193 



Jeba (Barter, Herb. Kew) ; Kuka (E. Vogel, No. 18, Herb. Kew) ; 

 Katagum (Dalziel, Herb. Kew). 



Yields a large percentage of the Indigo dye of commerce. The 

 plant is also suitable for green manuring. Medicinally it has been 

 used as a remedy in epilepsy, infantile convulsions, chorea, hysteria, 

 and amenorrhcea (Bentley & Trimen, Med. PI. 72). 



Cultivated for commercial purposes chiefly in India — Bengal, 

 Madras, Bombay, Sind, &c. — and to some extent in the Straits 

 Settlements, British Honduras, Philippine Islands, Central America, 

 Colombia, and for local use in many tropical countries, including 

 probably the whole of Tropical Africa. 



One of the products cultivated throughout N. Nigeria (Elliott, 

 Col. Rep. Ann. No. 476, 1905, p. 132). 



Nowhere cultivated in the neighbourhood of Kuka, but every- 

 where wild in great quantity, and yields the dye with which the 

 natives near Kuka dye their cotton goods (Vogel, No. 18, Herb. Kew, 

 named /. orthocarpa, Baker, in Fl. Trop. Afr. ii. p. 99). 



In the Hausa countries, N. Nigeria, a species of Indigo — which 

 probably belongs here — is grown on the same ridges as guinea corn ; 

 used locally for dyeing purposes (Dudgeon, N. Nigeria, Gaz. 

 31st July, 1909, p. 159). The plant was grown experimentally at 

 Abutshi by the Royal Niger Co., in 1889 (Woodruff, Report to the 

 Company 30th Nov. 1889). 



On the Gambia, it is cultivated for the sake of the dye, used locally 

 by the natives (Brown Lester, Kew Bull. 1892, p. 47); but no attempt 

 has been made to extract the indigo for the European market (I.e. 

 1898, p. 40). 



Tropical Africa is perhaps more the natural home of Indigofera 

 tinctoria ; but India is without doubt the home of the cultivated 

 plant as grown for commercial purposes ; and it is there grown 

 under a great variety of conditions. 



The cultivation of Indigo, like that of cotton, requires the super- 

 intendence of an expert. 



The principal conditions are : a warm climate, moderate rainfall, 

 rich deep soil — alluvium or a sandy loam ; thorough tillage, manur- 

 ing, ploughing, harrowing, weeding, special care taken until the 

 plants get well established, and proximity to a good supply of water, 

 for use in the manufacture of the dye. 



With regard to manuring it has been suggested that the indican 

 content of the leaf accompanies semi-starvation conditions (Burkill & 

 Annett, Industr. and Agric. Chemistry, 1908-09, p. 13). 



About 10 to 15 lb. of seed will be sufficient to sow an acre, broad- 

 cast, or in drills about 18 inches apart. 



The seeds germinate in a few days, and the crop is ready for 

 cutting when the flowers appear, which may be in three or more 

 months. 



It does not appear possible to determine a normal yield ; the 

 amount of plant per acre is said to fluctuate widely between 108 

 to 48 maunds [13,826 lbs. to 3950 lbs.], and the yield of dye per 

 acre between 25 and 7£lb. (Leake, see Comm. Prod. India, Watt, 

 p. 680). 



Another estimate has been given at 60 maunds [4938 lb.] of plant, 

 and 10 to 20 maunds [823 lb. to 1646 lb.] of indigo per acre (Journ. 

 Soc. Arts, xlviii. 1900, p. 840). 



16583 B 



