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77ie Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



production and the achievement of economies in 

 the cost of this production. Under the aegis of 

 the India Government, Mr W Popplewell Bloxam 

 carried out a series of researches in connection 

 with the scientific production of natural indigo 

 at the University of Leeds during the years 

 1905-7, the work being a continuation of certain 

 investigations which he had commenced in India. 

 One of the principal trade objections to natural 

 indigo had been the uncertainty of the results 

 obtainable from the use of the dye. This was 

 in a large measure due to the rule-of-thumb 

 methods followed by the majority of the Indian 

 factories in the production of the commo dity, 

 and these discrepancies in the results the dye 

 not infrequently gave afforded the synthetic 

 product one of its main claims for considera- 

 tion at the hands of the dyers. It was pos- 

 sible, when the synthetic indigo was finally 

 launched as a commercial product, to guarantee 

 to the user certain results, and to guarantee 

 these results practically in perpetuity. Natural 

 indigo, on the other hand, presents an ever- 

 recurring series of problems in the matter of 

 result to even the most expert dyers, since non- 

 standardisation in production, combined, pos- 

 sibly, with climatic influences at the time of 

 the actual making of the dye, introduced from 

 the standpoint of the consumer perpetual un- 

 certainties which did not make for economy 

 or efficiency, At this juncture it is only neces- 

 sary to state that the result of Mr. Popplewell 

 Bloxam's long series of investigations was inter 

 aha, the discovery of a method of standardising 

 natural indigo, which, if it does not place it 

 in this matter on an exact par with the 

 synthetic product, has gone very far towards 

 guaranteeing the consumer against the inequali- 

 ties of which he had good cause to complain 

 in the old indigo days. The most skilful 

 laboratory work in connection with any industry, 

 however, merely represents so much wasted time, 

 unless the results which the scientist gams 

 are properly utilised by the manufacturer on 

 whose behalf the experimental investigations 

 were undertaken. The Indian indigo planter 

 in these latter years, for somewhat obvious 

 reasons, was slow to introduce new methods 

 either in his fields or his factory, but, having 

 convinced himself as to the advantages of sug- 

 gestions for improvement of his outturn, such as 

 those Mr. Popplewell Bloxham has put forward, 

 he has adopted these either wholly or in part 

 to anything but his detriment or the quality of 

 the commodity he is now placing on the market. 

 Natural Versus Synthetic Indigo. 

 When we come to consider the prospects of 

 the Indian indigo industry the first question 

 which naturally arises is whether this product 

 can hope to compete in the future with that of 

 the German factory. Assuming all that is 

 claimed for natural indigo is correct — namely, 

 that as a dye it is superior to the synthetic 

 product, and that when used it not only 

 thoroughly dyes the cloth but improves its 

 quality — the point at once arises, and claims 

 consideration, as to whether the majority of the 

 users of indigo dye will find it to their advantage 

 to recognise i uch claims as against those gene- 

 rally admitted as perfectly valid, put forward 

 on behalf of the artificial dye. A recent inquiry 



into the matter of cost showed that the best 

 synthetic indigo dye works out at about one- 

 farthing per yard of dyed cloth cheaper than 

 the best indigo dye, but this advantage might 

 be offset, in the opinion of many, by the other 

 advantages which are claimed for the natural 

 product. If it were possible, then, for the cost 

 of the two processes to be brought to a level, 

 could natural indigo hope to regain in part, at 

 any rate, its old popularity, always bearing in 

 mind that the product as now marketed is to a 

 large extent standardised, and that it only 

 wants an increase in the demand to carry im- 

 provements in this connection still further ? 

 The cost of synthetic indigo, however, is 

 governed at present by the demand for it. 

 Production has never been allowed of recent 

 years to so exceed demand as to materially 

 affect the selling price, but this does not mean 

 that it could not be sold, still at a very hand- 

 some profit to the producers, at very much 

 lower prices than those which at present ob- 

 tain. It therefore becomes a question in con- 

 sidering competition between the synthetic 

 and the natural products as to whether the 

 latter can be produced to sell at a profit at a 

 price lower than it would pay to market the 

 former. It is claimed by some Indian producers 

 that this can be done, and if they are able to 

 make good their claim they have the ball once 

 more at their feet. We must be put in posses- 

 sion, however, of evidence further divorced from 

 hearsay than that which is at present available, 

 before it is possible to seriously discuss this point, 

 but the mere fact that the statement has gained 

 circulation in some business quarters, as well as 

 a certain amount of credence on the part of men 

 who are competent to decide as to its possible 

 accuracy, leaves us desirous of hearing further 

 and fuller details atthe earliest possible moment. 

 This Season's Crop and Prospects.- 

 The statement may have originated in the 

 known fact that this season's indigo crop is the 

 best that has been known for the past six years. 

 It is estimated that the outturn will range be- 

 tween 7,000 and 8,000 chests (of from 250 to 

 3C 01b. each)— a paltry total, no doubt, compared 

 with the annual exports of between 35,000 and 

 40,000 chests which not so very long ago India 

 was in the habit of shipping each indigo season 

 to Europe, but better, as we have just stated, 

 than the amounts marketed during the preced- 

 ing five years. In the immediate past all the 

 natural indigo produced in the Middle East has 

 found a fairly ready market at prices ranging 

 from 2s 6d to 3s lOd per lb., with, say, an aver- 

 age price of 3s per lb. At this average it paid 

 the planter very well to produce indigo, and 

 now that production costs have undergone an 

 all-round reduction, while the quality of the 

 commodity has undergone an all-round improve- 

 ment, it is possible that in the future still 

 better profits can be looked for by the producers 

 A good deal depends, however, upon the de- 

 mand which will be shown for the increased 

 production of the present year. Circumstancee- 

 as at present seen do not point to the prospec- 

 tive increase in the supply adversely affecting 

 the price, but substantial increases in the out- 

 turns for subsequent years might easily do so, 

 unless, of course, it can be shown that the In- 



