50 NOTES ON THE AGRICULTURE, BOTANY 



the chemical dyes have increased in price and have ceased 

 to come from foreign countries a change has been observed. 

 Besides, during the last three years the sowing of dye plants 

 has been revived in Manchuria and in China but it is un- 

 certain how long this will last. In like manner the dis- 

 appearing in the Far East of the Chinese dye stuffs industry 

 again becomes of interest to the local trade. In Manchuria 

 in the present time only the dye knot-weed is of industrial 

 use, the other kinds are not much known on the markets. 

 Certainly amongst the dye-plants we found some not worthy 

 of attention, but others are of much interest and must be- 

 specially studied. The following is the list of these plants : — 



1. — Dye knot-weed. (Polygonum tinctorium Lour.) — 

 H H (Liao-lan). It is an annual plant with a straight 

 branchy stalk, two feet in height. The leaves are dark green, 

 cordiform and of a whole piece. Flowers, being small and of 

 red colour, are collected in wrists on the end of the stalks. 

 The plant is cut down to make dye when the flowers present 

 a violet shade. It is cultivated in great quantities by 

 Chinese to make the blue dye. They detain this dye after 

 the fermenting of the leaves. The dye of the dye knot-weed 

 resembles true indigo very much, which grows only in 

 tropical regions and in South China. It has ovalshaped 

 leaves, with reddish flowers. 



2. — Rose-mallow or holly-hock (Althaea rosea Cav.) — 

 H H (Shu-k'uei), ^ f| (Jung-k'uei). It is a biennial or 

 perennial plant with branchy root, and a straight stalk from 

 1 to 2 meters in height. Leaves are alternant, stalkly, 

 roundish cordiform and wrinkled. Flowers are 5 to 1\ cm. 

 in diameter and of rose colour. It is cultivated in Kirin and 

 Fengtien provinces, where the Chinese make rose dye of the 

 flower leaves. 



3. — Saffron (Carthamus tinctorius L.) — £r |g ?£ (Hung- 

 lan-hua), fit fe (Hung-hua), H H (Huang-Ian), g8f ffi. 

 (Yao-hua). It is an annual plant with prickly, ovalshaped 

 leaves and large yellow flowers. This plant is rarely culti- 

 vated in South Manchuria to make a red dye. 



4. — Commelina (Commelina communis L.) An annual 

 plant with a straight, juicy, green stalk and small sharp 

 leaves. Flowers somewhat small, clear-blue. Commelina 

 is not often cultivated by Chinese, Coreans, in the Far East 

 for the sky-blue-dye. 



5. — Spiked-millet (Setaria italica Beauv.) — V& (Liang),. 

 §£ ^ (Ku-tzu), /> 2fc (Hsiao-mi). It is the common annual 

 graminaceous plant cultivated in China. Spiked-millet is 

 used also by Chinese to prepare a dye. The dried, yellowish 

 straw of Setaria must be burnt, the ashes are boiled in water 



