An essay on the culture and manufacture of indigo : to which was awarded the prize of eight hundred rupees by the Madras Government, 1860 / by John Shortt.

  • Shortt, John.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on the culture and manufacture of indigo : to which was awarded the prize of eight hundred rupees by the Madras Government, 1860 / by John Shortt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    In the latter system, although the profit is less, there are less risks. Nearly all the Native manufacturers pursue this plan as the safer one. . . Having detailed the native mode of the cultivation and maim ac- ture of Indigo, as well as shown the cost of each, and their attendant profits we shall now proceed to suggest improvements by which,. if adopted, a superior quality of Indigo will be obtained and m quantity sufficient to remunerate both cultivator and manufacturer ; and t le growth of Indigo, instead of being the precarious enterprise it is at present considered, will prove a very remunerative investment of labor and capital. In pursuance of the plan originally proposed, we shall consider, first, the improvements necessary in the cultivation of the plant, such as selection of soil, ploughing, kinds of manure, choice of seed, sowing and mode of irrigation, weeding, cuttiug and gatheiing. As these points are of importance, we will give to each a separate consideration. Care should be observed in the selection of the soil for cultivating Indigo, and to carry this out more effectually, the chemical elements necessary for the nourish- Selection of soil, mentof the plant, and the manner in which the roots strike the ground, should be kept in view. As the Indigo plant has branched roots, which enter more or less vertically into the soil, well drained land, neither too dry and sandy, nor too stiff and clayey, should be selected. A sandy light soil with a subsoil of clayey loam, will answer well; but in land that is rather moist and has a light free subsoil, or good loam, the Indigo plant grows very luxuriantly. When, ^noTdesirabic^1°f 1>lant ^ovever> the plant grows too rapidly, the quantity of dye yielded by a given quantity of leaf is comparatively small. In selecting lands, open or garden lands arc preferable as they allow free evaporation. At some places where wet land has been tried, it has proved a failure from excess of moisture Open lands preferable. ........ ... and its liability to swamp, more especially during the rains. When the soil, however, is light and loose, it facili- tates the descent of the root. A fair crop may be grown on lands formed of a dark clay loam if facilities exist for draining such lands. In choosing ground, advantage should be taken of localities where Site of Factories water abounds. It is a very good plan to select the site of factories in the neighbourhood of ground c