418 



[November, 1908. 



DYES AND TANS. 



CULTIVATION AND UTILISATION 

 OF ANNATTO. 



In connection with the question of 

 annatto production in the Colonies, 

 especially in West Africa and Ceylon, 

 the following memorandum has been 

 prepared and is now published for 

 general information :— 



Annatto is the orange-red colouring 

 matter occurring as a layer of pulp on 

 the outside of the seeds of the annatto 

 plant, Bixa orellana, a small tree indi- 

 genous to South America, but now ex- 

 tensively cultivated in many tropical 

 countries - 



The supplies of annatto which reach 

 the United Kingdom at present come 

 principallylin the form of the seeds from 

 the East and West Indies, and as paste 

 from French Guiana or Brazil. 



Cultivation of the Plant. 



The annatto plant grows luxuriantly 

 in almost any soil, and in the tropics 

 will thrive up to about 3,000 feet above 

 sea level. The soil is prepared for 

 annatto in much the same way as for 

 cotton. The seeds, previously softened 

 by soaking in water, are planted in 

 furrows at distances of 8 to 10 feet apart. 

 As the young plants come up they should 

 be provided with artificial shade to 

 protect them from excessive heat, but 

 later on a large amount of sunshine is 

 necessary for their proper development. 

 After three months the plantation 

 should be weeded and superfluous plants 

 removed. Beyond periodical weeding 

 the plantation requires little attention. 



Harvesting. 



Full crops of seed may be obtained in 

 three or four years from the time of 

 sowing, but the collection of seed may 

 be commenced usually after the first 

 eighteen months or even earlier. The 

 fruit capsules are gathered when they 

 have acquired a reddish colour and are 

 just beginning to break open. This takes 

 place from the pointed end along the 

 edges and causes the seeds to be exposed. 

 It is said to be advantageous to cut the 

 branches along with the capsules, as in 

 this way the plants are prevented from 

 growing so high as to make collection a 

 matter of difficulty, and they bear better. 



The capsules are opened out on mats 

 or cloths and allowed to dry completely 

 in the sun, being turned over from time 

 to time. Three or four days' exposure is 

 usually sufficient to accomplish this, and 



the fruits are then collected into heaps 

 and beaten with clubs or thrashed to 

 separate the seeds. These are separated 

 from the empty pods by winnowing or 

 sifting, and again exposed to the sun 

 until they are completely dry. 



The seed is usually packed in barrels 

 for export, but manufacturers usiug 

 annatto in the United Kingdom re- 

 commend that they should be packed in 

 double sacks holding from H to 2 cwt. 

 each. Great care should be taken to see 

 that the seeds are dry before they are 

 packed, as if they are at all damp they 

 are liable to become mouldy and lose 

 colour. 



Commercial Valle of Annatto Seeds. 



The prices obtained for annatto seed 

 in London in the last few years have 

 varied somewhat. Ceylon and Madras 

 seed fetched from 6d. to7d. per lb. at the 

 end of 1905, but gradually fell to 3|d. or 

 Id. during 1906, Jamaica seed similarly 

 fell from 8d. at the end of 1905 to 4d. in 

 October, 1U06. At present 4d. per lb. may 

 be taken as the average value. Java 

 seed, which go principally to Liverpool, 

 is at present worth 4d. to 5d, per lb. The 

 most recent quotations available are 4d. 

 per lb. for Madras seed and Shd. per lb. 

 for Ceylon seed. 



There is a fair demand for annatto 

 seed in the United Kingdom, and the 

 annual imports are said to fluctuate 

 between 75 and 100 tons, and manu- 

 facturers of annatto preparations are of 

 opinion that the demand is likely to 

 grow. There is said also to be an in- 

 creasing market in the United States 

 for annatto, but this is likely to be met 

 by a larger output from Jamaica. It 

 should be borne in mind, however, that 

 the annatto plant can be grown practi- 

 cally anywhere in the tropics, and that 

 plantations have been formed in many 

 tropical countries, and that if prices rose 

 there would probably be an immediate 

 increase in output from plantations 

 already in existence. 



Preparation op Annatto Paste. 



At one time considerable quantities 

 of annatto paste were imported into 

 the United Kingdom and other European 

 countries from French Guiana and 

 Brazil, but although text-books dealing 

 with annatto dye still refer to the 

 paste as the principal form in which 

 annatto is imported, there is reason to 

 belkyve that this trade has almost ceased. 

 Thus no export figures for annatto 

 paste from French Guiana have been 



