THE NATURAL DYES AND COLORING MATTERS OF 

 THE PHILIPPINES. 



By Benjamin T. Brooks. 

 (From the Chemical Laboratory, Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 



INTRODUCTION. 



The following notes on the natural dyes and coloring matters occurring 

 in plants growing wild or cultivated in the Philippines take the form of 

 an inquiry into the economic possibilities of the local natural dyes and 

 include brief notes on those already well known, together with new data 

 on some substances which have been very little investigated. Many of 

 the more valuable dye plants occurring here are also found in India or 

 other tropical countries and have been investigated by A. G. Perkin, 

 Kostanecki, Kupe, and others. All of the most important found in the 

 Philippines have been studied previously. In view of the generally 

 diminishing commercial importance of the natural dyes and the decline 

 in their use even locally, an extensive research on other Philippine dyes 

 has not been attempted. 



The principal natural dyes which have not as yet entirely been dis- 

 placed by the artificial ones are annatto, old fustic or morin, natural 

 indigo, Brazil wood, logwood, quercitron bark and camwood. Of these 

 the Philippines possess the first four. 



R. O. Winstedt 1 writes that in the Federated Malay States the coal-tar dyes 

 have almost entirely supplanted the natural ones. He states that natural indigo, 

 turmeric, mangrove bark and stick-lac are still used to a small extent. 



J. Crawfurd 2 gives a list of the more important natural dyes used by the 

 natives of Java. Of those mentioned, all occur in the Philippines with the ex- 

 ception of the yellow from the lac insect. 



The natural dyes are used locally by the Filipinos in staining mats and 

 certain textiles. Pood products are also often highly colored. 



The fibers most commonly used in the Philippines for the manufacture 

 of textiles are hemp, particularly the fine fibers from the interior of the 

 stock, pineapple fiber, imported ramie or China grass, cotton, and silk. 



1 Bull. Govt. Fed. Malay States, Kuala Lumpur (1909), 1. 

 2 Dictionary of Indian Islands. London (1856), 134. 



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