste exported from this district to the United 
 States are shipped at Seville, both by steamer, via England, and, direct, 
 by sailing vessels. The shipments (root and paste) for the last three 
 calendar years were as follows : 
 
 1882 $21,683 91 
 
 1883 46,028 70 
 
 1884 46,840 02 
 
 ERNEST L. OPPENHEIM, 
 
 Consul. 
 UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 
 
 Cadiz, March 20, 1885. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF LICORICE IN SICILY. 
 
 REPORT BY CONSUL WOODCOCK, OF CATANIA. 
 
 In answer to circular of February 10, 1885, calling for information 
 relative to the licorice plant that grows in this district, I have the 
 honor to communicate the following : 
 
 Licorice grows to the height of 2 or 3 feet. It bears a small yellow 
 flower. Its leaves are pinnate. The roots grow from 6 to 20 feet in 
 length. 
 
 The valley of the river Simeto (ancient Symiethus) in this consular 
 district is rich in vegetation. Here not only all p the cereals grow to 
 perfection under the rude culture of the rustic Sicilian husbandman, 
 but the wild plants with which the farmer has to contend spring up 
 spontaneously. Among the latter may be classed the licorice plant.
 
 14 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 In response to a question asked of a Simeto Valley farmer if the lico- 
 rice plant grew upon his farm, he replied, "God forbid, for of all wild 
 vegetation it is the most difficult to subdue." 
 
 If any particle of the root is left in the ground, it grows and sends 
 up shoots. It is not cultivated in this district ; it grows in a wild state. 
 In the fields where it grows are cultivated not only the various grains, 
 such as wheat, oats, barley, &c., and vegetables, but also oranges, lemons, 
 and the various other fruits of this climate. Of course this plant is 
 injurious to the grains and fruits, but the thorough digging of the 
 soil for the roots of the licorice is beneficial to the production of crops. 
 
 The agriculturist here uses the most rustic of implements. His plow 
 is that of the old Eomaus, consisting of an iron point which simply 
 scratches the soil without turning a furrow. In digging for the licorice 
 root, the soil is thoroughly turned over and is dug to the depth of from 
 1 to 3 feet. 
 
 There are two species of the licorice plant here. The one sends down 
 a main root to the depth of from 3 to 6 feet with but few lateral roots; 
 the other does not sink so deep into the earth, but creeps beneath the 
 surface at a depth of from 6 inches to 2 feet. 
 
 The latter plant is most productive and is the most highly prized. 
 
 Doubtless if the licorice plant were cultivated it would yield larger 
 results. The people here think its culture will not pay, hence they are 
 satisfied to collect it as produced by nature in its wild state. There is 
 no use made of the stem except for fuel. 
 
 The licorice plant grows most luxuriantly in the valleys adjacent to 
 streams of water. It is, however, found among the foot-hills of the 
 mountains, but here grows less luxuriantly. It requires a moist soil 
 consisting of a clay loam. The climate must be warm, such as is adapted 
 to the growth of oranges, lemons, and the other semi-tropical fruits. It 
 cannot endure frosts, or cold, high altitudes. 
 
 The root continues to grow for four or five years, when it is considered 
 in the best condition for gathering. The root will continue to grow for 
 ten or twelve years longer, but it is not considered so rich in juice- 
 yielding quality. 
 
 The crop is gathered from the same ground once in four or five years. 
 On the average 100 pounds of the root produces 16 pounds of licorice 
 paste. During the months of June, July, August, and September, 
 and the first part of October the root is not disturbed, for the reason 
 that it is then in full vegetation, and for the further more important 
 reason that the ground is dry and hard-baked by the sun, and it is with 
 much difficulty and great expense that it can then be dug. 
 
 As soon as the autumn rains set in in sufficient quantity to saturate 
 the ground the root harvest commences. 
 
 During the months aforesaid the manufactories of licorice are idle, 
 doing little or nothing in the way of manufacture. In Catania there 
 are some seven manufactories of licorice, which employ from twenty to 
 forty hands each, and are capable of manufacturing 750,000 pound's of 
 the root. There is also a factory in Pateruo ; another in Caltcgeroue, 
 and another in Terranova, in this district. 
 
 When the roots are taken from the earth they are bound in bundles, 
 and upon the backs of rnules transported from the fields to the facto- 
 ries. Here they lie in store for a time in a state of seasoning. 
 
 When the roots are sufficiently cured men and women, with hatchets, 
 cut them in bits of from 3 to 6 inches in length. These are then plunged 
 into a vat of water and thoroughly washed. They are then crushed in 
 a mill of rude construction. It consists of two circular stones of lava.
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 15 
 
 The one is in horizontal position ; the other, perpendicular, rests upon 
 it. Through the center of the upper stone is an axle, to which is at- 
 tached a mule, which revolves it slowly in a circle (cart-wheel like) upon 
 the lower stone. A workman with a wooden shovel is constantly em- 
 ployed in keeping the roots beneath the revolving stone. When the 
 roots are sufficiently crushed they are placed with water in kettles and 
 boiled for twenty-four hours. They are then removed from the kettles 
 and placed beneath a screw-press, and all the juice is thoroughly 
 squeezed out, which runs into a cistern beneath. This juice is pumped 
 from the cistern and passed through a sieve into kettles and the boiling 
 resumed. The sediment from the strainer is again pressed. 
 
 The contents of the boiling kettles is a second time filtered. When 
 boiled to the proper consistency it i removed to a broad, shallow kettle 
 over a slow fire, where workmen with spades continue to stir it until it 
 becomes dense enough for paste. Then it is removed and placed in 
 wooden molds of the size they wish the cakes or by workmen worked 
 into little rolls or sticks. When cold and hard the cakes are wrapped 
 in paper and boxes for export. 
 
 The little rolls or sticks of licorice are placed upon shelves to dry. 
 When they become perfectly dry and hard they are packed in laurel 
 leaves in boxes. 
 
 In preparing the root for market, women with knives scrape off the 
 bark and then cut it into bits of one-half inch or longer in length, as 
 the purchaser may wish. These are then dried in the sun and placed 
 in bags for export. 
 
 In response to my question a manufacturer answered that licorice 
 paste may be adulterated with starch, rice flour, wheat flour, flour of 
 the carraba (locust bean), or even wood ashes; but he expressed the 
 opinion that the manufacturers of Catania could not be so recreant to 
 honesty as to resort to these base methods. 
 
 The Chamber of Commerce of Catania report that in the year 1883 
 440,920 pounds of the root were prepared by the manufacturers and ex- 
 ported to the United States, in value amounting to $11,580, and that 
 79,126 pounds of the root were manufactured and exported to France, 
 in value amounting to $2,079, the total export for the year being 520,080 
 pounds of the root manufactured, valued at $13,659. 
 
 As shown by my records for the year 1884, there were exported to 
 New York of licorice paste 112,746 pounds, valued at $14,965.85, and of 
 the root 14,047 pounds, valued at $567.24; the total value of the article 
 exported for the year being $15,533.09. 
 
 ALBERT WOODCOCK, 
 
 Consul. 
 
 UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 
 
 Catania, March 12, 1885. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF LICOEICE IN PORTUGAL. 
 
 REPORT BY VICE CONSUL-GENERAL WILBOR, OF LISBON. 
 
 I have had the honor to receive your circular dated February 10, 1885, 
 propounding interrogatories in relation to the growth and cultivation 
 of licorice. 
 
 I beg to report that licorice grows in Portugal, in a few districts, 
 spontaneously, but no use whatever is made of it. Such of the various
 
 16 
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 preparations of that root as are used in this Kingdom are entirely of 
 foreign origin. 
 
 The licorice root and paste exported from Portuguese ports are orig- 
 inally sent hither from Spain for shipment. 
 
 J. B. WILBOE, 
 Vice and Deputy Consul- General. 
 
 CONSULATE-GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES, 
 
 Lisbon, March 12, 1885. 
 
 CULTIVATION OF LICORICE IN ASIA MINOR. 
 
 EEPOET BY CONSUL STEVENS, OF SMYRNA. 
 
 In acknowledgment of circular under date of February 10, 1885, call- 
 ing for information concerning licorice root, how it is grown, prepared 
 for market, &c., I have the honor to report as follows : 
 
 The root grows wild. Being indigenous, it requires no cultivation. 
 The best root is found on the borders of streams, creeks, and rivers, 
 where the soil is sandy but subject to overflow. 
 
 The climate must be mild, as the quality is affected by frost. The 
 plant reaches maturity in three years; sometimes, under favorable con- 
 ditions of soil and climate, in two years. Once it has taken root, it is 
 very tenacious of life, growing spontaneously, and although the ground 
 be dug over every two or three years it will continue to reproduce itself. 
 The plant itself,^ which attains" to a height of from 3 to 4 feet, is not 
 utilized, the root alone possessing value. The root does not take a deep 
 hold of the soil, seldom reaching below 2 feet, and is easily extracted. 
 The best time for digging is when the sap is in the root, say during the 
 months of October, November, and December. After being dug it is 
 carefully dried, to prevent mold, and kept from freezing, until it is 
 perfectly dry. 'it is then packed in bales of 300 pounds weight, and 
 subjected to hydraulic pressure to reduce space and thus save freight. 
 Great care must be observed in these processes, as the slightest moisture 
 is hurtful, and if one bale in a cargo is injured the injury is communi- 
 cated to the whole. The prepared root must be free from the slightest 
 blemish, as other wise it is well nigh valueless. Hence no adulteration 
 is possible. 
 
 A very large proportion of the root produced in this province finds 
 a market in the United States, being conveyed thither in sailing ves- 
 sels flying the Italian and Austrian flags, at an average freight of $4.80 
 per ton of 2,240 pounds. The exports of licorice root from this consular 
 district to the United States during the twelve years were as follows : 
 
 Tear. 
 
 Quantity. 
 
 Value. 
 
 Tear. 
 
 Quantity. 
 
 Value. 
 
 1873 
 
 Owt. 
 44 015 
 
 $96 831 
 
 m, 
 
 Cwt. 1 
 
 127 061 i 
 
 $67 939 
 
 1874 
 
 63 646 
 
 138 464 
 
 1880 
 
 214 628 1 
 
 445 886 
 
 1875 
 
 81 598 
 
 168 59 
 
 1881 
 
 
 
 1876 . . - 
 
 42 112 
 
 80 543 
 
 188 9 
 
 193 690 
 
 471 028 
 
 1877 
 
 ll 9 307 
 
 176 74 
 
 18fc3 
 
 288* 458 
 
 649* 057 
 
 Ig78 
 
 184, 405 
 
 398 672 
 
 1884 
 
 269 732 
 
 618 100 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 17 
 
 The quality of tbe root produced ill this province is superior to that 
 found in Greece or Syria, and perhaps to that of any other country. 
 
 The very best grown is at Meneinen, a place situated about 23 miles 
 from Smyrna, in the valley of the river Hermus, and on the line of the 
 Cassaba Eailway. 
 
 In the neighborhood of Alascbeir (ancient Philadelphia), the present 
 terminus of this railway, large districts are given over to the growth of 
 licorice. The largest yield is, however, in the neighborhood of Sakia, 
 on the line of the Ottoman Eailway, which at this place skirts the val- 
 ley of the Meander. This territory is monopolized by the wealthy 
 English firm of McAudrews & Forbes, who make heavy shipments to 
 the United States. 
 
 The Alascheir territory is now largely controlled by an American 
 manufacturing company, of which John H. Leeds, of New Haven, Conn., 
 is manager. The energy and enterprise shown by Mr. 'Leeds in getting 
 possession of this property are worthy of emulation by other American 
 capitalists. Be has also secured extensive licorice-producing grounds 
 in Syria, and is no longer at the mercy of the one or two firms who 
 formerly monopolized the product in this region. 
 
 It is now only about fifty years since the fact became known that 
 licorice root was growing wild on the banks of the rivers which drain 
 the fertile regions of Asia Minor. A German archaBologist made the 
 discovery. Some time after an enterprising English resident of Smyrna 
 secured from the Turkish Government the sole right for a series of years 
 to dig the root, which then, as now, was growing for the most part 
 upon land owned by the Government. He realized a fortune out of the 
 monopoly, and then sold it to the English firm before mentioned. The 
 concession expired a number of years ago, and has not been renewed ; 
 but until the advent of Mr. Leeds, about eighteen months since, the 
 monopoly was maintained against all efforts of individuals to break it. 
 
 I see no reason why licorice may not be produced in California, New 
 Mexico, Texas, in fact, all the Southern States of tbe Union, with the 
 exception of those in the northern tier. Whether it could be produced 
 in competition with this region is perhaps a question, inasmuch as the 
 labor of digging it is considerable, and labor of the kind required can 
 be had here at one-fourth the cost of the cheapest labor in the United 
 States. 
 
 As I have said, however, when once the plant is well rooted its eradi- 
 cation is difficult, so rank is its growth and so tenacious is its life, -and 
 it may be experiment would prove that its introduction would be at- 
 tended with highly beneficial consequences. 
 
 The amount of the annual product in Asia Minor is certainly limited, 
 and as the demand for it, in one form or another, by other countries is 
 increasing rapidly, some new region must soon or late be discovered or 
 created in order to meet this demand. 
 
 I hope to be able in a few days to gather more facts bearing upon 
 this subject, which I shall embody in a supplementary report. 
 
 W. E. STEVENS, 
 
 Consul. 
 
 UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 
 
 (Smyrna, March 27, 1885. 
 136 A 2
 
 18 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 SYRIAN LICORICE ROOT. 
 
 HE POET BY CONSUL ROBE SOX, OF BEIRUT. 
 
 I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a circular from the 
 Department of State dated February 10, requesting certain information 
 about licorice root. I beg now to transmit the following answers to the 
 questions contained in said circular: 
 
 The licorice plant grows wild. 
 
 A temperate or warm climate with a rich, deep soil are best suited to 
 its growth. 
 
 The licorice plant is not cultivated in Syria or elsewhere to my knowl- 
 edge. 
 
 Licorice root is only considered of commercial value after it has at- 
 tained from three to five years' growth. As a rule, the ground is dug 
 over every three or four years, according to the condition of the plant. 
 In the autumn and winter the soil is removed, \vheu the root is gathered 
 and dried in the open air. 
 
 Beside the root, no part of the plant is considered of commercial value 
 except in a few localities, where the stalk is used for fuel. 
 
 Much care is required in handling and watching the root during the 
 period of drying to prevent it from molding or rotting, frequent turning 
 being necessary. After the root is thoroughly dry, which is not before 
 the July or August following, it is conveyed on camels or mules to some 
 convenient point for shipment and there pressed into bales of suitable size 
 for exportation. It is not subject to adulteration either during or after 
 its preparation for the market. The quantity of licorice root declared 
 at this consulate for shipment to the United States during the year 18S4 
 was 936,980 pounds, valued at 810.125. 35, but I am informed that there 
 were shipments of licorice root from this district to the United States 
 invoiced at the Smyrna consulate. Licorice grows in some parts of the 
 United States, but has never been utilized, nor is it likely to be soon, as 
 the cost of labor is so much more than in Syria, where the wages re- 
 ceived for digging and collecting the root average from 10 to 20 cents a 
 day; adults and children are employed. I am of the opinion that much 
 of the southern part of the United States is well adapted for the growr it 
 of licorice root, but persons who understand the nature of the plant in- 
 sert that it is impossible to get rid of it after it gets hold of the soil, and 
 where the licorice root grows land is useless for agricultural purp >>>s 
 and has to be abandoned. It is found in large quantities in the Eu- 
 phrates and Tigris Valleys. 
 
 JOHS T. ROBESOS, 
 
 Consul. 
 
 UNITED STATES CONSULATE, 
 
 Beirut, May 27, 18*5. 
 
 SYRIAN LICORICE ROOT. 
 
 REPORT BY COXSULAR AGEXT COIDAX, OF ALEXAXDRETTA. 
 
 The plant grows wild, and is not cultivated. All kin Is )f s)il suit 
 the growth of this root, the sandy, argillous, and calcareous, as well 
 as the dark and reddish ground; but the best suited soils are ths d i u;> 
 ones, the places which daring winter are covered with water. Tiie b3st 
 soil of all is the smooth and fertile grounds of the plains
 
 THE LICORICE PLANT. 19 
 
 to rigid weather, and the banks of rivers. A cold climate is not suited 
 to its growth, and the root never grows on hills where the snow falls 
 in winter. 
 
 It requires three years to reach maturity. The first year after the 
 ground has been dug the root of the new plant is very thin and con- 
 tains a milky vegetable matter, which, in the second year, is formed 
 into the thick yellow matter of the licorice, but not sufficiently strong 
 to resist the air and sun. 
 
 The plant or stalk is not utilized. 
 
 The root is not subject to any adulteration in its preparation for the 
 market. It is dug during the end of the winter and the spring, ex- 
 posed to the sun to dry, and when dry enough it is pressed by hydrau- 
 lic presses in bales and shipped for export. 
 
 STEPHEN J. COIDAtf, 
 
 Consular Agent. 
 
 UNITED STATES CONSULAR AGENCY, 
 
 Alexandretta, May 13, 1885. 
 
 SYRIAN LICORICE ROOT. 
 
 REPORT BY CONSULAR AGENT POCHE, OF ALEPPO. 
 
 In answer to the circular of the Department of State relative to 
 licorice root, which you have been pleased to transmit to me, I have 
 the honor to inform you that, from all the information I could gather 
 in the vicinity of Aleppo about this plant, it results that it is not culti- 
 vated in any part and grows wild in a large tract of this villayet. 
 
 As to the second question, relative to the land, [ must inform you 
 that this plant prefers the plains where the soil is deep and red, although 
 it grows as well in the other lands in the east and the west of this prov- 
 ince, where the climate is temperate. 
 
 The reproduction of this plant is made with great rapidity by its 
 energetic roots as well as by its seed. 
 
 The root only is util.ized. As to the plant itself, it is of no use. The 
 plant that grows in the vicinity of towns is used for the heating of 
 ovens. The cultivation of this root in this province, for exportation, 
 dates from twenty years ago, and was inaugurated by a French manu- 
 facturer, Mr. Vidal, who established a factory in Autioch for the prep- 
 aration of the root, which, after being dug out of the ground and dried, 
 used to be scraped, made into faggot packages of three different sizes, 
 and exported to France and Spain, where they used it for the prepara- 
 tion of the drink called "coco" (licorice-water) and for pharmaceutical 
 purposes. This enterprise, after some years of existence, tailed, owing 
 to bad management. 
 
 For a long time this commerce was abandoned, when a few years 
 since some firms of Smyrna, who deal in this article with the United 
 States, sent their agents to Antioch and began, in the plains which 
 surround this city, to cultivate this root, which is exported in its wild 
 state, either to Smyrna or direct to America. The exports have -been 
 simultaneously made at the ports of Suedich and Alexandretta. The 
 cultivation of this root which is considered to be the plague of the 
 lands where it grows, as the latter cannot be used for any other culture 
 and to clear the same of it would require a long, assiduous, ami very 
 expensive work has become an important resource for this province
 
 20 THE LICORICE PLANT. 
 
 which previously used but a very small. quantity of it to make the bev- 
 erage known under the name of " coco." The right to root up this 
 plant from the lands where it grows is bought from the proprietors for 
 a certain number of years, as the reproduction, notwithstanding the 
 uprooting of the plant, is effected very rapidly. As soon as the first 
 rains of November fall, and the plant becomes completely dry, and the 
 sap is reabsorbed by the roots, workmen begin with spades to pull this 
 root out. This article, in a damp condition, is heaped up in stacks on 
 a bed of pebbles placed on sloping ground, which allows the rain- 
 waters during the winter to run easily down. To prevent the overheat- 
 ing and the molding of the root in question, these stacks, in the month 
 of February, are turned upside down. This expensive operation is re- 
 peated at different times until the mouth of June, at which time, the 
 drying being complete, the transport to the port of shipment is made 
 on camels' backs. The firm of Alexander Sidi, of Smyrna, which has 
 effected the most important purchases in this year, for the account of 
 an American company, has just established at Alexandretta presses 
 moved by steam, which will be used for the pressing of the licorice root. 
 
 The quantity which will be exported this year from the ports of Sue- 
 dich and Alexandretta can be estimated at about 6,000 tons, at an ap- 
 proximate value of $192,000. 
 
 F. POCHE, 
 
 Consular Agent. 
 
 UNITED STATES CONSULAR AGENCY, 
 
 Aleppo, May 14, 18e?5. 
 
 
 145806
 
 SB 
 
 295 U.S. Bureau 
 L7U5 of foreign 
 coTTimerce . - 
 
 This booR is DUE on the last 
 date stamped below 
 
 MY 2 11952 
 
 lOm-4,'28