468 [Assembly 



Chay is a small biennial plant, resembling madder • it grows 

 spontaneously on the sandy soils of the Coromandel coast, is slen- 

 der, about two and a half feet high, and yields a dye of a very 

 superior kind of an orange hue, chiefly found in the bark of the 

 roots. 



Although much used in India, it is not so valuable as madder. 

 We have a plant called galium, growing wild in many woods in 

 North America. Our Indians use it to dye porcupine quills, as 

 ornaments for their slippers, boxes, and other Indian curiosities 

 too numerous to mention. At all events, the dye is but little 

 inferior to cochineal. The coloring matter is obtained from the 

 roots. This same dye is used by the inhabitants of Scotland in 

 dyeing their woolens a bright red. 



The wood of Brazil is much used in dyeing. For this pur- 

 pose, the heart of the tree only is taken. It is pale when first 

 obtained, but by exposure to atmospheric influences it immedi- 

 ately becomes red. Its quality is known by its weight. It will 

 not float in water, but immediately sinks to the bottom. The 

 matter may be extracted by boiling it in water, but more advan- 

 tageously if alcohol or ammonia is used. This tree gave the 

 name of Brazil to the country. It is derived from bragio, a 

 burning coal, to denote its deep-red color. 



Camwood is a tree grown in Africa, and affords a red coloring 

 dye of a fugitive character. Bar wood is likewise an African 

 production, and is used as a dye, requiring the aluminous mor- 

 dant. 



Red Saunderus, used as a dye, is grown in Coromandel : the 

 ©olor obtained from it by alcohol is equal to scarlet. 



Logwood is an East India production, sometimes called cam- 

 peachy-wood, yielding a fine red, tinged with shades of yellow. 

 Six quarts of boiling, distilled water will extract all the coloring 

 matter contained in one pound of logwood-chips, and it will pre- 

 sent a yellow color. If common water is used instead of dis- 

 tilled, the decoction will be blood-red : by adding to this oil of 

 vitriol, the yellow color will come back. Magnificent purple 



