LOGWOOD AND OTHER PLANTS. 34? 



The logwood-tree grows abundantly throughout 

 whole districts in Jamaica. Besides being cultivated 

 as a dye-wood it is used for other purposes. It is 

 found well adapted for making strong full hedges, 

 and is constantly planted for this purpose, no other 

 fences being seen in many parts of the island. It is 

 excellent for fuel, and, according to Dampier, is ad- 

 vantageously used in hardening or tempering steel. 

 The wood of this tree is very hard and heavy ; it is of 

 a deep orange red colour ; it yields its colour both to 

 aqueous and spirituous menstrua?, but the latter ex- 

 tracts it the most readily and copiously. A decoction 

 of this wood is of a deep violet or purple colour, 

 which after a time changes to a yellowish tint, and 

 becomes finally black. Like that of Brazil-wood it 

 is made yellow by acids and deepened by alkalis. 

 Although an adjective dye, it can be made very dura- 

 ble by the judicious application of mordants. With 

 alum and tartar it produces a violet dye. With ace- 

 tate of copper, a fine blue. But its principal use is 

 in dyeing black, to which it gives a superior lustre, 

 and in the production of all the different shades of 

 grey. It contains a large proportion of gallic acid, 

 whence it is that in combination with acetate of iron, 

 the black colour is produced. 



Logwood is imported into England in large blocks, 

 at the very small import duty of three shillings per 

 ton ; that brought from foreign countries is charge- 

 able with fifty per cent, higher duty. 



The average annual importation for the last five 

 years has been 14,092 tons. 



The average price for the best logwood during that 

 time has been S. 10s. per ton. 



Several other vegetable substances are capable of 

 producing a violet, purple, or claret colour. They 

 are not used extensively, if at all, in modern manu- 

 factures. 



