Evening star., 1924-10-22

$4,000 year. We now possess
1000 dyes; the Germans had only
600 before the war. But one must
know what are the best combination
and methods for each dye and for
each kind of stuff dyed
The field of dyes is not limited TO
textiles. The use Of stains is in
dispensable to botanists and esre-
cially to bacteriologists. The latter
find certain bacilli invisible under the
most powerful microscopes, unless
stained. Tests for typhoid, diphtheria
and many other diseases are depend
ent upon the stain to disclose the
bacilli. After the German stains were
shut out by the war, American sub
stitutes were found unreliable, when
handled by the methods found salts
factory with the imported stains.
Strange to say, the American stains
were too pure.lacking all adulterat-
ing colors, and it was these adulter-
ants which were necessary in tinting
certain varieties of amoeba and
bacilIi. Only after the chemists had
added invisible adulterants did these
bacilli and amoeba become tangible
under the microscopes.
X X x
Practically all dyes now used are
synthetic. and are derived from coal
tar. Not all. however. The Weavers
of Oriental rugs have long boasted
that their vegetable dyes were more
permanent as well as richer in color
than the coal tar dyes. although today
it is hard to find genuine VEGETABLE
dyed rug even in the Orient.
Indigo, a vegetable, is the chief OF
the natural dyes" and is still ex-
tensively used for high grade color
ing. Madder comes from a plant.
Logwood has no substitute so good
as the genuine, for strong blue
black; it is derived from a forest
tree which grows in Central America
and the West Indies.
Safflower. If the saffiower crop
should fail, all Government officials
would be out of their jobs, for 1t is
saffiower which makes red tape-or
rather which makes the tape red.
How children would weep IL the
cochineal bug should die, for that is
what makes candy red also some
other things that are brilliant red.
Annatto seed. which grow upon
South and Central American shrub,
make yellow. The sturdy oak is
symbol of fortitude and courage; yet
it is yellow when IT dyes. Fustic'
a tropical tree, is also yellow. Our
srandmothers all knew these dyes
and used them.
X X
The great unsoIved problem Is the
, perfecting of so-called wat" dyes.
These were first produced in Ger
many about 1910, with indigo and
alazarin-blue and madder. They
are called vat" dyes because they
can he used only in large quantities
hence in watts.
The process of using vat dyes is
complicated, requiring chemical
change in the application; but they
are absolutely fast and strong in
color, insoluble in water and i'm
pervious to sunlight. In fact, the
more they are exposed to sun and
water the stronger and faster do
the colors become. Americans now
produce in vat dyes two oranges,
one yellow, several blues, a violet,
two pinks, a red. d brown, but no
satisfactory green. We now pro-
duce 1,750.000 pounds of vat dyes,
but use 100000 pounds.
Our dye exports go mostly to the
Orient The Chinese demand vast
quantities of blue and yellow. Ii
Hung Chang remarked that IL the
Chinese were to add one inch to the
length of their shirt tails it would
upset the cotton markets OF the
world. Hence 1t will be understood
that the dyeing of the blue clothes of
the Yellow Kingdom is a great en-
render to Japan and Germany with.
out a struggle.
Copyright. 1924. By Paul Y. CclnnAaA =