Sentence:  "In dying a Cotton Gown Black." [...] For a gown, take half a pint of ground <WSD>shumac</WSD> and put it into a sieve, and place it in a pan; then pour boiling water on it, and let the <WSD>shumac</WSD> water run into the pan; then put in your gown, and let it steep for six hours; [...] 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (sense 2)Dried and chopped-up leaves and stems of a plant of the genus "Rhus", particularly the tanner's sumac "(see sense 1)", used for dyeing and tanning leather or for medicinal purposes.