330 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



indigo. Another species of indigo, called by Thunberg 

 the indigofera arborea, was cultivated by the Dutch 

 colonists at the Cape of Good Hope. 



In the year 1792 Dr. Roxburgh transmitted home 

 a sample of indigo prepared from the leaves of a 

 species of rose bay, which he distinguishes by the 

 name of Nerium tinctorium. From the excellent 

 quality of this indigo, and other advantages attending 

 its cultivation and preparation, it might have been 

 supposed that the nerium indigo would quickly have 

 become an article of commerce, and have been in 

 much request among our dye-houses ; but it has 

 not yet taken its place among the imported eastern 

 productions, though it should seem that the extensive 

 cultivation of this tree would be attended with much 

 less labour and cost, and offer a greater certainty of 

 profit than the common indigo plant. 



The nerium grows plentifully throughout the 

 Carnatic, and in every part of the Circars where 

 there are hills and mountains, being an extent of 

 about a thousand miles in length. Near inhabited 

 places it is so often cut down for fire wood, that in 

 such situations it is always found in the state of a 

 very small tree or a large bush. But when suffered 

 to reach its full growth, it attains to the height of from 

 eleven to fifteen feet up to the branches. Its trunk, 

 which is of an irregular shape, is about a foot and a 

 half, to two feet in diameter. Its bark when old is 

 scabrous, but when young smooth and ash-coloured. 

 The wood of this tree is remarkably white and close- 

 grained, in appearance resembling ivory. The leaves 

 are oval, pointed, tolerably smooth, and of a pale 

 green colour; they are very numerous, and when 

 full-grown, from six to ten inches long, and from 

 three to four inches broad. To cause a greater 

 production of leaves, it should be cut low as the 

 mulberry-trees are for feeding silkworms, and like 



