H7 



where the dye has been manufactured for two years for local con- 

 sumption. Another German firm who have patented another 

 process, the " Farbwerke, formals; Lucius und Bruming", of 

 Hoechstam-Main, have been selling their artificial indigo for two 

 years to the French firm "Societe Chimique des Usines du Rhone", 

 of Lyons. They are now manufacturing their synthetic indigo in 

 Lyons itself. Specifications of both of these patents could be 

 obtained in the usual way through Patent Office Agents in Paris. 



Artificial indigo exported from Germany into France is classed 

 for duty with natural indigo. In the United States for some time 

 the artificial indigo was classed with other colouring matters ex- 

 tracted from coal tar, as, for instance, alizarine, aniline, which pay 

 a high custom duty ad valorem. But on the representations of the 

 German Government, this was altered to meet German demands. 

 Artificial indigo was first launched on the French market under 

 the name of " Indigo pure B.A.S.F." (Badische Anilin and Soda 

 Fabrik), and the pure product is still under the same name. But 

 for facility of manipulation, the product is sold in the form of a 

 paste containing 20 per cent, of " indigotine ", convenient for 

 transport and use. Goods dyed with artificial indigo are not re- 

 quired to be declared as such. They are sold under the class of 

 goods u dyed with indigo". They are consequently sold at similar 

 prices to goods dyed with natural indigo. Doubtless, if the public 

 were aware that the goods they are purchasing are dyed with the 

 artificial dye, they would express a preference for goods dyed with 

 the natural product, which has shown its worth by long experience. 



Relative Merits of Natural and Artificial Indigo. 



I have taken the opinion of several leading merchants and dyers 

 at Lyons and at Marseilles, and give their views in as concise a 

 form as possible. Indigo not being used in the dyeing of silk, the 

 Lyons dyers are not specially interested in the question. But 

 Lyons dyers of cotton and woollen goods and Lyons dealers in in- 

 digo have been consulted : — 



fa). — Synthetic indigo is easily sold, and is especially appre- 

 ciated by dyers when clear and pure tints are needed, as, for 

 instance, in the printing of " Indiennes. " natural indigo is ad- 

 vantageously replaced by artificial indigo in all cases except when 

 carmines and sulphates of indigo are employed for ground colour, 

 in which case natural indigo is preferable because its resin and 

 impurities serve to cover the fibre of the cloth, and give it a 

 metallic sheen which cannot be procured with artificial indigo. 

 Beyond this the artificial dye is equal to the natural dye, and there 

 can be no doubt that the production of the latter is seriously 

 menaced. 



(b). — Not only is the future market of indigo very seriously 

 menaced, but in many dyeing establishments in France the German 

 artificial dye has ousted it altogether. Their opinion of the 

 synthetic indigo is that its composition is absolutely regular. This 

 quality of uniformity in composition has the great advantage of 

 facilitating manipulation of enabling equal shades of colouring, 



