l84 



SYNTHETICS. 



As we stiiJ come across people who are nervous about the 

 bugbear of Synthetic Rubber, perhaps some notes as to the present 

 position of Synthetic Indigo, taken from the Indian Planter's Gazette 

 of March 12 of this year may assuage their anxiety somewhat. Indigo 

 has always been held up as an example of a cultivation destroyed by 

 a synthetic product made in Germany, but it does not appear to be 

 dead yet. 



" The synthetic dye is at present manufactured only by the Bad- 

 ische Anilin und Soda Fabrik and by the Farbwerke vorm, Meister 

 Lucius and Bruning ; all other competitors and manufacturers of the 

 synthetic indigotine having retired and a paste containing about 20 

 per cent of indigotine is sold at 8d. per lb. Baron Schrottky has 

 known for some years that this price is very near the cost of pro- 

 duction, and it is only common sense to suppose that the producers 

 would sell the synthetic article as low as possible in order to kill the 

 natural industry and to have a monopoly. American Consular 

 reports from Germany (see page l6 of *' Der Indigo and seine 

 Concurrenten by Dr. Felsen) also state, on the basis of trustwothy 

 information, that the synthetic indigo cannot, without any profit, be 

 sold more cheaply than at present. It can therefore be taken as 

 quite certain that 20 per cent, synthetic indigotine paste cannot be 

 sold at 6d. per lb. without loss, and it is an open secret that the cost 

 of manufacture of this article has reached bottom, and that it cannot 

 be produced more cheaply. 



Dyers like the synthetic indigotine in the form of a paste ; it is 

 easier to manipulate and to dye with than is natural indigo, and the 

 synthetic dye is more uniform in quality and character. On the other 

 hand the natural indigo dyes better as is freely admitted by the 

 trade; the atomically fine inter-mixture in the natural product of 

 indigo red, indigo brown, and indigo gum tends to make the dye 

 adhere better to the fibre, and to withstand longer the destructive 

 influence of light air, and moisture. If dyers were offered the natural 

 indigo, similar to the synthetic indigotine, in paste form, uniform in 

 quality, as easy to manipulate, and as cheap, they would prefer the 

 natural product. 



The successful introduction of Java-Natal indigo (a three year 

 crop), with the result that the planter is able to reduce his cultivation 

 expenses and harvest 50 per cent, more green plant per acre than 

 heretofore, the better dye yielding properties of this new variety and 

 the improvements in manufacture which have raised the output of 

 dye per 100 maunds of green plant from 10 or 14 seers of indigo, as 

 heretofore, to 28 or even 32 seers, at an extra cost which leaves a 

 large margin of profit to the planter these established facts make 

 it not difficult to predict with whom victory must lie. The future 

 cost of the production of natural indigo will be much below that of 



