wid the Processes used for Dyei?tg Silk and Cotton. 287 



oi souluy in one ^eer (a little more than (58 cubical inches) 

 of water. Between each immersion it must be dried in the 

 sun. After this, the thread remains in the house ten days ; 

 it is then taken to a tank, and well washed by beating it on 

 a stone, as is the usual practice of this country. When it 

 has been dried, soak each parcel in a solution of two pago- 

 das weight (1-rJVo- drachm) of alum in one sccr of water, and 

 jthen dry it again. Infuse one see?' measure (74-fV cubical 

 inches) of powdered bark of muddi root, in i seers of cold 

 ^vater, and in this soak one parcel of thread; then throw 

 into a large pot the whole of the parcels that have been 

 treated in a similar manner. Next day take them to a tank, 

 beat them as usual, so as to wash them clean, and then dry 

 them again in fresh infusions oi' miiddi powder. This mus^ 

 be daily repeated, till the colour is sufficiently strong ; 

 which, if the bark be from the roots of an old tree, will re- 

 quire six infusions ; but nine infusions of bark from a young 

 plant will be requisite. 



These weavers dye cotton thread green in ihe following 

 manner .- They send it to the niligaru, who dye it maviy or 

 a kind of sky blue. The weavers then wash it, and put it 

 into two seers (1374- cubical inches) of water, containing 

 ^T seer {5'~^^^x>z.) of powdered turmeric, five myrohalans^ 

 powdered, and the juice of ten limes. Here the thread is 

 l^ept four hours, and the operation is finished. The colour 

 is a fine green, but very perishable. It is said that the ??///- 

 garu have the power of fixing it; but they keep their art a 

 profound secret. 



The devangas dye cotton cloth of a fine red colour re-' 

 sembling that of the pomegranate flower, and ealled gale- 

 nari. This is done with the coss2imla, or flowers of the 

 carihnmus tinctorius. The same gives another red colour, 

 called simply cossumba. Neither of the colours are vi^ell 

 ^xed. The demand for the cossumba dye being much greater 

 than the country can supply, much of it is imported. 7'his 

 is always done in the form of powder, which povi'der is 

 adulterated with the flowers of the yecada, or asclepias gi- 

 gantea -, on which, account it is cheaper than the flowers 

 produced in the neighbourhood. The powder is made by 



drying 



