The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1901-10-03

Indigo, The most basutiful and trpen
s'se oi sll dyes 10 conmon use, has ever
been closely felsiei 10 Iolis, q. i,s usms
implies.
From India tbs snnient farests saa
Romans drow supplies-oi tho blue dyp,
aud although II Was Lost to Ea,opo dur
log the greater part Of tho middle ases,
enormous quantities have bten imported
for commercial purposes during the lat
100 years.
Indigo is cultivated oil over Indis, plv
ing employment TO millions OF asiiyts
and Thousand OF foreigners. 10 three
dissficts alone 10 Behar, wbore some Of
the dnest indigo is grown. European ospi
tel Is invested 10 the extent OF 20 less
than S26. .000.0 Some $40. 900 acres arc
under cultivation. There are 700 Ems lisb
men msnssing and working on the 'cop
Germs, as the factories end plantations
are always called. and 1900, 900 natives.
40 indigo concern may occupy any
where between 900 and 10000 acres.
each cultivated acre producing on sn
average sbout 10 to 20 pounds OF indigo.
The plsnts grow TO . height OF between
three and fivo feet. II 10 In tho leaves
that the color yielding matter chiefly
exists. they being Ut their fullest al the
fullest al the time when the flower buds
are about to bloom, but the leaf. OF q yel
lowish green color, gives no no indioa
tion OF containing anything which will
yield blue ooloripg matter,
Toward the end OF jane, or w soon ss
the monsoon has set IN, the crop Is cut,
aud the work OF manufacturing com
mences. The first man uiscturing. called
'morbum mabsi' lasts generally until tho
middle OF August. BY this time the stem
which have been cut have shot up sgsip,
and 10 September second crop is taken
from the same plants. Sometimes three
crops are tak' D In one season.
In most ooncerns the simple, primitive
processes OF msn ufsctnre are still adhered
10, for planters and ola hands are strong
beliey0s> ln the original true blue and
Will Dav0 nothing to do with new tangled
IDEAS snd chemical sdmixtures.
Every day the vsts in which the plants
,re STEPPED the first process Of mann
'scture ARE cleaned ont by coolies. The
plant is stacked upright to allow cir TO
escape and 10 kept in position by long
pieces OF bamboo. Then water is run ip
10 the vat, which. however IL not quite
illed, since the plant expands. exerting
W enormous pressure that might easily
,rsch the vst's sides.
The plant takes = long while 10 soak.
The leaves are not easily wettsd.
When the plants have been stepped for
'bout ten hours the color yielding mat
er will have been extracted. The liqn mid
$ now run of into lower or beating watts
md tho extracted plant or sect, is taken
,ut. to be subsequently, employed to fer
liz, new crops The rnnniog liquid
'sries 10 color from bright orange TO
,liye green. IL is necessary that 1t shall
Do Kept 10 . state Of violent agitation,
The frotb is at fret blue, then white.
md soon disappears. The liquid, after
passing through various color chsnges
ntns FROM green to dark. rich indigo
blue. The overseer, TO test whether the
,estipg process is sufficient. takes little
iquid aud pours II on TO plate. II the
.rsip, or feculs' readily settles. leaving
clear duil, the besters jnmp from the
'st or the wheel is stopped.
After beating The feculs 10 allowed TO set
10 Tor two or three houy, and then the
water Is run tf The grsin 10 collected.
passed through vsrious strsioers, whence
flows into . we'll and Ia elevated bya
team injector to 40 iroa tank. tits now
,oiled 10 prevett any fermentation. and
hen the hot, concentrated stnG 10 run
broush stfsinfrs on TO iiter table.
The resulting pulpy paste. not nniiks
'olored whipped cream. is pressed and
,ut into small oskes, esch stamped with
be mark OF the factory. tbs date and
be number Of days boiling, The cakes
re put awsy 10 dry on bsmboo shelves.
being csreiully dustsd and turned every
sw days until ready for packing.
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