286 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



del, Pondicherry, Agra, &c. &c. Pompet 

 says, the Indians of the village of Sarquesse, 

 near Amadabar, use only the leaves of the 

 indigo, and throw away the plant and 

 branches ; this may be one of the causes 

 why their indigo is so superior to that of the 

 western world. 



The seed of indigo, which is small, and in 

 appearance like coarse gunpowder, is sown 

 in drills at a distance of about a foot from 

 each other. It soon makes its appearance, 

 and is, when young, hardly to be distin- 

 guished from lucern grass ; but when come 

 to maturity, it has more the appearance of 

 fern. It generally grows to the height of 

 two feet in about eight weeks, when it be- 

 gins to blossom. The flowers are like those 

 of the pea, and of a reddish colour, but des- 

 titute of smell. The pistil changes into 

 a long crooked pod, resembling a sickle, 

 wherein the seed is contained. The leaves 

 are ranged in pairs around the stalk, ending 

 in a single lobe, and are of an oval form, of a 

 dark brownish green on the upper side, and 

 of silver-grey beneath. These leaves are 

 covered with a fine farina or meal when the 

 plant is in blossom, at which time it is cut 

 with pruning knives, and carried with care, 



