MADDER. 



account, it should be kept in a bed of moistened earth 

 or sand, whenever there is any delay in sowing it. 

 A light, rich, and deep soil is the most suitable, and 

 it should be ploughed to the depth of two feet. The 

 time of sowing is in February, or the beginning of 

 March, for the more northern, and September or 

 October for the more southern regions. This kind 

 of crop requires but little care and attention : for the 

 first year, it is necessary only to keep it free from the 

 weeds, and to hoe it slightly once during the sum- 

 mer ; for the second, it requires hoeing in the spring, 

 '.i the summer, and again, a little more deeply, in 

 the latter part of the season; the same is requisite for 

 the third year, except that the earth is heaped up 

 about the base of the stems, in order to make it 

 shoot with more vigour, and enlarge the roots. It is 

 usual, before the second time of hoeing, to cut the 

 stems for cattle, who are very fond of it ; but this 

 practice should not be repeated during the season, as 

 recommended by some writers, or the roots will suf- 

 fer. It is only at the end of the third year, that the 

 crop is ready for harvesting ; and, if it is suffered to 

 remain in the ground beyond this period, more is 

 lost than gained. The roots, at this time, contain 

 the greatest quantity of colouring matter, and have 

 attained their full size. The best method of obtain- 

 ing the roots, is the following : A trench is dug 

 along the rows, to the depth of two feet, when, by 

 loosening the earth about the roots, they may be 

 taken up entire. In a good soil, a single plant may 

 yield forty pounds of the fresh roots, which diminish, 

 in drying, six-sevenths or seven-eighths of their 

 weight. The roots should be immediately washed, 

 freed from all decayed parts, and dried as quick as 

 possible, either by the sun or in a kiln. It is well 

 observed, that madder is a hazardous crop, as, from 

 its yielding a return only after a lapse of three years, 

 it is often impossible to foresee what will be the state 

 of the market at that time. Another mode of culti- 

 vation is from the roots, which are divided and set 

 out. Twenty thousand plants may be allotted to an 

 acre. The madder from Holland is most esteemed, 

 and it is cultivated in that country to a very great 

 extent. The process of pulverizing the roots, which 

 is done by pounding or grinding, was, for a long 

 time, kept a secret by the Dutch. In the state of a 

 powder, it is of an orange-brown colour, and is liable 

 to become damp, and to be spoiled, if kept in a moist 

 place. Madder is used for dyeing woollen, silk, and 

 also cotton goods, and the colour is very lasting, and 

 resists the action of the air and sun. Within a few 

 years, a method has been discovered of rendering the 

 red exceedingly brilliant, and approaching to purple. 

 It also forms a first tint for several other shades of 

 colour, and besides, has, of late, been successfully 

 used by painters, and is found to yield a fine rose 

 colour. Madder also possesses the singular property 

 of imparting its red colour to the bones of those 

 animals which have used it for food, and also to the 

 milk of cows, if they have eaten of it freely. 



Composition of Madder, and its Employment in 

 Dyeing. All the parts of the plant contain a yellow 

 colouring matter, which, by absorption of oxygen, 

 becomes red ; the root is, however, most productive 

 in this colouring matter, and is the only part employ- 

 ed in dyeing. It is distinguished into three parts 

 the bark, the middle portion, and the interior woody 

 fibre. The bark contains the same colouring matter 

 as the wood, but mixed with much brown extractive 

 matter which degrades the hue. The bark may be 

 separated in the milling, for it is more readily ground, 

 and may thus be removed by the sieve. In the mid- 

 dle part of the root, which contains the finest colour- 

 ing matter, and that in largest quantity, there may 

 be distinguished, by the microscope, a great many 



shining red particles, dispersed among the fibres. 

 These constitute the rich dyeing material. The 

 fibres contain a brown substance, similar to what is 

 found in the bark. The roots occur in commerce, 

 dried and in powder. They are also sold fresh ; in 

 which state they yield finer colours, dye more, and 

 give up their colouring matter with one third less 

 water. According to experiments made in England, 

 five pounds of fresh roots go as far as four of the dry 

 ones ; and it is estimated that eight pounds of fresh 

 roots are reduced to one in drying ; hence the great 

 advantage of using the green roots becomes apparent. 

 The roots produced in the south of France, when 

 sold in the fresh state, are called alizari. They are 

 reddish-yellow, but, when ground, take a fine red tint. 

 The madders of Germany and Holland are orange- 

 yellow, passing into brown-red, having an acid and 

 saccharine taste, and a strong smell. Jahn found, in 

 100 parts of madder, 

 Fatty matter, of a red-brown colour, resembling wax.l.o 



According to other analyses, madder contains free 

 tartaric acid. Kuhlmann finds, in the madder of Al- 

 sace, red colouring matter, dun colouring matter, lig- 

 neous fibre, vegetable acids, mucilage, vegeto-animal 

 matters, (azotized), gum (4 per cent.), sugar (16 per 

 cent.), bitter matter, resin, salts ; the last consisting 

 of carbonate, sulphate, and muriate of potash, car- 

 bonate, and phosphate of lime, with silica. The 

 recent researches of M. M. Robiguet, Colin, and 

 Kuhlmann, seem to prove that the differences in the 

 madder dyes proceed from the relative proportions of 

 two distinct colouring principles in madder, which 

 they have called alizarine and xanthine. By digest- 

 ing the powder of madder in water, and acting upon 

 the jelly-like solution thus obtained, by boiling alco- 

 hol, an extract is afforded, which, at a subliming heat, 

 yields the proper red colouring matter of madder, or 

 alizarine. Or the ground madder may be treated 

 directly with boiling alcohol ; and to the alcoholic 

 solution, dilute sulphuric acid is added, which preci- 

 pitates the alizarine in a copious orange precipitate. 

 Alizarine has a golden-yellow hue, is insoluble in 

 water, soluble in alcohol and ether, is precipitated by 

 acids, but not by alkalies, showing distinctly an 

 analogy to resins. The xanthine was obtained from 

 a fawn-yellow matter, soluble in alcohol and water, 

 by precipitation with oxide of lead, washing the pre- 

 cipitate with alcohol, and extricating the colour by 

 sulphuric acid. It has an orange-green tint, and a 

 saccharine taste ; alkalies cause it to pass into red, 

 and acids to lemon-yellow. It is inferred by these 

 chemists, that, in those fabrics which exhibit rose 

 tints, the xanthine predominates ; while in the violet, 

 it is nearly wanting. From a knowledge of these 

 facts, it becomes easy for a skilful dyer to promote 

 the absorption, by the cloth, of one or other of these 

 colouring principles, or to remove one of them, should 

 both together have been attached to it. Kurrer has 

 published, in the Polytechnic Journal of Dingier for 

 1827, a process, by a spirituous or vinous fermenta- 

 tion, and an immediate subsequent washing, which 

 gives a perfect result with all the madders of com- 

 merce. The madder, penetrated with water, and 

 covered over merely one inch, ferments in from thirty- 

 six to forty-eight hours, when the whole is transferred 

 into a tub containing a considerable quantity of cold 

 water. Here the madder precipitates, and must be 

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