394 The Wav against Agriculture. [July. 
the original aniline-violet. Tidings have lately come that 
Prof. E. Maumene, a very eminent French chemist, has 
actually succeeded in obtaining quinine artificially, and at a 
very small outlay in labour, plant, and materials. Danger 
threatens the cinchona planter from another quarter. Chi- 
noline, a coal-tar product, is said to have the same medicinal 
properties as quinine, but it is unstable, and must be used 
within a short time after its preparation. We shall soon 
learn what amount of reality there is in these rumours. 
We pass to dye-wares, — the region where the war against 
agriculture has been most signally successful. I refer, as 
will be at once understood, to the introduction of artificial 
alizarine and anthrapurpurine in place of the madder-root 
and its various preparations, such as garancine, garanceux, 
azale, pincoffine, fleur de garance, &c. Here, however, it 
must be borne in mind that the triumph of the artificial 
compounds took place under exceptionally favourable cir- 
cumstances, such as may perhaps never occur in any other 
case. The proportion of desirable colouring-matter in 
madder-root is very small (say i J per cent), and even of that 
amount a considerable percentage was left in the root, and 
often wasted. It was also accompanied by a disagreeable 
fawn-coloured principle, which attached itself more or less 
to the dyed or printed goods, and had to be removed— a 
process requiring much trouble and nicety. The artificial 
alizarine and purpurine were therefore at once adopted by 
the trade. 
A prolonged and serious attack is being made upon indigo 
by Prof. Baeyer. There can be no doubt that he has suc- 
ceeded in forming indigo-blue, the colouring-matter of indigo. 
But so far at least he has failed to produce it at a price low 
enough to compete with the natural article. 
But indigo has found rivals in certain artificial colouring- 
matters, which, without claiming to be identical with it, can 
under many circumstances be used for the same purposes. I 
may mention especially the indophenols and the indulines. 
Hence there is good reason to fear that the indigo trade may 
have seen its best days. There are, however, certain con- 
solatory points ; the growth of the indigo-plant and the 
extraction of the colour are both capable of great improve- 
ment. It is not impossible that by care the value of the 
crops might be raised 25 to 30 per cent above their present 
average. 
As an instance that factitious products do not always 
succeed in underselling and displacing the natural growth, I 
may mention the artificial orchil of MM. Vogt and 
