5 
« following :—The seeds, with their pulpy envelopes, are pounded in a 
« wooden mortar, and, after adding hot water, the mixture is left in the 
“ to fetch an inferior price. 
* * ta * * * 
« The trade in Annatto is a limited one. It i d as a dye 
“ occasionally, but its principal employment is for colouring cheese and 
“ butter.” 
In Tropical Agriculture, p. 389, it is stated that Annatto “owes its 
« value to the colouring mutter bixin and orellin, which constitute 
« about 20 per cent. of good dry Annatto. Fresh Annatto contains 
« more than half its weight of water. It was formerly employed in 
« dyeing wool and silks, but its colour, though beautiful at first, soon 
“ fades, and hence it has been abandoned for more permanent dyes. 
« Annatto is principally consumed by painters and dyers, but it is also 
& used to colour cheese with a pale yellow or flesh colour.’ ‘The Dutch 
« use it for heightening the colour of their butter, and it is employed 
& for the same purpose in some American and En lish dairies.’ 
As regards the European process of extracting and preparing 
Annatto, Ure writes :— 
« Leblond proposed simply to wash the seeds of the Bixa till they 
_« are entirely deprived of their colour, which lies wholly on their 
b 
« than that of commerce ; that, moreover, it was more easily employed, 
‘ that it required less solvent, that it gives less trouble in the copper, 
« and furnishes a purer colour. 
“ Annatto dissolves better and more readily in alcohol than in water 
«“ when it is introduced into the yellow varnishes for communicating 
an orange tint.” 
Thé methods described above for the preparation of Annatto are not 
intended to serve as standards of what the preparation of this substance 
should be in tropical countries. They are given merely as descriptions 
of methods hitherto followed, and which produce the “ro ? “flag,” and 
“ cake ” Annatto as usually seen in European markets. Ifa large deman 
arose for Annatto, improved methods of preparation would doubtless be 
opted. 
tn II. Bowrey, F.C.S., Government Analytical Chemist at Jamaica, 
has prepared powdered  Annatto of great strength and brilliancy by 
i H ed locally, and he has obtained one ounce of 
é 
