DYERS' WEED, or ROCKET (reseda luteola), a European herb, naturalized in the region of New York, resembling the mignonette. It was formerly used for medicinal purposes, but is now valued chiefly as material for a yellow dye, for which purpose it is largely cultivated in some parts of Europe.
The substances used in dyeing as the sources of coloring matter, are derived from the animal, mineral, and vegetable kingdoms, the greatest number from the last mentioned. To the animal kingdom, and to the class of insects, we are indebted for cochineal—and consequently for carmine—k,ermes, and lac, and less directly for galls. The Tyrian purple of the ancients is also said to have been a product of the animal kingdom, obtained from a mollusk.—The dye-stuffs obtained from the vegetable king dom are numerous, and in every part of the world there are some in domestic use, which have not become articles of commerce. Such are those dye-stuffs of the Highlands of Scotland, mentioned in the article DYEING. Dye-stuffs are procured from plants of widely different natural families: there are some indeed in which certain coloring mat ters appear to be extensively prevalent,•as in rubiacece (madder, etc.), and the genus ecesalpinia (q.v.). They are also obtained from almost all different parts of plants, as the heart-wood (duramen) of the stem (logwood, Brazil-wood, camwood, fustic, etc.); the bark (alder, etc.); the root or its (barberry root, etc.); the leaves and other herbaceous parts (indigo, etc.); the corolla (safflower); the fruit (French berries, annotto, etc.). The principal dye-stuffs are the following: Alkanet (q.v.), useful in dyeing various shades of lilac, lavender, and violet, which are, however, liable to fade on exposure to light. Aloes, obtained by evaporating the juice of the aloe, which is grown in the East and West Indies, Sicily, Italy, and Malta. It contains a brown coloring matter named aloetin, which may be employed in the production of a brown tint. Arnotto (q.v.), employed in imparting the various shades of yellow, orankce, and scarlet, to silk, wool, and cotton. Archil, yielding, when infused in water, a crimson dye of great beauty, though fugitive, and used in giving a finish to wool and silk which have been previously dyed. Barberry root, imported from the East Indies, and containing a yellow coloring matter called berberin. Brazil-wood, often called peach-wood, containing brazilin, which, in contact with the air, yields a rich red color. Camwood (q.v.), or barwood, has a red color similar to that of Brazil-wood, is generally employed in the form of a coarse pow der, and readily imparts its color to water. Catechu yields a reddish-brown solution in water, and performs an important office in the dyeing of many shades of brown, black, and green. Mica (q.v.), employed in the dyeing of wool and cotton of an orange-yellow color. Cochineal, employed directly, or indirectly in the form of carmine (extracted from the cochineal), in imparting the most beautiful red and crimson colors. French,
Persian, Turkey, or Spanish bermes, obtained from several species of rh,amnus (see BUCK THORN), yield a powerful yellow dye. Fustet, the finely divided wood of rims cotinus (see SuliAcii), a yellow dye. Fu.stic or yellow wood, used for dyeing cloth yellow, and for communicating a good green tint to cloth already rendered blue; as also, in conjunc tion with other dyes, in imparting various shades of drabs, olives, fawns, etc. Galls or gall-nuts are employed in dyeing cloth of a dark or black color. Indigo (q.v.), very extensively used in the dyeing of yarn and cloth of a deep blue color, which may be afterwards rendered green by a yellow dye. Hermes, k.ermes grains, or alkermes, an excellent material for dyeing many shades of red, and one of the most ancient dye-stuffs employed in the coloring of silk. Lac (q.v.), shell-lac, or stick-lac, is used in the prepara tion of red dyes. Logwood (q.v.), broken up into small chips, or reduced to powder, is employed in the dyeing of reds, and, when associated with other substances, yields pur ples, violets, and blues. Madder (q.v.), one of the most important of dye-stuffs, is exten sively used in the dyeing of cloth and yarn red, purple, brown, etc. Munjeet or Indian madder is used in India instead of madder. Quercitron yields a rich orange-yellow, or yellow-red dye, capable of being afterwards made a brown; and when used after a blue dye, it changes the latter to a bright green. Safflower yields a rich yellow dye. Sandal wood, santal or Saunders wood, yields a red color, which, along with other substances, may be altered to violet, reddish-brown, and scarlet. Sumach, occasionally called young fustic, is employed as a yellow dye, and also for the tannin and gallic acid it contains, which enables decoctions of sumach to be used with great effect for imparting depth or solidity to other colors. Turmeric, or Indian is employed as a yellow dye, but is very fugitive. lire/d, or wold, produces a rich but fugitive yellow. Woad is employed as a blue dye far woolen and silk yarn and cloth, either with or without indigo. Wongshy is a new yellow dye-stuff procured from the seed-vessels of a plant belonging to the family of genbianece, and imported from Batavia.
The above list of dye-stuffs comprehends those which are obtained, directly or indirectly, from the vegetable and animal kingdoms; and a more lengthened notice of the substances will be found under their respective names. Other dye-stuffs less gen erally used are also noticed in the articles devoted to different orders and genera of plants. The metallic salts and compounds employed in dyeing will be specially noticed under the various metals; thus, for acetate of lead, see LEAD; sulphate of iron, see IRON; etc.