INDIGO. OQ5 



J N D 1 D O (Indigojem ttiictoria) 



Was formerly cultivated at the South to a limited degree, but 

 the introduction of cotton and the great profits which it 

 yielded, and its consequent rapid extension, drove the culture 

 of indigo on to foreign soils. But the decline in the price of 

 cotton from large production and the increasing consumption 

 of indigo in this country, together with the diminished price 

 of other southern staples, will probably again make it an ob- 

 ject of agricultural attention in those states where the soil 

 and climate are suited to it. We have no detailed history of 

 its cultivation in the United States, and we quote from Lou- 

 don. He says " it is one of the most profitable crops in 

 Hindostan, because labor and land here are cheaper than any 

 where else ; and because the raising of the plant and its man- 

 ufacture may be carried on without even the aid of a house. 

 The first step in the culture of the plant is to render the 

 ground, which should be friable and rich, perfectly free from 

 weeds and dry, if naturally moist. The seeds are then sown 

 in shallow drills about a foot apart. The rainy season must 

 be chosen for sowing, otherwise, if the seed is deposited in 

 dry soil, it heats, corrupts, and is lost. The crop being kept 

 clear of weeds is fit for cutting in two or three months, and 

 this may be repeated in rainy seasons every six weeks. The 

 plants must not be allowed to come into flower, as the leaves 

 in that case become diy and hard, and the indigo produced is 

 of less value ; nor must they be cut in dry weather, as they 

 would not spring again. A crop generally lasts two years. 

 Being cut, the herb is first steeped in a vat till it has become 

 macerated, and has parted with its coloring matter ; then the 

 liquor is let off into another, in which it undergoes the pe- 

 culiar process of beating, to cause the fecula to separate from 

 the water. This fecula is let off into a third vat, where it 

 remains some time, and is then strained through cloth bags, 

 and evaporated in shallow wooden boxes placed in the shade. 

 Before it is perfectly dry it is cut in small pieces of an inch 

 square ; it is then packed in barrels, or sowed up in sacks, for 

 sale." 



Indigo can only be raised to advantage in our most south- 

 ern states. The soil requires to be dry, finely pulverized and 

 rich. The seed is sown early in April, in drills about 18 in- 

 ches apart, and the weeds are kept down by the hoe. It 

 should be cut with a sickle or scythe, when the lower leaves 

 begin to turn, and just before the plant is going into flower. 



