WITNESS, from the Saxon witon, " to know." [EvInENcE.] WOAD (Latta tinctorws) is a plant which was once cultivated in Britain to a considerable extent for the blue dye extracted from it. It has been greatly superseded by indigo, which gives a stronger and finer blue; but on some soils it might still be cultivated to advantage.
The woad is a plant of the natural order of the Oratifenc, classed by Linntetia in the Tdradyna mks silkulasa. It has a strong tap-root, which lasts two years. The height of the plant when in perfection is from three to four feet, It throws out many branches from the upper part of the stem. The leaves are alternate and smooth, the lower on foot stalks. large and spear-shaped, the upper embracing the stein and arrow-shaped. The flowers are yellow, in panicles at the extremity of the branches. The fruit is a heart shaped pod, with two valves con taining one seed only.
It requires a good substantial soil of considerable depth and fertility; for the larger and more numerous the leaves are the more profit is derived from the plant. A wet clay soil is not at all suited to its growth, nor a loose sandy one. When it was largely cultivated in England, old pastures ploughed up afforded the best soil for the woad to grow in. These were often taken at a very high rent for two years by men who made it their business to cultivate the woad and prepare the colour, and who found it a profitable speculation. To have good woad the land should be naturally very rich. or much manure should be intimately mixed with it some time before ; nothing but com pletely decomposed dung should be used, or compost made on purpose a long time before.
The Land. having been prepared by repeated ploughings and perfectly clean, is laid into narrow beds with deep intervals. On these beds the seed is sown in February or very early in March. It is sometimes sown broadcast, and the plants thinned out, but sowing it in drills, two rows on a four-feet bed, is much the best practice. The drills are one foot from the edge, with two feet clear between them ; some make five-feet beds, and there is an interval of thirty inches between the rows, which allows of better cleaning, and gives the plants more room to spread. When the plants are come up in the rows, they must be
thinned out by hand, leaving the strongest about two feet apart; the leaves will soon fill up the intervals. They begin to ripen in June. They are fit to gather when they begin to droop and become yellowish. This should be done in very dry weather, and after the dew is off. The leaves of the woad aro either twisted off close to the stems or cut down with a sickle. Great care must be taken that no dirt or earth adheres to them. Some recommend taking off the lower leaves first, when they appear ripe by drooping and turning yellow, and letting the upper leaves remain till they show the same appearance ; then nothing but ripe leaves will be gathered. This stripping may be repeated two or three times as the leaves grow again. 'I he plants destined for seed are only stripped once or twice, for fear of weakening them. It might probably be advantageous not to strip them at all, but to leave the whole strength for the formation of the seed, which will be larger, and produce finer plants the next year.
The first gathering of the leaves is the best ; they should, therefore, he kept separate to obtain the best dye. As soon as the leaves are gathered, the bed should be well and deeply hoed or dug, to give a fresh impulse to the roots.
The leaves are naturally full of sap, and soon begin to decompose if laid in a heap. They should, therefore, be partially dried, and imme diately carried to the mill to be manufactured. The seed will vegetate when two years old, but cannot be depended on after that.
Woad is also occasionally sown as food for cattle; and has been brought forward for this purpose under its French name of " Pastel." Its vigorous growth and hardy nature have recommended it ; but it will only grow in very rich soils There are many other plants as vigorous and hardy, which will thrive well in inferior soils, and therefore are to be preferred. But for its dye this plant is well worthy of the attention of those who have good rich and deep soils.