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beautiful reds and pinks, and Paluds, the latter being a name 
given because the roots are grown on marshy land. The 
latter yield, besides the fine reds, also a good purple, nearly 
allied to that produced by Turkey roots. 
For the purpose of the experiment we selected a piece of 
rich land, near the river, at Strines, a little less than an 
acre, and having prepared it in the usual manner, we had it 
sown with seed from fine Palud madder, early in the Spring 
of 1868. The weather was unusually dry and the ground 
produced a crop of remarkably fine polygonum aviculare, 
which almost choked the young madder seedlings. (I am 
inclined to think the seed of this polygonum were mixed 
with the madder seed.) In the Autumn the madder plants 
came into flower, and the roots of some pulled up measured 
13 inches in length. 
The field was weeded, and the plants came up in the 
Spring of 1869, very strong and healthy, and so on until 
August, 1871, when we had them dug up. To produce the 
best results the roots should have remained another year in 
the ground, but for the purpose of our experiment this 
growth was considered sufficient. As to yield, the quantity 
produced was small, probably owing to the very dry season 
after sowing ; in appearance and size the roots were about 
equal to fine French roots, but on breaking them, instead 
of the deep red colour in the best French roots these were 
orange, or yellow. 
The dyeing properties were of a very disappointing nature: 
out of the dye the colours looked full, but on being cleared 
with soap they were found to be loose, and precisely in char- 
acter like Dutch madder, the reds and pinks being weak 
and loose, and the purple element entirely wanting. From 
