The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-01-05
The Indigo Trade.


Indigo, next to madder and eOchi-
neal, is the NEST important Of our
| dys-stuffS. Before the war Florida
| and South Carolina were producers
and manufacturers of il to q moderate
extent, but Of good quality, an indigo
| plant being indigenous there. This
plant, however, is the RGDtisia
ttRctOriG, and is not . species Of the
genus LJlai9OfsTu, To which most
of the other indigees belong. 1t
yielded in South Carolina about sixty
pounds to the acre, and reQaired only
the time from July TO October for it's
cultivation. Both the cultivation and
the preparation of it for market are
comparatively cheap, and sooner or
later its production will probably be
revived there, as that OF mRddeF has
been. We imported during the hscaI
year ending July l, 1870, I,27Q 5T9
pounds of indigo, and in 1871, l. 994, :
752 pounds Of madder in 1870, 9, sos,
507, and in 1851, 7,575,2 ,27S pOuRds the
money value Of both together in the
latter year amounting to nearly S3,-
00O, 600. Add cochineal, and We have
altoget her 81, 900, 600 We expended on
three dyes alone In a single twelve
month. This will suffice to shew the
importance Of the subject. In fact,
everything relating to the dyeIng Of
our manufacturers of cotton, wool,
silk, paper and leather assumes
greater interest every year, as pOpula-
ton and interest increase, and as our
business relations expand. The ad-
vantaRes of climate and soil in the
southern States thus invite US to prO-
duce cotton, to convert it into cotton
fabrieks, by using the ample water
Which 81 Hs In, fI,,
of the cotton region, and to raise the
indigo and madder to color them all
in the same district.
An extraordinary future is here
opened to our southern States, as has
been abundantly proved by the ex-
Cellent cotton fabricks, plain and in
digO-blue, which Augusta; Georgia
and GTainitevilie, South Carolina
have already produced for home con-
sumption and for export to Mexico
and to the rest of Spanish America.
The quality of these e lods has been
much approved 80 much 50, as to
gain in certain bleached and unbleach-
ed cOttOns a preference over the cor
responding eastern fabricks. Indigo
blue f1annels OF American manufac-
ture are also daily ordered by firms in
Central America and other countries
dians, indeed, those of our territories In
cluded, have special preference for
stuffs dyed with indigo; and indeed, /
this preference extends to the people
of the Indian Ocean, China and
Japan.
Before the enormous modern growth
of the cultivation of cotton, coffee and (
sugar, indigo Of excellent quality was
produced throughout Spanish America
and BraZlls, and was then preferred to
that of the East Indies. Later the
culture was everywhere neglected, e1-
cept in HindostaE, and that country,
especially Bengal, has borne the palm
for the best quality until quite recent
~, when indigo Of very superior
quality began to be produced at and
near BOgOta, commanding from eight
to nine shilliDgs per pound in London,
and equal to the better qualities of
Bengal. This fact proves what care
and attention may accomplish in the
cultivation and preparation of this
leading dye and is an encouragement
to the resumption of this abandoned
culture in our own land.
The indigo used in this country for
dyeing purposes comes in about equal
parts from Bengal and from South
and Central AmeTica-the go-called
Guatemala indigo, which we import
largely from the industrious little re-
public of San Salvador, on the Pacific
shore of central America, is received
by steamer by way of Panama and
Aspin wall. This new indigo arrives
at the beginning of winter. Other
qualities, like madras, Manila, Cara
cas- and Mexican are more used for the
manufacture of washign-blue."
The Calcutta accounts of the indigo
crop this year are decidedly unfavora-
BILE. Throughout the whole presidency
there have been severe foundations,
and it is now estimated that the Ben
gal crop will not exceed seven millions
of pounds, if it even att&ins that
amount. This makes it probable that
the demand for the Guatemala indigo,
of which nine hundred ceIoons, diff
cult of sale, are carried over into the
new season by our Central-Am merican
firms, will soon improve. According
to the accounts from San Salvador, q
good average crop had been made,
but high prices was paid at the annual
fairs.
The indigo market in January, Feb
Tuary and March may thus be active
in London and here, the moro so as
the war interfered with it last winter
France aDd Germany being great
consumers the markets have re-
covered rather slOwly-[N New York