62 Weeding, Cutting, Carting, Manufacturing. 



consistent, and which dried almost perfectly square, 

 with only the slightest symptoms of concavity in the 

 side. The water I was using at the time was taken 

 from a stagnant branch of a stream or shallow inlet 

 in the rains connected with the Ganges, and which, at 

 the time of using, had been stagnant for months, 

 and used by the natives of the village on its banks 

 for all kinds of bathing and washing purposes, and 

 the indigo made with it had a most horrible smell ; 

 but on the Ganges rising and fresh water coming 

 in, these symptoms in the manufacture disappeared 

 entirely and the produce increased, while the indigo 

 made from the clean water settled beautifully, and 

 the usual pressing cloth was again employed. 



In attempting to press sloppy nidi with the usual 

 indigo pressing cloth, the water is so intimately, 

 agglomerated with the indigo itself that it will not 

 run out the close texture of the wet cloth prevents 

 its doing so; whereas the gunny-cloth fibre retains 

 the indigo matter, but allows the watery particles 

 to flow off freely. In using the ordinary cloth, it 

 simply bursts under the extra pressure employed 

 in endeavouring to force the water out, and fresh 

 cloth has to be put in at every refilling of the presses ; 

 besides which, when the cloth bursts, the indigo is 

 shot or squirted all over the press-house, escaping 

 under such pressure through the rents in the cloth, 



