506 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



wood, that in such situations it is always found 

 in the state of a very small tree, or a large bush. 

 But when suffered to reach its full growth, it 

 attains to the height of from eleven to fifteen 

 feet up to the branches. Its trunk, which is of 

 an irregular shape, is about a foot and a half to 

 two feet in diameter. Its bark, when old, is 

 scabrous, but when young smooth and ash- 

 coloured. The wood of this tree is remarkably 

 white and close grained, in appearance resem- 

 bling ivory. The leaves are oval, pointed, toler- 

 ably smooth, and of a pale green colour; they 

 are very numerous, and when full grown, from 

 six to ten inches long, and from three to four 

 inches broad. To cause a greater production of 

 leaves, it should be cut low as the mulberry 

 trees are for feeding silkworms, and like them, 

 the oftener it is cut down the greater is its dis- 

 position to increase. Many shoots issue from 

 the old stumps, and in the space of one year 

 these shoots grow to various heights — from one 

 to ten feet, according to the nature of the soil 

 and season. The leaves fall at the commence- 

 ment, or during the colder part, of the year. In 

 March, or the beginning of April, the young 

 leaves together with the ilowers first make their 

 appearance. Towards the end of April, those 

 which were earliest in unfolding attain to their 

 full size. This period was found by Dr Eox- 

 burgh to be the most favourable for gathering 

 the leaves; about this time also it ceases flower- 

 iug, and many of the seed vessels become per- 

 fectly formed, though the seeds do not ripen 

 until January or February. The leaves remain 

 in a fit state for gathering until about the end of 

 August, when they begin to acquire a yellow, 

 rusty tinge, and are gradually cast. The colour- 

 ing matter resides in the leaves alone; all trials 

 to extract any from the twigs proved unsuccessful. 

 Indigo is prepared from these leaves in the same 

 manner as from the indigo plant by the scalding 

 process. The leaves of the nerium, unlike those 

 of the common indigofera, will not yield their 

 colour to cold water, but by hot water it is readily 

 extracted. Hard spring water is found preferable 

 in increasing the quantity and improving the 

 quality of the indigo. After being exposed to 

 the action of the fire for about three hours, the 

 leaves begin to assume a yellow hue, then the 

 scalding has been sufficiently pursued, and as the 

 agitation and precipitation do not consume a 

 longer time, the whole process is very speedily 

 completed. From two to three hundred pounds 

 of green leaves yield one pound of indigo. 



Mr Mawden, in his valuable history of Sumatra, 

 mentions, that the inhabitants of that island 

 have a kind of indigo which seems to be peculiar 

 to their country. They call it tarroom akhar. 

 Totally unlike the common indigo, it is a vine 

 or creeping plant, with leaves four or five inches 

 long, in shape like a laurel, but finer, and of a 



dark gi-een colour. Its qualities are, however, 

 precisely the same as those of the common 

 indigo; there is no difference in their colours, 

 they are prepared in the same manner, and used 

 indiscriminately, no preference being given to 

 one above the other, except that the akkar, by 

 reason of the superior size of its leaves, yields a 

 greater proportion of sediment. 



The people of Sumatra do not manufacture 

 either sort of their indigoes into a solid substance, 

 as is practised elsewhere in the East, and in the 

 West Indies. They merely soak and macerate 

 the stalks and branches for some days in water, 

 then boil it, and work with their hands some 

 quick-lime among it, with leaves of a species of 

 fern, for fixing the colour. They then drain it 

 off and use it in its liquid state. 



The Japanese cultivate three other plants — ^the 

 poli/gonum chinense, barbatnm, and aviculare, for 

 the same purpose, and procure from each of them 

 a beautiful blue colour resembling that from 

 indigo. They dry the leaves, then pound them 

 and mix them up into small balls or cakes, which 

 are sold in the shops ready for use. When they 

 are to be used they boil these cakes in water, 

 adding some ashes to the decoction. This liquid 

 dye is equally available for linen, silk, and 

 cotton. 



WoAD fisatistindoria). Natural family c»-i«- 

 cifera ; class tetradynamia, of Linnteus. This 



plant was at a very early period employed as a 

 colouring matter by the ancient Britons. It was 

 anciently called glastum from the Celtic word 

 glas, blue, whence Glastonbury derived its name. 

 The ancient Britons, when first invaded by the 

 Romans, were in the practice of staining their 

 bodies of a blue colour with some preparation of 

 this substance; thence also is supposed to be 

 derived the name Briton from the Celtic hritho, 

 paint. 



This plant was also believed to destroy, by its 

 simple application, all roughness and inequali- 

 ties of the skin. Pliny, in his description of 

 it, while he notices its use by the dyers, 

 chiefly dwells upon its medicinal qualities. This 

 plant is biennial, having a large woody root, 

 which penetrates deep into the ground. The 



