1796+] 
paring it avith the Granafina, I have had 
fimilar fuccefs, in finding that it has more 
colouring matter than the Sylvefter co- 
chineal, imported into “Europe from 
Mexico, is faid to poffefs. 
What I firft ftated as its value, was 
from the only book I had at the time 
that {poke to that point, Fhierry de Me- 
nonville ; but being anxious to afcertain 
this by experiment, I fince learned, from 
the lateft publication here on dying, that 
four times the quantity of Silvetter to that 
of Granalina was required ; the flannel was 
dyed in this proportion, but a part of the 
colouring matter remained in the water. 
That our cochineal is much more va- 
luable, the accompanying {pecimens will 
fhow : No. 1 being dyed with the beft 
Granafina to be purchafed here, and for 
which I paid one pagoda an ounce , and 
Wo. 2, dyed with that produced here, 
qual in quantity to three times that of 
tle other—in every other refpect the 
fame additions made, fimilar veffels ufed, 
and equal time in the procefs. No. 2, 
both in colour and brightnefs, is fuperior 
to No. 1, and when the greater {pecific 
gravity of our cochineal is alfo taken into 
‘account, not having had time to be equally 
dry with the other, and that the atten- 
tion I would now ufe for the preparation 
of the infect, and feparation of their co- 
verings, &c. had not been paid, there can 
be little difficulty in faying, from the 
experiments I have made, that it is at 
half the value of the Granafina, and that 
fuperior durability of colour may make 
it Only one third lefs, the price that 
Thierry de Menonville afferts it always 
dears in Mexico, and which I am alfo 
told is its value in Europe. 
In my firft letter to your lordthip, 1 
recommended that the infeéts fhould be 
killed in boiling water, but this I haye 
found improper for two reafons; firft, 
that a great deaJ of colouring matter is 
Jott ; and, fecondly, that the coverings of 
the infects, from being wetted, cannot 
atterwards be feparated. I next tried 
fufpenfion in fteam, and expofure to heat 
in an oven; but had the fame reafon for 
difapproying of the fteam, that the cover- 
ings were wetted ; and in regard to the 
oven, the heat required was very apt to 
burn thofe at the bottom of the vefiel, or 
neareft the fire ; but all objections I foon 
after found obviated, by putting them in 
an earthen veffel, placed over another in 
which water isboiled, with the precau- 
tion of having a fheet of paper, or piece 
of cloth, under the infeé& ; as the greateft 
Cochineal, 
693 
heat the boiling water could give, caufed 
no detriment nor any danger in conti- 
nuing itas long and as often as might 
be found neceffary. ‘ 
As the infeéts became fhrivelled and 
hard, I rubbed them gently between my 
hands, fo as to detach the coverings, and 
having them winnowed, as the natives 
do their rice, to feparate the hufk, all 
impurities were got rid of. The {pecimen 
_which Ihave now the honour of enciofing, 
was treated in this manner, and 1s of the 
beft quality I have been able to produce ; 
it is rather fmall in quantity, from my 
having hada great deal powdered for the 
experiments I have for thefe feveral days 
paft been making for the dye, which I 
fhall endeavour to make up for, as foon 
as the ground dries, and the nopal plants 
get better rooted. 
In my laft, I promifed your lordthip 
an account of the beft manner of what is 
called fowing them; and the fimpleft and 
eafieft I have found beft, viz. taking 
the thorn of the plant, and fixing thereby 
the largeft females, by means of their 
covering, without injuring or wounding 
them, to the leaves of the plants, in the 
leaft expofed fituations, and in number 
according to the luxuriance of the plants ; 
little attention, farther than fences, and 
no pandalls are requifite; and they have 
encreafed, even after the expofure to the 
late violent ftorm of the 29th ult. of wind 
and rain. The difficulty I have, is to 
clear the plants entirely of them, that 
they have once multiplicd on, which is 
abfolutely neceffary after every genera- 
tion, or at fartheft every fecand, to pre- 
ferve the plants, and give them time to 
recruit. For this purpofe, after picking 
off all the infeéts, I am obliged to have 
every part of the plants wafhed with wet 
rags, tied to the end of fticks, and to ex- 
amine them eight or ten days afterwards, 
leaftany young infect may have efcaped; 
and in this way plantations once efta- 
blifhed, may anfwer for a long time, 
(one third or fourth oaly having infeéts 
at the fame period) that would otherwife 
foon be deftroyed. 
Having had letters from gentlemen, 
on firft receiving the infect, that I had 
not been fufficiently explicit in diftin- 
guifhing the male and female, it may be 
proper to obferve, the male is a {mall 
fly, that flutters about fora few days, 
arterwards dies, and is generally blown 
off the plant, while the female remains 
fixed, from a day or two after her firft 
appearance, tothe time fhe is picked off, 
, 452 or 
ree 
