The daily gazette., 1883-06-30
rHE INDIGO PLANT.
Its cultivation in the state Of Alichoaean.
1 NgawHoo
ION aud Colorma MS journal.

aus CULTIVATION In the state OF MichOacans
Mexico.
ron and Colorman's Journal
A correspondent writes from AguilillA,
State of Michoacan, rs follows Indigo
has long been one Of the few exports Of
Mexico, anil, though its cultivation Is yet in
its infancy. 1t is grown very largely in the
State of Miehoacan. Its mcthod, as grown
and treated here, Is so simple that / send
you description Of it; for this, more than
anything else, will suggest the improvements
by which indigo eau be made q very large
aud profitable article of export. A lesser
quantity than usual has been grown this
| year, owing to the comparative scarcity of
| labor, all Of which is absorbed In the build
ing Of the Mexican National railroad and
employment incidentally furnished by that
work. Moreover, there must be an iHcreas-
ing demand, as this year has brought the
best prices ever realized here. Our entire
| indigo crop was sold before it reached the
warehouses, and netted five shillings for
first class and so cents for second class per
pound. The average steady retail price Of
the article in the City of Mexico is six shill-
tngs per pound. Our crop averages nearly
900 pounds Of indigo TO the acre.
The method pursued is IS follows: The old
time crooked stick and oxen are used TO
plow the held, and the regular corn crop 10
".
corn iS about 10 inches high aud the soil
has been cultivated into htllocks, the indigo
seed is sowed broadcast over the same field.
That Is all that is done. The rains beat
down the seed sufficiently, and In about one
week the young plant appears. The average
quantity of seed required is 100 pounds per
acre. In November the corn crop is har
vestsd and the indigo plant 10 then three
feet high aud very hardy. Cattle, horses,
etc., are then turned into the 4Aeld without
damage to the plant, as they never touch it..
The general Incidence of the people adopts
this plan, so as to make one fields cultiva-
/ tion answer for both the corn and indigo
crop; but the plant is hardy enough not to
suffer injury from any trampling 1t receives
In harvesting the corn, and there is the ad
ditional thrift OF having the indigo crop well
under way when the corn crop Is gathered
SO much is thus gained ON the second yeaA
as the indigo crop is never gathered here In
the year of its planting. About September
of the second year the plant is about eight
or ten feet high, of prOportionate thickness
and OF dark green color. Then it Is cut and
pressed. second though lighter crop
grows during The following year spontane-
ously; then the ground must be seeded
again as at first
To insure large proportion ofindigo pulp
it is important that the plaut be cut and
placed In the pressing tanks at night, or at
least before the sun has gained full force
The tanks should also be well shielded from
the sunlight, as strong light bearing on
them during the operation, while It does
not affect the quality of the pulp, materl-
ally lessons its quantity. The pressing
tanks are three in number, are built OF
brick or stone and mortar, and are so ar
ranged that the contents of one can readily
hfa hRQu uTVa Tar. Nkssss, Nl,.,.I
Get The plant is laid into tank No. |.
filing it two. thirds, and, after being pressed
with heavy stones, the tank is filled with
clear N@ er, the colder the better After a
fermentation of eight, ten or twelve hours
the liquid matter is run off into tank No. 2,
where IL is agitated with wooden hand
paddles for from two to four hours 1t is
then allowed a certain time for settling and
is drawn off into tank No. 3, where several
hours elapse in thoroughly setting the
liquid. The nearly clear water is then
drawn of, and in the bottom OF the
tank you have the blue pulp, which is
taken out, dried In the sun and packed for
shipment. If the process has been CON
Quoted carefully, we have what l have
termed No grade, fine, light blue indigo:
otherwise we have a No. 2, or even a No. 5
grade, according to the density of the pulp
ana darkness OF the color. The secret of
| always securing a first grade quality con-
sists In close attention to details, and accu
| rate knowledge of the time to be consumed
in so-king in the second tank. If drawn of
too early or too late, if stirred too much or
100 little, or If settled for too long or too
| short time, the res ult will be second or
third grade indigo Yet these details are
the result of very little experience, and the
natl es acquire wonderful accuracy In man
aging the tanks. The average wages for
skilled managers are about two cents per
pound of final product. The capacity is, of
course, limited only by the size of the vats
USED, and the operation just described is re-
peatei every "a hours.
II this industry has proved so profitable
under SO crude system as prevails here.
what may not be expected from it when
capital will have supplied the means of cul-
tiVattng large tracts of land, as wheat is
sown, and the requisite hydraulic or steam
pressure for producing pulp on a large
scalei
Properly conducted on an extensive sys-
tenn, this production of indigo will rank
among the first and most profitable enter
prises In the republic; and in this vicinity
there are thousands of acres and all conye.
ntenees for the most extensive cultivation of
this industry.
-s-s