Dyes_and_Tans_Picture_Monograph_Part

DYES AND TANS
H.F. Macmillan, FLS, AHRHS.
Compiled and edited by Ivor Hughes.

OTHER DYE PLANTS
Artocarpus integrifolia. Jak; Kos, S; Kanthal of India. A large tree of India, etc. The heartwood yields a yellow dye, used for dyeing mats, priests' robes, etc. The young shoots, on being cut, yield a quantity of white sticky latex.

Baphia nitida. Camwood. A large leguminous tree of W. Trop. Africa. The red heartwood yields a bright red dye (kam dye) and is exported, chiefly to the

United States; it is valued at from �5 to �8 per ton in London.

Butea frondosa. Palas or Pulas. Flowers used in India to produce a yellow or orange red dye. (See Flowering Trees, etc.)

Curcuma domestica (C. longa). Turmeric. The dried rhizomes yield the yellow dye turmeric.

Chlorophora tinctoria. Fustic. (Rubiaceae.) A large tree of Cent. America. Heartwood yields yellow or orange dye, which was much employed during the War for dyeing khaki cloth, being obtained chiefly from Jamaica and Trinidad.

Cosmos Sulphureus. Xochipalli. (Compositae.) Ornamental annual of Mexico. The bright orange yellow flowers yield an orange red dye. Small, bushy, conical tree. Yellow dye obtained from bark is commonly employed in Assam for dyeing cloth, etc.

Hibiscus rosa sinensis. Shoe flower; Sapatthu mal, S. Tall shrub, occurring in many varieties. Flowers afford a red dye; commonly used locally for colouring in cookery, etc.

Lonchocarpus cyanescens. Yoruba Indigo. (Leguminosae.) Large climber with fine, pinnate leaves, native of W. Trop. Africa. A blue colouring matter, extracted from the young leaves, used in Nigeria for dyeing native cloth.

Mallotus philippinensis. Hamparila, S; Kapila, T. (Euphorbiaceae.) A moderate sized tree of Ceylon, India, Malaya, etc. The glandular pubescence of the fruit yields a rich orange-red permanent dye known as Kamala dye.

Memecylon capitellatum. Weli kaha or Dodan kaha, S; Katti kaya, T. (Melastomaceae.) Ceylon shrub, 6 - 8 ft. high. Leaves afford a yellow or brown dye used for colouring mats.

Nyctanthes Arbor tristis. Night-flowering Jasmine; Sepalika, S. Large shrub of Cent. India. Flowers yield a yellow dye, used for dyeing cotton cloth, etc., and as a cheap substitute for saffron.

Oldenlandia (Hedyotis) umbellata. Indian Madder; Chaya root; Shaya, S; Chaya, T. (Rubiaceae.) Small annual, 10 -12 in. high, found by sea-coast (chiefly in drier regions) in India, Ceylon, etc. Roots afford a pinkish-purple dye. Formerly collected under Government licence and exported.

Pterocarpus santalinus. Red sanders; Red Sandal wood. A medium-sized tree of India, the red heartwood of which is fragrant and resembles Sandal wood. It affords a reddish brown dye used for colouring woollen fabrics. Cultivated in Bengal and elsewhere in India.

Rhus Cotinus. Venetian Sumach; Young Fustic. (Anacardiaceae.) Small tree of Southern Europe. Young twigs yield a bright yellow dye. (See Tans.)

Rubia tinctorum. Madder. (Rubiaceae.) Herbaceous perennial climber, formerly largely cultivated in S. Europe, N. India, etc., for the dye (alizarin) obtained from the roots.

Semecarpus Anacardium. Marking nut; Sen kotta. (Anacardiaceae.) Moderate-sized deciduous tree of India, Malay, etc. Juice of nut, mixed with quick-lime, forms indelible ink used for marking linen.

TANS

Divi-Divi ; Livi divi; Vanni, T. (Caesalpinia coriaria. Leguminosae.) A small, spreading tree, 25 - 30 ft. high, with small bipinnate leaves and greenish-white, sweet-scented flowers, native of Cent. America ; first introduced into India about 1834, and into Ceylon probably about the same time. The tree is adapted to a rather dry climate, and thrives up to about 2,000 feet; sometimes found in a cultivated state in Rest house compounds and elsewhere in Ceylon. The pods are rich in tannin and largely exported from Venezuela and the Island of Curacao. The exports from India, in parts of which the tree has become acclimatised, dropped from about 400 tons in 1914 to 150 tons in 1918, being valued at about �8 to �10 per ton.

Propagation is by seed sown in a shaded bed, the seedlings being afterwards transplanted into bamboo joints, from which they are finally planted out. Spacing may at first be about 15 ft. each way, which may later, if necessary, be increased by thinning out the weaker trees to about 100 to the acre. Or they may be planted at wide spacing as shade and catch-crop, the tree being suitable as permanent shade for certain crops at low elevations.

Yield. The trees usually begin to bear when 6 - 8 years old, and at the age of 10 - 12 years should produce from 30 to 40 lb. of dry pods each, increasing to 60 or 80 lb. each, or about 2 tons per acre when in full bearing. The pods, which are in season in Ceylon chiefly during December - February, are picked when fully ripe, i.e. when the seed can be heard to rattle inside. The crop is a precarious one, and the demand for the product is apparently uncertain.

Gambier or Gambir ; Terra Japonica. (Uncaria Gambier. Rubiaceae.) A Malayan climbing shrub from which a black, tar - like

resinous, gummy substance (Gambier), similar to cutch, is extracted by boiling chips of the wood as well as the young shoots and leaves. Gambier is a dyeing and tanning material. It is very astringent and is employed in medicine, and in Malaya for chewing with the betel leaf, etc. It is a "forest produce," and is largely exported from Malaya, being valued in England, according to quality, at from 50s. for blocks, to about 80s. per cwt. for cubes. The plant, introduced to Ceylon in 1887, flourishes in the moist climate of Henaratgoda Gardens, near sea level, but is unsuited for cultivation above 1,500 ft. elevation. The product is obtained chiefly from Johore.

Quebracho; Break axe Tree. (Schinopsis Lorentzii. Anacardiaceae.). A large, very hard wooded and slow growing tree of Paraguay, etc. The heartwood, reduced to chips and boiled, yields a cutch like substance, largely exported to Europe, U. States, etc., for tanning purposes, Britain alone taking over 100,000 tons a year from the Argentine.

Wattle Bark. The bark of several species of Australian Acacia is rich in tannin and extensively used in commerce, the most important being Black wattle (Acacia decurrens var. mollissima), Silver-wattle (A. dealbata), Black wood (A. melanoxylon), and Golden- or Broad-leaved wattle (A. pycnantha). These and other species have become thoroughly established at elevations of 5,000-6,000 ft. in India and Ceylon, thriving on poor patana land. They have also been introduced and naturalised in S. Africa and other warm countries, and in Natal are cultivated extensively for the export of the bark. The latter is the largest exporting country, some 20,000 tons being thus disposed of annually.

Propagation is by seed, 3 or 4 of which being placed together "at stake," or in bamboo or reed joints. The former method is preferable when planting on a large scale. As the outer coating of the seed is very hard, the seed should be placed in almost boiling water and left to soak for 2 or 3 days before sowing. If the seed can then be cut with the thumb nail, it is soft enough for sowing; otherwise pour more hot water over it, and leave to soak longer. About 30,000 seeds usually go to a pound, and from 1 to 1� lb. of seed should be allowed per acre.

Cultivation. The trees grow readily in almost any well-drained soil, under sub tropical conditions, or at medium to high elevations in the tropics. They make excellent wind breaks, especially A. dealbata, which suckers or coppices freely, and may be planted for this purpose about 8 x 8 ft. Planted for the bark, a spacing of 6 x 6 ft. (1,210 trees to the acre) is recommended in Natal. This allows for thinning out when the trees are about 4 years old. The trees grow rapidly, attaining in Ceylon a height of 15 - 20 ft. or more in 2 years.

Harvesting and Yield. Under favourable conditions the trees should be ready for barking at about 7 - 8 years of age, when the yield should be about 3 - 4 tons of bark per acre. A small crop may be obtained from thinnings, which should take place when the plantation is 4 or 5 years old, but the bark from young trees is less rich in tannin. The best time to strip is when "the sap is up," i.e. when growth is active. The usual method is to clear the stem of small twigs and branches, and ring the bark with an axe as high up the tree as a man can reach. A longitudinal cut is then made in the bark from the ring to the bottom, and the bark may be slightly hammered with the back of the axe. The bark can then be easily removed by inserting the axe underneath, pulling it off in strips with a downward jerk. The trees are then felled, the upper branches removed, and the remaining bark stripped.

Well grown trees about 14 years old yield as much as 1 cwt. of dry bark each, and smaller trees from 40 to 50 lb. At Hakgala Gardens, Ceylon, trees 5 years old yielded each over 50 lb. dried bark. In Natal, coolies work mostly on task work, each stripping about 800 lb. of bark per day. In Australia, the cost of barking varies from �2 .10s. to �3 per ton.

Drying the bark is done in the open air, but open sheds, fitted with horizontal poles on which the bark can be placed in case of rain, are useful. In the open, green bark will dry in about 8 days in fine weather, losing about 30 per cent, of its weight in the process. The bark is then cut up by a machine into small inch pieces, and afterwards packed with Hessian in bales of about 200 lb. each for export.
The bark usually fetches from �9 to �11 per ton in London. In some localities a revenue may be obtained from the sale of stripped trees for poles, timber, fuel, etc. During the first year a catch crop may be raised between the lines. Replanting may be necessary every eighth or ninth year, after the ground is cleared of all timber and debris.

OTHER SOURCES OF TAN
Acacia arabica ; Karuvel, T ; Babul of India. A small tree, widely distributed in dry districts in India, Ceylon, Africa, etc. The bark and pods are extensively used in India for tanning; also as a dye in calico printing.

A. Catechu. Cutch; Catechu; Black or Pegu Catechu.

Anogeissus latifolia. Dhaura. (Combretaceae.) A large deciduous tree of S. and Cent. India, the leaves of which are used for tanning. A gum obtained from the stem is used in calico printing.

Areca Catechu. Areca nut; Puwak, S. An erect, slender palm, native of Wood and astringent fruit used for tanning.

Caesalpinia dignya. Tari Pods, the fruit of a prickly, climbing shrub of India, rich in tannin and used for tanning purposes.

Careya arborea. Patana Oak; Kahata, S. A small or medium sized tree of Ceylon, India, etc. Bark astringent, used for tanning and in medicine.

Cassia auriculata. Ranawara, S. Avarai, T; Tanner's Cassia; Matara Tea A quick-growing large shrub of Ceylon, India, Burma, etc. Bark largely used by tanners. Leaves used in medicine, and young shoots as tooth-brushes.

Casuarina equisetifolia and other species. Bark astringent and sometimes used in tanning.

Diospyios Embryopteris. Timbiri, S. Handsome tree of India, Ceylon and Malaya, 40 - 50 ft. Bark and unripe fruits very astringent, the latter commonly used for tanning fishing-nets, etc., also medicinally in India. Seeds yield Funk Oil.

Mallet Bark. (Eucalyptus occidentalis, var. astringens.) W. Australian tree. Bark recently come into use for tanning, being rich in tannic matter.

Mangrove Bark. (See Ceriops and Rhizophora.)

Mimusops hexandra. Palu, S; Palai, T. Moderate sized, hard wooded, slow growing tree of India and Ceylon. Bark astringent, recommended for tanning; commonly used for retarding fermentation in toddy.

Phyllanthus Emblica. Emblic Myrobalans; Ambal or Amlika; Nel- li, S. Small tree or shrub of Ceylon, India, Java, etc.; common on open patana land at medium elevations in Ceylon. Fruit, bark and leaves used in India for tanning.

Rhizophora mucronata. Mangrove Bark; Kadol, S; Kandal, T. (Rhizophoraceae.) Ceylon and E. Tropics. Moderate sized spreading tree, inhabiting lagoons of most tropical countries. Bark and extract from wood used for tanning and dyeing. Species of Ceriops, another form of Mangrove, are similarly used.

Rhus coriaria. Mediterranean Sumach. Hardy shrub, found on rocky slopes in Sicily, etc.; cultivated for the leaves and shoots, which are used for tanning.

R. Cotinus. Venetian Sumach ; Young Fustic.

Rumex hymenosepalus. Canaigre. (Polygonaceae.) A tuberous perennial of Mexico, where the astringent tuberous roots are used for tanning purposes.

Semecarpus Auacaidium. Marking nut Tree.

Sumach, Cape. (Colpoon compressum. Santalaceae); Jamaica Sumach (Rhus Metopium); Mediterranean Sumach (R. coriaria); Venetian Sumach (R. Cotinus).

Terminalia belerica. Beleric Myrobalans; Bulu, S; Tanti, T. (Combretaceae.) A very large deciduous tree of Ceylon, India, Malaya, etc. The dried "nuts" (fruit) are used in India as a dyeing and tanning material, but considered inferior to T. Chebula; also employed in native medicine. Kernels edible. Wood of little value except for inferior planking.

T. Chebula. Chebulic or Black Myrobalans; Ink nuts ; Gall nuts ; Aralu, S; Kadukkay, T. Ceylon, India, Burma, etc. A moderate sized deciduous tree. Fruit and bark rich in tannin and used largely in India for dyeing and tanning, being regarded as one of the most valuable of Indian tanning materials; they yield a black or yellow dye, and are also valued in medicine. They are collected as
a "forest produce," under licence, and largely exported from India, as they were formerly from Ceylon. Like other species of Terminalia, the tree yields a gum, which is collected and used for mixing with other gums. Wood fairly hard and durable.

Vateria acuminata. Hal, S. A large, handsome tree of the moist low-country of Ceylon (endemic). Bark astringent, commonly used in Ceylon for retarding fermentation in palm toddy.

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