Weeding, Cutting, Carting, Manufacturing. 59 



in regular rows to allow of the water to drain away, 

 and separating into four pieces each, with a top and 

 bottom, also pierced with holes. 



These boxes or presses are firmly clamped and 

 screwed togethe rwith iron screw ties and nuts, and 

 after being filled with the soft indigo, the cloth is 

 carefully and neatly folded down, the top fitted on, 

 and a gentle pressure just a turn or two of the 

 screw is applied. As the indigo hardens and be- 

 comes of a firmer consistency, a much more powerful 

 pressure is put on until the indigo assumes the solidity 

 and consistency of hard bar soap, in fact, it looks, when 

 cut into cakes, like deep-blue bar soap, and is of 

 about the same density. The indigo is now cut into 

 cakes of about 3^ inches square, more or less, accord- 

 ing to the thickness of the slab, the thickness of the 

 cake varies. If much water was in the indigo 

 when it " went to press," the cakes will be much 

 thinner than if the indigo was firm and thick and 

 nearly free from water. When it is properly drained 

 free from water, before being put into the screw press, 

 it should allow of being taken up in large masses in 

 the hand without dropping ; when it is very bad, and 

 will not settle and drain off properly under weights, 

 it can only be taken up in a large wooden or copper 

 spoon used for the purpose, many sizes larger than 

 the largest soup-ladle. If, when the indigo is " sloppy," 



