64 



I will not here enter into farther details on the 

 fabrication of the colonial productions. I sup- 

 pose the reader acquainted with the theory of 

 the chemical arts, and shall therefore confine 

 myself to observations, which may throw light 

 on questions that have been less discussed. 

 In the valley of Cumanacoa, the fermentation 

 of the plant is produced with astonishing ra- 

 pidity. It lasts in general but four or five 

 hours. This short duration can be attributed 

 only to the humidity of the climate, and the ab- 

 sence of the sun during the unfolding of the 

 plant. I think I have observed, in the course 

 of my travels, that the drier the climate is, the 

 slower the vat works ; and the greater is the 

 quantity of indigo, at the minimum of oxida- 

 tion, contained in the stalks. In the province 

 of Caraccas, where 562 cubic feet of the plant 

 slightly piled up yield 35 or 40 pounds of dry 

 indigo, the liquid does not pass into the beater 

 till after 20, 30, or 35 hours. It is probable, 

 that the inhabitants of Cumanacoa would ex- 

 tract more colouring matter from the plant em- 

 ployed, if they left it longer steeping in the first 

 vat*. During my abode at Cumana I made 

 solutions of the indigo of Cumanacoa, some- 



* The planters are pretty generally of opinion, that the 

 fermentation should never continue less than ten hours. 

 Beauvais Raseau, Art de llndigotier, p. 81. 



