INDIGO.
Nil, ARAB. Lil, ..... HIND.
Main-ay, . . . BURN. Indaco, IT.
Lan-tien,. . . . CHIN. Nila (dye), . MALAY.
Shwui-tien (liquid), „ Tar= (plant), . „ Tu-tien (dry), . . „ Anil, . . . PORT., SP.
Tien-taing (indigo dye), „ Krutick, . . . Rua. Chanano-la, . COCH.-CHIN. Nili, SANSK., TAM., TEL. Guli, GUJ.
The plants which afford indigo dyes are grown chiefly in the East and West Indies, in the middle regions of America, Colombia, and Florida, in Africa, and in Europe, and are mostly species of the genera Indigofera, Isatis, Tephrosia, and Nerium. Indigofera tinctoria furnishes the chief indigo of commerce ; produced in Bengal, Mada gascar, the Isle of France, and St. Domingo. The Indigofera disperma, a plant cultivated in Spain and America, grows higher than the pre ceding, is woody, and furnishes a superior dye stuff. The Guatemala indigo comes from this species. Indigofera anil grows iu the same coun tries, and also in the West Indies. The Indigofera argentea, which flourishes in Africa, yields little indigo, but it is of an excellent quality. I. glauca is the Egyptian and Arabian species. There arc also the I. cinerea, I. erecta (a native of Guinea), I. birsuta, I. glabra, and several other species. Indigo of an excellent quality has been obtained in the East from Gymnema tingens, or Asclepias tingens, a twining plant. Species of Ruellia fur nish the well-known room dye of Assam, and the Chinese obtain a blue dye from the Ruellia indi gotica, as also from the Isatis indigotica. Wrightia tinctoria, an evergreen with white blossoms, affords some indigo, as do the Isatis tinctoria, or woad, in Europe, and the Polygonum tinctorium, with red flowers, a native of China. Baptista tinctoria furnishes a blue dye, and is the wild indigo of the United States. Plants of other genera are also employed for obtaining indigo, as Marsdenia tinctoria, Galega tinctoria, but especially the former. Dr. Bancroft (i. p. 190) also adduces Spilanthes tinctoria, Scabiosa succisa, Cheiranthus fenestralis, also a species of Bignonia and a Taber nminontana, on the African coast, with Anorpha fruticosa and Saphora tinctoria, as all yielding a blue dye, or coarse sorts of indigo. It is obtained
in Nubia from the Tephrosia apollinea, and on the banks of the Niger from the T. toxicaria ; and Indigofera Australis of Australia produces a good indigo. A small quantity has been produced by chemists in the laboratory.
Indigo is produced largely in Bengal and N. India, from the 20th to the 30th deg. of north latitude ; also in the provinces of Tinnevelly, Cud dapah, and the two Arcots of the Madras Presi dericy ; in Java, in the largest of the Philippine islands in Guatemala, Caraccas, Central America, and Brazil. It is also cultivated in some of the West India islands, especially St. Domingo, but not in large quantities. The varieties recognised in commerce are—lst, Bengal, which, from the care taken in its preparation, and the largo scale on which it is made in that district, is the best ; and its various gradations of quality, ten in num ber, varying from 9s. to 5s. per lb., are always kept distinct. In other sorts, they are usually much mixed. 2d, Madras and Kurpah ; 3d, Oudh ; 4th, Manilla ; 5th, Java ; and Gth, South American. The last is packed in serous or cases of dried ox-skin, and its qualities are distinguished as follows :-1st, Flores; 2d, Sobres ; and 3d, Cortes ; all the others are in wooden chests, con taining about 250 lbs. each. Indigo. has been manufactured from time immemorial in the dis trict of Multan, and the country west of the river Indus, called the Derajat. It is exported, but not to any great extent, in the direction of Afghanistan.
In the year 1855, the out-turn of the Bengal crop was 128,551 maunds ; and in the 13 years from 1859 to 1871 inclusive, the out-turns ranged from 90,500 to 113,550 maunds, as under :— The one-half to the United Kingdom, an eighth part to France, and a twelfth part to Austria ; the United States, Persia, and Italy take the rest.