MADDER. 



509^ 



many plants. Tliesc roots are covered with a 

 black bark or rind ; divested of this, tliey are of 

 a reddish colour, and semi-transparent ; a yel- 

 lowish pith is found in the middle, which is 

 tough, and rather of a bitter taste. The whole 

 has a strong and peculiar smell. From the roots 

 spring forth many large square-jointed stalks ; 

 these are weak and unable to sustain their own 

 weight ; they rise in good land to the height of 

 eight feet, but if not propped, they creep along 

 the ground. They are armed with short her- 

 baceous prickles, and round each joint are placed 

 in a whorl from four to six spear-shaped leaves 

 of about three inches in length, and in the broad- 

 est part almost an inch wide. The upper sur- 

 face of these is smooth, but the mid-rib on the 

 under side is armed with rough herbaceous pines. 

 The branches which sustain the flowers pro- 

 ceed from the joints ; they are placed by pairs 

 opposite to each other, having a few small leaves 

 growing in triplets towards the bottom, and in 

 pairs as they approach the top. These branches 

 are terminated by loose branchy spikes of yel- 

 low flowers, the corollas of which are divided 

 into four parts, and resemble stars. 



The madder plant does not bear flowers until 

 the second or third year, when they bloom in 

 June, and are succeeded by berries which con- 

 tain the seeds. It is propagated by shoots. In 

 the beginning of August the land is ploughed 

 in ridges, eighteen inches asunder, and a foot 

 deep ; the young plants are placed in these a 

 foot apart from each other. They thus remain 

 for two seasons, care being taken to clear them of 

 weeds. At the latter end of September, when 

 the leaves are fallen off, the roots are taken up 

 and dried for market. 



Madder grows best in a moderately rich, light, 

 and somewhat sandy soil. It is a native of the 

 Levant, and grows thus in Italy, in the south of 

 France and Holland, in which latter country it 

 is largely cultivated. Its culture was first intro- 

 duced into England by Gerard, and subsequently 

 every encouragement for its cultivation in this 

 country was held out ; yet although it thrives 

 well with care, it is found that it can be imported 

 better and cheaper from abroad. 



According to an experiment made near Tours, 

 an arpent (48,000 square French feet) of ground 

 produced eight thousand pounds weight of fresh 

 roots of madder ; but in general not more than 

 four, five, or six thousand pounds are expected 

 from the same space. 



As soon as the roots are dug up, they are taken 

 to a place of shelter, so constructed as to admit 

 the air freely from all sides. 



The French distinguish two qualities of mad- 

 der, that which is prepared from the parent root, 

 and that from the side shoots ; the first, when 

 the roots are not too large, is considered the best. 

 These two descriptions of root are kept separate 



in the drying-house, where they are left for four 

 or five days, being turned once or twice during 

 that time, in order that they may dry equably, 

 and that the earth adhering to them may be 

 rubbed off. They are then conveyed to kilns 

 constructed for the purpose, where they are still 

 farther dried. When the roots are sufficiently 

 dried outwardly, they are removed to a floor 

 made as clean as possible, and the outer skin 

 is then sepaiated by means of thrashing. 



This skin is pulverized by itself, and packed 

 up in separate casks. It is known in commerce 

 by the name of imdl, and being extremely infe- 

 rior to the other part, is sold at a comparatively 

 very low price. 



After the outer skin is thus separated, the 

 roots are again conveyed to the kiln, and sub- 

 jected to a greater degree of heat than before. 

 That this heat may not be injurious to the roots, 

 they are frequently turned, and a current of 

 fresh air is blown through the kiln, to carry off 

 the noxious exhalations of the plant,which would 

 otherwise injure the colour. When the roots 

 are sufficiently dried, they are conveyed to the 

 pounding-house to be reduced to powder. 



In warm climates madder is prepared without 

 the application of artificial heat. It results from 

 this difference of preparation, and perhaps also 

 from the variety of the plant, that two kinds of 

 madder are distinguished, which differ in their 

 dyeing properties. 



The roots are ground either between mill- 

 stones or under knives similar to those of a tan- 

 bark-mill. After the first milling, the impuri- 

 ties are separated by means of boulters or fan- 

 ners. In this state it is so partially cleansed, 

 that the French call it non-robee ; the residuum 

 consists of earthy matter, epidermis, and bark. 



After a second milling, what is separated is 

 called mi-robee ; and finally, after a third milling, 

 the madder robee, or madder cleared from the 

 husk, is obtained, and which is of the best quality. 

 This substance is employed as a red dye, and 

 also as a first tint for several other colours. The 

 madder used for dyeing cotton in the East 

 Indies is in some respects different from that of 

 Europe. On the coast of Coromandel it has the 

 name of ckni. It grows wild on the coast of 

 Malabar ; the cultivated kind is obtained from 

 Vaour and Tuccoun, but the most esteemed is 

 the Persian chat, called also dumas. 



The madder imported in considerable quanti- 

 ties from Smyrna is more esteemed than the 

 best Dutch madder, which ranks the first of that 

 grown in Europe. The madder produced in the 

 lower part of the Rhine is considered by Bcr- 

 thollet as not inferior to that of Zealand. 



This is an adjective dye, but affords a perma- 

 nent colour to cloth which a few days previ- 

 ously has been boiled for two or three hours in 

 a solution ofalum and tartar. The colour which 



