68 Manufacture. 



attending, of course, to the state of the weather, to 

 steep longer or shorter, according to the quality of 

 indigo you wish to make. 



Sixth. As soon as the steeper is drawn off into 

 the beater, send in the coolies. At first beat slowly, 

 either with bamboo paddles, wooden fowras, or the 

 hands, the latter way is the best, but more tedious, 

 and increase as the froth disappears ; but at no time 

 beat violently for fear of breaking the grain, and 

 carefully watch until the whole of the froth dis- 

 appears, and the vat assumes a dark-blue colour 

 bordering on black. Then, with the dipper, take up a 

 little of the matter from the bottom of the beater, 

 and run it into a white plate. If the grain readily 

 settles at the bottom, having a clear smooth edge 

 along the water, it has been beaten enough ; if rough, 

 and if it does not settle at once, beat more until it does. 

 Then order the people to throw the contents of six 

 earthen calsies of chunam water into the vat, to pre- 

 vent putrefaction afterwards in the indigo ; and let 

 them walk a dozen times round the vat and come out. 



Seventh In two or three hours after the beating 

 is over, according to the state of the weather, the 

 indigo will have settled to the bottom of the vat ; 

 then take out the uppermost pin, and go on gradually 

 down, until the whole of the refuse water is drawn 

 out, when the bottom of the vat will appear covered 



