The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-28
WAR HAS BROUGHT
BACK TO use ALL
OF NATURAL DYES.
Some Give Better Result
Than Can Be Obtained
From Synthetic Dyes

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The natural dyes, as distinguished
from the chemically made dyes. and
those dyes derived from coal
tar. have come again into extensive
use because Of the war, the usual sup
ply Of German-made coal-tar dyes be-
ing cut Off It seems to be particular
ly true among the fabric dyers in the
Entente countries that there has been
q resumption of the practice of using
naural dyestnffs.
Though great strides have. without
doubt, been made in the production
OF coal-tar. dyes in Great Britain as
well as. In the United States, there is
manifest belief among dyers that 1.-The
coal-tar products may not again come
into such use as wholly to exclude the
natural, and especially the vegetable
dyes that have served the world for
many centuries. Those dyes were al
Ways satisfactory, but the chemical
dyes were cheaper and the required
tints and shades could be reproduced
with an accuracy which, 1t is said, was
not always possible with the natural
dyes, different patches of these. dyes
not always producing the exact shade
OF color demanded.
The case OF indigo Is one Of interest.
Most OF the chemical product sold as
synthetic indigo Is not identical with
natural indigo. but is claimed by the
indigo people to be an inferior substi-
tute- One OF the advocates Of indigo
has sadd that the best blues In dyeing
are and have always been obtained by
means OF natural indigo. The stop
page OF supplies OF synthetic indigo
has given tremendous impetus to
indigo production In India and South
America Great improvements in meth
DDS OF cultivation and preparation
have been made, and a spokesman for
the indigo interests has said that II
the planters will cooperate in the
manufacturing and marketing Of the
product there Is good prospect %
natural indigo competing successfully
In future with the synthetic dye.
The world Is still bountifully sup
piled with natural dyestuffs. and about
these there is no question of excel
lence. The cochineal industry de-
cltned almost to the point OF extinction
in competition with those coal-tar reds
that are known to the dye trade as
Konso red. brilliant Kongo red, Titan
pink, st. Denis red,l Columbia red.
Kongo rubine, Columbia scarlet DON
COLA red. geranine, diamine rose, BEN
20 scarlet, delta-purine and dozen
others.
The cochineal of commerce is a
dried scale insect which lives upon
many forms OF the cactus plant and
has hitherto been exported in large
quantities from Mexico. The propa-
CATION of these little insects was an
important industry. before the onrush
of the coaI-tar competition, and 1t is
even said now that no entirely salts
factory substitute has been found for
the dye produced by this insect. The
principal use Of cochineal is in dyeins
crimson and scarlet on wool, though
q purple dye was also produced with
1t, and also some shades in grays and
States
Some OF the old red dyes were Obj
tanned from the so-called soluble red
woods. as for examples. peachwood
saponwood and Iinewood, all of them
being species Of that wood which i,
called Caespinia, which grows in this
East, Indies and many parts of South
and Central America From these
woods the dyers obtained dark red
bright red, claret brown and darl
slate shades. Three were also rec
dyes generally used in dyeing wool and
producing numerous shades Of brown
which were obtained from the social
ed inso1uble red woods, which were
varfous,species of-three growingin tn,
interior of West Africa, these woods
being known to. the dyers guild al
camwood, barwood and sanderwood.
The older dyemakers and certain o
I. the dyenakers Of the present time OBJ
tanned many shades Of yellow from
the inner bark OF an oak tree which
grows In the United States, and which
IL called.in the trade quercitron bark
From this bark the dyemakers ex
-atracted another dye which they callet
'flavfne," and from which they pro
duced certain shades Of yellow an,
orange. Fustdc was one of the dye
which was formerly a. main relianc
OF the dyemakers in producing certain
ye1lows. especially shades called olive
yellow and old gold. This colorin
matter in extracted from that specie
of the mulberry tree which long ag
came to be called the "dyer's mulber
ry." and which grows plentieully Il
the West Indies ana especially in Cub
ana Jamaica
Logwood was one of the standar
dyes OF the household, as well as Q
the dyers craft, and nearly ever
man and woman today can recall tn
fine blues and puppies produced b
1ogwood. It produced one Of the fin
est of the dark blues. and some dyer
got from 1t a fine and lustrous fas
black. Logwood ia the heartwood c
a certain American tree which grow
in the tropics. One of the merits {
loewood il that 1t can be used wit
equal satisfaction in dyeing wool, sill
and cotton.
One of the plants on which tn
world used to depend for certai
kinds of reds was madden. The bef
Turkish red was produced from mad
der. There were extensive farms dc
voted to the cultivation Of the plant i
HOLLAND and France.
But, under the competition of coz
ear dyes, madden culture passed OIL
of existence excepting here and ther
in primitive regions where dyein
continued to be practfced as one c
the household arts. A species of. tn
wild mignonette was once extensivel
gathered and sometimes cultivated j
Europe and sold in the dyestuff mar
under the name Of weld" From
was produced an excellent yellow dy,