THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



Indigo Cultivation, 



The Views of Mr. J. G. Colenbrandbr and Mr. FKlEXn ADDISON. 



THE Minister of Agriculture wrote to 

 Mr. J. G. Colenbrander, of New 

 Gaelderland, on the 11th of December 

 last, informing him that the Natal Go- 

 vernment had been approached by the 

 Director of the Botanical Surveys of 

 India, through the Government Emigra- 

 tion Agent for Natal at Calcutta, reLitive 

 to samples of seed known as " Natal 

 Indigo." He stated that he had been 

 given to understand that Mr. Colenbran- 

 der had some knowledge of the plant in 

 question, the cultivation of which, in 

 India, had been found to be profitable 



The Minister added that he should like 

 to obtain all possible information respect- 

 ing this plant, with a view to encouraging 

 the growth thereof in the coast districts 

 of Natal, and stated he would esteem it a 

 favour if Mr. Colenbrander could afford 

 him whatever information he might have 

 on the subject, with a view to an article 

 being published in the Agricultural 

 Journal, calling attention to the matter. 

 Mr. Colenbrander replied as follows : — 



New Guelderlaud, 



18th December, 1901. 



Sir, — In reply to yours of the 11th 

 instant, I have pleasure in supplying you 

 with what little information I have on 

 the Natal Indigo plant, but am afraid 

 that it is not enough to be of m uch assist- 

 ance to you. 



My father, the late T. C. Colenbrander, 

 was for some time engaged in the culti- 

 vation and manufacture of Indigo at 

 Pinetown, but failed to make it pay, 

 owing, I believe, to the va,riabie nature of 

 the climate there. The plant, of which 

 there are two known varieties, a coarse 

 and fine, grows freely in a wild state all 

 along the Natal coast, and is known to 

 the natives as " paggembetu." It appears 

 to thrive where there is much moisture, 

 and springs up readily after being cut 

 down. Some plants which are in my 

 garden, and have been cut down several 

 times, are now in splendid condition. 



The seed of the fine variety is much 

 sought after by Java indigo planters, and 

 I have, oft and on, collected for and sup- 

 plied to them a considerable quantity. 



The plant is known to most colonists^ 

 but for the b3nefit of those who are un 

 acquainted with it, the following descrip- 

 tion may be of use : — 



Indigo is a shrubby plant, and grows 

 two to three feet high, with pinnate 

 leaves, which have 1\ pairs of oblong, 

 dull, bluish-green leafletg, not unlike 

 lucerne. The plant likes a lot of rain, 

 and, favoured with this, grows freely and 

 throws out shoots rapidly on their being 

 cut away. In about three months the 

 plants begin to flower. The flower is 

 pale red, and after flowering the plants 

 can be cut down, when they soon shoot 

 up again and yield a second cutting ; 

 sometimes they even yield a third in the 

 same year. 



With regard to the process of manu- 

 facture, I can only draw on my memory 

 when still a boy, and cannot state 

 whether any alkali or chemicals were 

 used in the process. I remember that the 

 leafy branches were used when fresh and 

 green, not dried first. 



Three cement basins or vats were built, 

 adjacent to each other but on different 

 levels. The topmost and largest basin 

 was filled with the freshly cut Indigo ; 

 heavy wooden logs were placed on the 

 top to press and fix it down, and clear 

 water was then let into i he basin to sub- 

 merge the lot. In this i-tate it was left 

 the night or, say, 10 to 12 hours. Fer- 

 mentation set up and a good deal of gas 

 was disengaged, and the water became 

 light green. This green liquor was run 

 off into the second basin, which was 

 smaller and at a lower level than the 

 first. In this basin the liquor was vio- 

 lently agitated— the first basin being 

 mea'i while re- filled with green Indigo. 

 This agitation caused disintegration, and 

 the green matter suspended in the liquor 

 became blue and granular. When this 

 operation was sufficiently advanced, the 

 contents of the second basin were allowed 

 to settle, and the sediment was then run 

 into the thirJ and smallest vat, which again 

 was below the level of the second, and 

 from which it was finally pumped into a 

 copper boiler. The boiler was only just 

 heated, and then allowed to stand for a 



