and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— September, 1911, 281 



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All true, full cream, and delicious. 



Of all Retailers. Wholesale: Miller & Co. 



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dian planter can successfully compete in the 

 matter of production cost with the German 

 factory. It may be possible to carry improve- 

 ments in the production of natural indigo much 

 further than merely standardising the quality 

 of the product and reducing; the costs of opera- 

 tions in the fields and the factories. But to ask 

 the planter in India to face such improvement 

 charges when the results obtainable are admit- 

 tedly problematical would be to ask too much of 

 human nature. Indigo cultivation, however, is 

 of considerable importance to Iudia, apart 

 altogether from the question of the planter's 

 profits or losses, and, that being eo, the Indian 

 Government might with advantage undertake 

 the investigation, on behalf of the community 

 at large, into any claims of improved processes 

 connected with the production of natural indigo. 

 So far as we can gather, very little has been 

 done in this direction since the Indian Govern- 

 ment met the cost of the lengthy researches 

 carried out by Mr. Popplewell Boxham, the 

 authorities, the conclusions of this investiga- 

 tion having been published and circulated, ap- 

 apparently considering that they had amply 

 fulfilled their duties to this particular planting 

 community. What appears to be wanted is the 

 systematic scientific investigation of all reason- 

 able claims to improvement in the preparation 

 of the product once the plant has been cut for 

 the steeping vats. Improvements in this direc- 

 tion would very soon reflect upon the acreages 

 under indigo in India and increased cultivation 

 could only mean the increased, or rather the 

 renewed, prosperity of the industry. — Financier. 



36 



SYNTHETIC INDIGO. 



(To the Editor of The Financier.) 



Your article on synthetic rubber in today's 

 Financier corroborates all I have been saying 

 for more than 16 years about the chemical 

 synthetic incligotine. Now that I have this 

 corroboration, may I ask that the whole subject 

 of synthetic indigo may be again considered 

 without undue awe and respect for the learned 

 scientific chemist's opinion ? 



I belong to the class of men part of whoso 

 business it is to buy dyes and dyers' services, 

 and I have never found myself going against 

 the skilled judgmRnt of the largest responsible 

 buyers of dyes. The chemists base their valua- 

 tion of indigo not on a common-sense dye test 

 but on some volumetric analysis, after first 

 treating it with 74 times its own weight of 

 the strongest corrosive acid known to science. 

 Every dyer knows that treatment with 10 times 

 its weight of this acid totally changes indigo 

 into an altogether different dye of the most 

 fugitive nature, called " Saxony Blue,'' or 

 " Indigo Extract." 



India used to grow £5,000,000 worth of indigo 

 a year, but, thanks to the chemical raid, they 

 only made £250,000 worth last year ; and yet 

 it is by far the fastest known dye, and, if 

 you know how to use it, one of the cheapest! 



Alex. W. Playnb. 

 9 Sbanley Street, Bedford, August 10th. 

 — Financier, Aug, 12. 



