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Tl e indigo plant (Indigofera amil) is a native of the West Indies, 

 and has formerly been cultivated, on an extensive scale, in the 

 Southern State.-. Bat the abundant supply from India rendered the 

 cultivation unprofitable, and it has been superseded by cotton and 

 rice. 



The use of indigo as a dye is of great antiquity. It is mentioned 

 by Dioeooridefl and Pliny, and is said to have been employed by the 

 ancient Egyptians. It was, however, not much used in Europe till 

 about three centuries ago. As met with in commerce indigo usually 

 consists of cubical cakes, measuring between two or three inches. 

 It is prepared by throwing bundles of the fresh cut plants into 

 shallow vats and covering them with water, care being taken to 

 keep them under the surface. After steeping for ten or twelve 

 hours the liquid is run o'V into another vat and beaten with sticks 

 from one and a half to three hours, in order to promote the forma- 

 tion of the bine coloring matter, which does not exist ready-formed 

 m the tissues of the plants, but is generated during fermentation 

 by the union of oxygen with a substance called indicum and which 

 is contained in the plant. The coloring matter is then allowed to 

 -ettle, the precipitation being accelerated by the addition of a small 

 quantity of lime water or an alkaline solution, and the supernatant 

 liquor drawn off and thrown away, while the precipitated matter is 

 put into a boiler and kept at the boiling point for live or six hours. 

 It is then spread upon frames covered with linen cloth and allowed 

 to drain for twelve or fourteen hours, and when it is sufficiently 

 I, it is pressed, cut into cubes, stamped and dried for the market. 

 Indigo is still cultivated in Florida for local use. It has been used 

 for the cure of epilepsy, but large doses invariably produce nausea. 



The okra plant (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a native of the West 

 Indies and belongs to the Mallow family. It is cultivated for its 

 green capsules, which abound in mucilage, and are used for thicken- 

 ing soup. The young parts are sometimes pickled like capers. The 

 stem furnishes excellent fibres, but they have not yet been made 

 -rviceable for any economical purpose. The leaves are sometimes 

 employed for emollient poultices. The roots, which are a foot or 

 two long, are said to abound in mucilage. 



The banana fmuss sapientium) has been cultivated From th< 

 remote times in tropical i ike of its fruit which it 



