ON MADDER. 
43 
The powders called madders are distinguished according 
to their origin into Butch Madder, Alsatian Madder, and 
Madder of Avignon or of the Comtat. 
Up to the present time no one of the numerous works 
which have been written upon this subject, no work of Ma- 
teria Medica or of applied botany, has given the history of 
these powders, nor the peculiar characters of each variety ; 
I shall endeavor to supply this want by giving a detailed 
description of the three kinds of madder met with in com- 
merce. My situation has enabled me to make a particular 
study of this important tinctorial product ; and the following 
remarks are the result of many and various observations. 
1. Dutch Madder. 
The Dutch madder, which was formerly extensively em- 
ployed in France, has almost entirely disappeared from our 
markets, from the heavy duty which the government pur- 
posely put upon it, in order to maintain and encourage the 
cultivation of that of Alsatia and of the Comtat. This mad- 
der possessed a well-deserved reputation, and there is no 
doubt but that it would again be generally used, if the duty, 
which is equivalent to a prohibition, were to be reduced. 
The following are its distinctive characters: — Its odor is 
strong and nauseous ; its flavor is sweet, with a mixture 
of bitterness ; its color varies according to the marks, and 
passes from a brown-red to an orange -red. 
In general its powder is stringy (enpaille,) that is to say, 
its state of division is sufficiently large to exhibit the struc- 
ture of the root. It is coarser than the powder of the other 
kinds of madder, which might be attributed to negligence, 
since frequently portions of Lizari are met with which have 
not yielded to the grindstone. This coarse state of com- 
minution however is no defect, since it prevents fraud. This 
powder appears greasy to the touch. Exposed to the action 
of the atmosphere, it readily absorbs moisture, and when, 
