leguminosjE. 97 



EtijmoJcxjy. — Indujofera is derived fri)iii the Indian wimX indigo, and the 

 Latin word fero, bear or carry, signifying indigo-bearing. The specific 

 name conies from the Latin word tincUmus, c<jloring. 



History. — We do not know when indigo was first used as a dve. For some 

 time after it wa« introduced into Europe it was believed to be a mineral sul> 

 stance. Marco Tolo, the earliest traveller into India and China, gave an account 

 of the plant that produces the indigo, and the methods of preparing it. After 

 the discovery of America the plant was found in the warm parts of the new 

 world, and it wiis also learned that tlie ancient Mexicans were ac(|uainted with 

 it as a dye. In 1747 the ludigofera Carolinluna was discovered in Carolina, 

 and large (piantities of indigo were manufactured there and sent to England, 

 but the cultivation in the United IStates is not now prosecuted to any great 

 extent. Soon after the discovery of the indigo-plant in America, the French 

 began to produce it at Goree, au island on the west coast of Africa. 



Cultivation. — The seed is sown in drills eighteen inches apart. The gnjund 

 should be damp. The seed soon germinates, and in two months begins to 

 flower, at which time it is fit to harvest. Great care is exercised to cut it at 

 the exact time, to prevent damage from the rains. As soon as harvested it 

 is carefully placed in a vat ; the vat is then filled with water, and a heavy frame 

 is laid upon tlie plants to keep them under water. After fermentation, the 

 liquor is drawn off into anotlier tank. It is then violently agitated by drcjpping 

 heavy blocks into it, or heavy buckets whose bottoms and sides are perforated 

 with many holes ; this separates the fecula, or grain, as it is called, from the 

 liquid. It is then drawn into a third vat, where by evaporation it is freed 

 from the liquid, and the indigo is left ; and before it is quite dry it is cut into 

 small cakes, in which form it is sent to market. 



The supply of indigo is suliject to many contingencies, which is the cause 

 of great fiuctuation in the price ; hence it is frequentlv the basis of commer- 

 cial speculation. 



Use. — The food value of the plants of this order is very great, due to the 

 large amount of nitrogen stored in the seeds. Peas yield 23 ])er cent. !Many 

 species furnish important dyeing substances. Indigo is a most important sub- 

 stance in the hands of the dyer. It has a strong affinity for fibrous texture, 

 whether animal or vegetable, and imparts, Avithout a mordant, a permanent 

 and beautiful blue. It yields to the diemist a substance known as Indigotin 

 (Cjr.HgNO.i), which is the coloring matter. 



M(trts. — Indigo is sliippeil from most of the ports of British India and tlie 

 Eastern Archipelago. In ^Vmerica, tlie ports are Vera Cruz in Mexico, Beli/.e 

 in Yucatan, Truxillo in Honduras, and ISan Juan in Costa Kica, Kingston in 

 Jamaica, and the ports of Now Granada. The United States is supplied by 

 Mexico, Central America, and South America direct. 



ASTRAGALUS, Tonrn. (:\rilk Vetch.) Calyx tubular, inflated, 5- 

 toothed ; teeth short, nearly equal. Petal.s long-clawed ; standard 

 ovate, or fiddle-shaped ; wings unequally oblong ; limb sometimes 

 eared above the base ; keel a little shorter than the wings. Stamens 10, 

 9 connate into a sheath, cleft above, 1 free. Ovary sessile; ovules 

 numerous, in two series. Style slender, straight or curved. Stigma 

 small and terminal. Legume sessile or stijiulate, with its sutures 

 turned in so that it is sometimes 2-celled. Small shrubs or herbs, 

 variable in form. 

 Pk. Fl. — 8 



