INDIGO. 149 



nificant gathering takes place at the end of September. One negro 

 is allowed to be able to work nearly two acres and a half of ground, 

 from which about 160 lbs. of indigo are obtained. 



In the East Indies, upon the Coromandel coast, the growth of in- 

 Jigo takes place upon sandy soils which are not irrigated, and in 

 which vegetation is only possible during the rainy season. The 

 loamy soils that admit of being irrigated are almost always reserved 

 for the growth of rice. Immediately after the rains have set in, in 

 December, the land receives two superficial ploughings ; the indigo 

 is sown broad-cast, and the seed is harrowed in by dragging a fagot 

 of bamboos over the surface, or by treading in by means of a flock 

 of sheep. The first and principal gathering takes place in March ; 

 any other crop that may be won is purely casual, and entirely de- 

 pendent on the rain that falls. The crop rarely fails to feel the 

 effects of the droughts which so frequently take place upon the 

 Coromandel coast. It is never abundant, and the plants have little 

 vigor. The harvest takes place after the flowering season. The 

 crop is dried in the sun ; the plant is then beaten with switches, by 

 which the leaves are detached from the stems, after which hey are 

 exposed anew to the sun to secure their being perfectly dry. They 

 are then reduced to coarse powder, and handed over to the' indigo- 

 maker, for in India the planter is never himself the manufacturer 

 of the dye-stuff. 



On the coast of Coromandel, indigo is always extracted from the 

 dried leaves, which, bruised and broken, are infused in three or four 

 times their bulk of cold water during two or three hours ; the infu- 

 sion is then filtered through a loose stuff made of goat's hair ; the 

 filtered liquor is beaten for two hours, and after this about five gal- 

 lons of lime-water are added for every 100 lbs. of dried leaves ; the 

 mixture is stirred, and then left to settle. When the deposite has 

 formed, the supernatent liquor is drawn off, the sediment is washed 

 with a little boiling water, and being thrown upon a cloth, the indigo 

 is drained and dried. It is then pressed, and the paste is cut into 

 cubical lumps which are thoroughly dried in the air, and of which 

 each weighs nearly 3 ounces. 



In the Indian method of manufacturing indigo, all is accomplished, 

 as appears, without fermentation. This indigo is little esteemed in 

 commerce ; it is heavy, of a pale blue, without much of the coppery 

 aspect, rough on the broken surface, and presents here and there 

 white points and vegetable debris. An acre of land on the Coro- 

 mandel coast will produce from 48 to 49 lbs. of indigo annually. 



In spite of the high price of indigo, so small a quantity would 

 scarcely cover the cost of production, were not the wages of the 

 Indian laborer exceedingly low. The whole expense of producing a 

 kilogramme, or 2^^ lbs. avoird. of indigo, according to M. Plague, 

 amounts to 3 francs, 20 cents, or about 2s. 8d. 



The cultivation of the indigo plant has been attempted several 

 times in the south of Europe, particularl}'^ in Spain and Italy. 

 There is no doubt but that indigo may be grown in Europe in those 

 situations where for three or four months of the year the tempera- 



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