THE SAFFLOWEK. 



611 



of erecting sheds and kilns for drying was ren- 

 dered unnecessary — there was no danger of injur- 

 ing the substance hy improper drying, nor was 

 the cost of a mill for grinding required. Lastly, 

 the roots did not evaporate or ferment, as is the 

 case with powdered madder if not speedily used; 

 but they might be preserved fresh during several 

 months, hy laying them in a hole three feet 

 deep, in alternate layers of roots and of earth. 

 Roots are now imported in large quantities into 

 England, and obtain a proportionate higher 

 price than the prepared madder. 



In 1804 the gold medal of the society for the 

 Encouragement of Arts, &c., was voted to Sir H. 

 C. Englefield, for his discovery of a pigment pre- 

 pared from madder. He obtained a fine lake by 

 many different processes, and found that the colour 

 produced from the Smyrna was of a deeper and 

 richer tint than any prepared from the Dutch 

 madder. In pursuing his experiments he dis- 

 covered that the colouring matter might he 

 extracted from fresh madder, and thus not only 

 all the expenses and difficulty attendant on the 

 process for prepared madder might he avoided, 

 but the cost of carriage would be one-fourth less 

 than for the roots; while separated from these 

 the colouring matter might be kept for any 

 length of time without danger of being spoiled. 

 A further advantage would also arise in the 

 quantity obtained, as all the colouring matter 

 could be extracted; while in the manner which 

 the dyers use the roots, a very considerable part 

 of the colour is left in the refuse matter, and 

 consequently wasted. 



The following is a slight sketch of the method 

 proposed for obtaining this extract. A given 

 quantity of the roots ground into a pulp is put 

 into a woollen bag. This is then triturated in 

 large vats filled with a certain relative propor- 

 tion of water; the friction is continued until the 

 colouring matter is entirely washed out of the 

 madder; thS water thus loaded with colour is 

 boiled, — an iron vessel must not be used, as a 

 chemical change would take place and the colour 

 would be spoiled. After being boiled it is poured 

 into an earthen receiver, and a solution of alum 

 is mixed with it in given quantities. Then a 

 certain proportion of a saturated solution of mild 

 vegetable alkali is added, which causes efferves- 

 cence, and the colouring matter is immediately 

 precipitated, from which the supernatant liquor 

 being drawn off, the colour is readily dried for use. 



The average annual importation of prepared 

 madder in England for the last five years is 

 67,625 cwts. Of madder roots 46,272 cwts. 

 The former pays a duty of 2s. per cwt.; the 

 latter only Qd. for the same quantity. The 

 average price of the best madder for the five 

 preceding years was 88*. per cwt,, and of the 

 bdst roots 48*. per cwt. It is imported from 

 HoUand, France, and Turkey. 



An inferior kind of madder, known in com- 

 merce under the name of mmiject, is at present 

 imported from the East Indies into this country. 

 The average annual import for the five preceding 

 years is 28,826 bales, each bale weighing 20 lbs.; 

 the average price during that time being Ms. per 

 cwt. for the best. 



Madder has the singular property of imparting 

 its colour to the animal fluids when given along 

 with food. In this way it tinges the milk, urine, 

 and even the bones, thus affording a proof that 

 the digestive process does not in all cases destroy 

 the natural properties of the substances taken 

 into the stomach. 



Its use in medicine is now almost entirely 

 given up. It was supposed to possess diuretic 

 properties, and to be a cure for jaundice. 



The Safflower (carthamus tinctorius). Na- 

 tural family compositos; syngenesia, cequalis, of 

 Linnaeus. This plant is a native of Egypt, and 

 the warmer climates of Asia. It is likewise 

 cultivated in the Levant and the southern parts 

 of Europe. The Chinese have long known its 

 use, and produce from it their finest red. The 

 colour called by them bing, which is used by the 

 Japanese ladies as a cosmetic, is made from it, 

 and kept in little round porcelain cups. "With 

 this," says Thunberg, "they paint, not their 

 cheeks, as the Europeans do, but their lips. 

 If the paint is very thin, the lips appear red; 

 but if it be laid on thick, they become of violet 

 hue, which is here considered as the greatest 

 beauty. 



We obtain it from the East Indies and from 

 Turkey, that from India being considered the 

 most valuable. It is cultivated with success in 

 the gardens of France, but not as an article of 

 commerce. In Spain it is grown in gardens as 

 marygolds are in England, to colour soups, olives, 

 and other dishes. It is also used by the Polish 

 Jews in almost all their dishes. 



The carthamus tinctorius is an annual plant, 

 with an upright, firm, smooth stem, of a colour 

 approaching to white, and of about three feet in 

 height; this stem is divided at top into several 

 branches, bearing leaves of an oval form, and 

 edged with small spines. Each of the branches 

 is terminated by a large flower head, composed 

 of several flowerets, all of which are furnished 

 with stamina and pistils. The flowers are of a 

 deep red colour. This plant is propagated by 

 seeds, which are sown early in the spring, in 

 drills, at about the distance of two feet and a 

 half asunder. 



In abouta month the young plants are expected 

 to appear, and they are allowed to remain undis- 

 turbed for another month. They are then hoed 

 and thinned, each plant being left about half a 

 foot from the other. A second and third hoeing 

 are given before blossoming. In rich land the 

 flowers seldom appear till late in autumn, while 



