194 



Grown as an annual, one cutting is obtained, or more, according to 

 the length of the growing season. On the ratoon system, cuttings 

 may be obtained for two or more seasons. 



According to Watt (Comm. Prod. India, p. 673), cultivation reaches 

 ihe highest development in certain districts of N. Behar, on estates 

 under European management. 



The land is prepared in the dry season, thoroughly ploughed, 

 broken, levelled or " compacted," to work the soil into a finely 

 divided state, and the general body of it into such a condition as to 

 admit of the moisture rising by capillary attraction, in a sufficient 

 degree, to induce germination, and subsequent growth of the young 

 seedlings, until the commencement of the following rainy season. The 

 seeds are sown two or three months before the rains commence, and 

 although growth may have been somewhat slow, the plants will by 

 this time have developed a good root system and be ready to make 

 rapid growth. Two crops may thus be usually obtained. 



The nature of the soil — an extremely fine alluvial deposit — it is 

 stated, makes this method possible. 



The manufacture or extraction of the indigo is effected by two 

 processes : the " wet " and the " dry." 



The former is the more usual method and consists briefly of 

 steeping (the freshly cut plant), beating, boiling, filtering, pressing, 

 cutting into cakes, drying and packing. 



The " dry " process differs mainly in the fact that the freshly cut 

 plant is dried and stripped of the leaves which after a few weeks 

 are steeped and then treated in much the same way as in the 

 " wet " process. 



Good commercial indigo should float on water, and show a copper- 

 like surface when rubbed. Its value in the early part of the 19th 

 century was from about 5s. 6d. to 15s. per lb. The returns for 1908 

 show a value of about 2s. 6d. to 2s. 9d. per lb. The quantities (from 

 British India, the most important source) have for the same periods 

 gone down from about 9,000,000 lbs. to about 812,000 lbs. 



It is generally conceded that the trade in the natural indigo, in all 

 parts of the world has declined by reason of the advance made by 

 the artificial indigo, discovered in 1880 by Prof. Baeyer, and made 

 commercially available in 1890 by Prof. Heumann (see Kew Bull. 

 1910, p. 283) ; although- local conditions may to some extent have 

 contributed towards the degeneration of the industry. 



Efforts are now being made by the Government of India to 

 improve the situation for the planter. Rawson, Leake, Bloxam and 

 others have been enquiring into the possibilities of improvement 

 on scientific principles. Details of their work, together with full 

 information on the subject generally, will be found in the following 

 publications. 



Ref.— U Indigofera tinctoria," Med. PI. Bentley & Trimen, No. 72 

 (J. & A. Churchill, London, 1880). " Indigo," in Spoil's Encyclo- 

 paedia, Div. iii. 1880, pp. 858-861. Artificial Indigo, Perkin, Proc. 



Phil. Soc. Glasgow, xiii. 1881. "Indigofera tinctoria" in Field 



and Garden Crops, N.W. Prov. and Oudh, Duthie & Fuller, i. 

 pp. 43-50 (Thomason Civil Engineering College Press, Roorkee, 



1882). "Indigo," in Diet. Econ. Prod. India, Watt. iv. 1890, 



pp. 387-469. "Indigo," in Agric. Bulletin, Malav Penin. May 1893, 



pp. 44-50. "Indigo," Kew Bull. 1894, pp. 322-323. "The 



Indigo of Mexico," see Dip. & Cons. Rep. Misc. No. 385, 1895, under 

 /. Anil ; Abstract in Journ. Soc. Arts, xliv. 1896, pp. 743-744. 



