and ihe Processes used for Dyeing Silk and Cotton. 263.. 



an hour. One half of the boiling ley is poured into a wide- 

 mouthed pot, and one half of the silk is immediately put 

 into it suspended mi a stick. If it be not sufficiently wet, 

 it will not take the colour ; and if it be allowed to remain 

 any length of time, the silk is destroyed. The rest of the 

 bilk is now dipt into the remaining 1-ey, then washed in cold 

 water, and dried in the sun. ^ 



Tf a white silk be wanted, take three seers (I-jVoV^O of 

 prepared silk, 3 seers of souhi or impure soda, 1 dudu 

 weight (6/^'^- drachms avoirdupois) of indigo, and \8 see7's 

 (about 1233 cubical incl>es) of water ; boil them for about 

 two hours. Thjen wash the boiled silk in some hot water, 

 and dry it. In this operation much care is necessary, as by 

 too much of the soda the silk is apt to be spoiled ; and if 

 it be boiled too short a time it will not be sufficiently white. 

 The workmen judge of the time by taking up a few threads 

 on a stick, and putting on them a drop of eold water: 

 whenever they appear of a proper colour, the silk must be 

 immediately washed in clean water. 



To give the red dye with lac, take ]l-maund (38^y^lb.) of 

 lac, cleared from the sticks, 1^ seer (O-jSgy-g-lb.) of lodu 

 bark, l-i- seer of suja car a, or soda, and two dudus weight* 

 (J S-f'y^o?^ drachms) «f turmeric. Put them into a narrow- 

 i^iouthed pot, capable of holding 80 seers (5492 cubical 

 inches), with 40 seers (2746 cubical inches) of water, and 

 boil them four hours; then de/:;ant the liquor, which is 

 impregnated with the dye ; and having to the same ma- 

 terials added 20 seers (1373 cubical inches) more of water, 

 boil them again for three hours ; decant this liquor into 

 the former, and then, for three hours, boil the materials 

 a third time, with 10 seers (686^ cubical inches) of 

 water. Decant this^ also into the two former, and pre- 

 aerve, in a covered pot, the whole liquor for eight days. 

 At the end of this period the workman judges how much 

 silk his materials will dye. If the lac has been good, it 

 will dye 5 seers (3TVcV^b')> ^"^ ^^ ^^ be poor, it will not dye 

 more than 3-i. seers (2-i-VA^t)). For 3 seers of silk take 20 

 seers (IS-jJ^^o^lb.) of tamarinds, and for two days infuse them 

 in 18 seers (1235 cubical inches) of water. Then strain the 



R 4 infusioft 



