THE Indigo Plant grows about two Foot high, with round Leaves, of a green, inclining towards brown on the Out-side of the Leaf, and Silver-colour'd underneath, pretty thick; after which come Flowers almost like those of Pease, of a reddish Colour, from whence come long, crooked Pods, resembling a Sickle, or Hook, which enclose a little Seed in them, like the Radish-Seed, of an olive Colour.
When the Americans sow this Plant they first dress the Ground, and afterwards make Holes in it about a Foot Distance one from another, and into each Hole they throw ten or twelve Grains of the Seed, which they cover lightly with Earth, and in three or four Days Time this little Seed will be sure to appear, especially in a wet Season; and in two Months, or six Weeks, sometimes this Plant will be ready to cut and make Indigo of, as the Sequel will shew; and if it is left in the Ground three Months, it will yield both the Flower and Seed; but what they fear most, upon Account of this Plant, is a Kind of Caterpillar, which in St. Christophers they find sometimes to breed in a Night, and ruin all the promising Hopes of the Inhabitants: They Way they have to remedy this is, immediately to cut down all the Plant, and throw it into a Fat or Tub, with the Caterpillars and all, which yet proves of little or no Use: The other Way to remedy this Misfortune, is to clear a large Space betwixt what they have eat, and what they have not touch'd; this Havock, nevertheless, is not made in Martinico.
Indigo is a Meal or Flower made by Means of Water and Oil-Olive, out of the Leaves of the Anil, or Indigo-Plant; for there is a Difference betwixt that made of the Leaves, and of the small Branches. The choicest of the former Sort is that which bears the Sur-Name of Serquisse from a Village of that Name, which is twenty-four Leagues from Surat, and near Amadabat. It is made likewise about Biana of Indoua, and Cossa near Agra, also in the Kingdom of Golconda; the Dutch bring it from Brampour and Bengal, but that is the least valuable of all.
When the Inhabitants of the Places above-nam'd would make the Flower or Meal of Anil, in order to make Indigo of it; they cut the said Herb with a Sickle, when the Leaves begin to fall upon touching them; and after they have stripp'd them from the Branches, they put 'em into a sufficient Quantity of Water, which is in a Vessel call'd the steeping Fat, there letting them infuse thirty-six Hours; after which they turn the Cock in order to let the Water run off, which is ting'd of a green Colour, inclining towards blue, into a Vessel of the Nature of a Churn, which is work'd by the Labour of several Men by Means of a Rouler, or Turner of Wood; the Ends of which run pointed, and are hoop'd with Iron; this they work 'till the said Water abounds with a Lather, then they cast into it a little Oil-Olive; to wit, one Pound into such a Quantity of the Liquor as will yield seventy Pounds of Indigo, which is the Quantity now sold in one Barrel, and as soon as the said Oil is thrown in, the Lather separates into two Parts, so that you may observe a Quantity curdled, as Milk is when ready to break; then they cease churning, and let it stand to settle; which when it has done some Time, they open the Pipe or Cock of the Chum, in order to let the Water clear off, that the Meal which is subsided may remain behind, at the Bottom of the Vessel, like Clay or Lees of Wine: Having decanted it thus, they put it into straining Begs of Linen, to separate what Water was left, then they convey it into Chests or Boxes that are shallow, to dry it; and being dried, it is what we call Indigo, and that Name is given to this, in all Appearance, because it comes from India in a Sort of Ponds, made in Form of a Bason, which they prepare with Lime, that becomes of an equal Hardness almost to Marble.
We have no Sort of Commodity liable to more various Ways of being sophisticated, or counterfeited, than Indigo, when it bears a good Price; which if I should attempt to relate, it wou'd make a small Volume of itself; but I do not think it necessary, since it is eafy to distinguish that which is good from the bad, by what I shall tell you.
We have another Sort of this Indigo, call'd Agra Indigo, which is almost as good as the Serquisse; but as the Form does not fit, or recommend it to all the word, it is only in Use with the Dyers; There come to us, be-fide this, several other Sorts of Indigo, which have no other Difference, than as to the Places where they are made, and according to the different Seasons and Age of the Herb from which they come; for the Indigo made of the Plant of the first gathering is better than that of the second, and the second better than the third; and the younger the Leaf is which is used, the finer the Indigo is, being of a more lively, shining, violet Colour.
The Use of the Indigo is for the Dyers and the Whiteners, serving the last to put among their Linen to whiten it: The Painters use it to grind with White, for painting in Blue; for if it is us'd alone, and neat, it turns black, and ground with yellow it makes a green. Some Confectioners and Apothecaries very preposterously employ this to colour Sugars to make Conserves with, and Syrup of Violets, by adding some Orrice, which they fell at an under Rate, and cheat honest People.
Of LEAVES.