MISCELLANEOUS ECONOMIC PRODUCTS 561 



of indigotine, the dyeing principle in indigo. Sect, the refuse 

 mould left after the extraction of indigo, being rich in nitrogen and 

 potash, is no\v regarded as a valuable manure and forms an im- 

 portant bye-product. 70 tons of green plant is estimated to yield 

 about 3 tons of sect. The best condition for the profitable 

 cultivation of the plant are a rich loamy soil with a free sub- 

 soil, and a moist hot atmosphere, with a fairly equally divided 

 rainfall not under 70 in. ; a temperature below 60 Fah. is un- 

 favourable to the crop. The land being ploughed and harrowed, 

 the seed is sown in lines about 2 feet apart ; the seed being small, 

 10 to 15 Ib. is required to so\v an acre. It germinates in three or 

 four days, and about three months later the flowers appear, when 

 the plants are ready for harvesting. The plants are usually cut 

 down to within about 6 inches from the ground, tied up in bundles, 

 and carried fresh to the factory. The stumps left in the ground 

 will afterwards "rattoon," and two, or in favourable circumstances 

 as many as four, cuttings may be obtained from the same roots 

 within the year. To produce the dye, the green crop is placed in 

 large masonry tanks and there subjected to a process of fermentation 

 and churning. The freshly cut material is weighted down with 

 planks, and water laid on so as to cover the whole. Fermentation 

 sets in and is allowed to go on for 12 to 16 hours, being stopped 

 when the leaves become a pale colour. The liquid is run off by 

 means of a tap at bottom of the tank, into a second tank or cistern, 

 and is kept constantly agitated by either wading coolies, who beat 

 with paddles, or by a mechanical contrivance, for two or three 

 hours, after which the indigo settles in the bottom in the form of 

 bluish mud. This, after draining off the water, is put into bags 

 which are hung to dry, being afterwards cut into cubes about 3 in. 

 square, stamped and further dried for export. 



Yield. The yield is variously stated at about 20,000 Ib. green 

 crop per acre for the first cutting, subsequent or rattoon cuttings 

 giving much less. About 40 Ib. of indigo paste may be obtained 

 from 1,000 Ib. green plant, and an outturn of 400 to 600 Ib. 

 standard paste per acre is considered a good average yield. 

 Approximately 100 Ib. green plant should give 3 to 4 Ib, paste. 

 The latter commands about IQtl. to Is. per Ib. in London. 



Logwood. (Haematoxylo n Ca mpechia nu m . Legum i n osae) . 

 A small slow-growing tree, native of Central America, but intro- 

 duced and completely naturalised in several West Indian Islands. 

 The heart-wood as well as the roots are extensively exported for 



