236 TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



brows, finger nails, and hair, and by Oriental men for finger 

 nails, hair, and beard. Henna is used in India in coloring 

 leather and certain fabrics. At one time it was widely used 

 in France as a dyestuff for silk fabrics. Otherwise the ma- 

 terial is used chiefly in the Tropics. The plant has been dis- 

 tributed from Persia and Egypt to various parts of the Tropics. 

 ' It is hardly cultivated at present, however, except in Turkey, 

 Persia, Egypt, and East Indies. The henna production of 

 Egypt at one time reached the extent of 6,000,000 lbs. annu- 

 ally. Henna makes a fast dye, whether used on fabrics or as 

 a cosmetic. 



MADDER 



Madder is a herbaceous climber (Rubia tinctorum) with 

 perennial roots. The plant is cultivated in various countries 

 from Afghanistan to Spain. It is propagated by seed or 

 clippings. The dye is made from 3 or 4-year-old roots. These 

 roots are prepared in the form of an infusion which yields 

 the beautiful scarlet madder or coffee-brown color. The 

 plant is still cultivated to a small extent in several countries, 

 and the best grade of the dye comes from the Levant and 

 Italy. Rubia cordifolia, a plant native to India, is used for 

 the same purpose. Madder root comes on the market either 

 whole or powdered. One of the active coloring substances 

 in madder is alazarin. This substance has been synthesized 

 by industrial chemists and an artificial madder dye of inferior 

 quality is now upon the market. 



ANNATTO 



This well known dye, which has been used for coloring 

 butter and cheese, is derived from Bixa orellana, a bush or 

 small tree native of Central America and South America. 

 The plant is cultivated in Guiana, Ceylon, Brazil, Guadeloupe, 

 Zanzibar, and in other tropical countries. The bush attains 



