V.-WOAD. 



{Isatis titictoria, L.) 



Enquiries are from time to time addressed to Kew respecting 

 the cultivation of woad. This still continues in the Eastern 

 Counties. The following interesting account of it, by Mr. Francis 

 Darwin, P.R.S., and Professor Meldola, F.R.S., is borrowed from 

 Nature (November 12, 1896, pp. 36, 87) :— 



"A reference to any old gazetteer under the name Wisbech 

 will show that this town was once an important centre of the 

 English woad induscry. It is not generally known, however, that 

 woad is still grown and worked up in a few localities, and it was 

 with some surprise that we learnt that the processes connected with 

 the manufacture might be seen in operation at Parson Drove, near 

 Wisbech, at the present time. There are said to be three other 

 places where the plant is cultivated and worked up for use by 

 dyers — one near Boston and two near Holbeach, in Lincolnshire ; 

 but at these centres the introduction of steam power has destroyed 

 the primitive character of the manufacture. As an interesting 

 survival of the past, the mill at Parson Drove is well worthy of 



" It is hardly to be expected that a feeble tinctorial substance, 

 such as woad, can retain a permanent footing as an English pro- 

 duct in view of the circumstance that it has to compete with 

 indigo, as well as with its modern coal-tar substitutes. The 

 thought that this old-time industry, like the potash-making in 

 Essex,* is sooner or later destined to become extinct, has led us 

 to place upon record the information which we gathered during a 

 visit to the Parson Drove mill in July of this year. We may add 

 that descriptions of this mill were given in the Gardeners' 

 Clironicle in ISSlf and 1882 ; but, as we obtained later and more 

 detailed statements on the spot, concerning the actual operations 

 as now conducted, it may be of interest to chronicle the facts once 

 again while it is still possible to get particulars from the woad-raen 

 at first hand. 



" The leaves of the plant (Isatis tindorla) are wrenched off at 

 the base by the pickers, the root being left undisturbed, so as to 

 permit the growth of a second crop. The first process consists in 

 crushing the leaves to a pulp under rollers. The latter, of which 

 there are three at the Parson Drove mill, are hollow, slightly 

 conical, wooden drums, with about two dozen iron cross-bars 

 arranged ronnd the circumference, these iron bars furnishing the 

 eff'ective crushing edges. The three i-ollers are geared to a long 

 projecting horizontal pole, which is made to move round by 

 means of a horse. The pulpy mass resulting from the crushing 

 operation is then kneaded by hand into balls, about the size of 

 cricket-balls, on a wooden stage, the balls, when made, being 

 placed in three rows on wooden trays, which, as they are packed, 

 are pushed up a sloping plank till high enough to go on to the 



Laver in the Essex NaturaUs 



T by Henry Laver in the Essex Nt 

 r of this article acknowledges, as 



