MADDER.

229

and of Spain; the provinces of Zealand, North Brabant, and Limburg, in theNetherlands; some parts of Belgium, the Caucasus, the Levant, North andSouth America, and Algeria. Its cultivation has never been carried on to anyextent in the United Kingdom.

The plant is an herbaceous perennial belonging to the natural order Rubiaceas,or, on the old Linnean system, to the Tetrandria Monogynia. There arethree varieties of this plant in cultivation ,—Rubia tinctorum , R. cordifolia,and R. peregvina. The stems of the plant are squarish. The blossom isyellow, and.it is succeeded by a small berry containing the seeds. Thevaluable portion of the plant is the root, which is long in proportion to itsthickness, and, except in some Levant roots, not exceeding a goose-quill indiameter. This root consists of three distinft portions,—the epidermic cuticle,the cortical fleshy and cellular ring, and the hard internal woody portion of afibrous structure. According to the researches made by M. E. Kcechlin, thefollowing proportions exist between the different portions of the roots, calcu-lated for 100 parts of the fresh material:—Fleshy matter, 90*36, equal to 16*94after drying ; ligneous parts, 9*64, after drying 4*68. The root alone containsthe colouring matter, and the name “madder”—or its equivalent in foreigntongues—is rather incorre< 5 Uy applied to the living plant as well as to the driedroot, ground or whole, except that in many countries the unground root iscalled “ alizari ” or “ lizari.” In commerce three kinds of madder are chieflydistinguished, viz., Avignon, Alsatian, and Dutch. In addition, we shallbriefly mention the madders derived from other countries. The cultivation ofthe so-called Avignon madder is chiefly confined to certain districts of theVaucluse which were once marshy, and which, having been drained, stretchfrom ITsles to Eutraigues, forming what are locally known as “ paluds.”This soil is rich in humus, and in carbonate of lime, and is of a very opentexture. When dry it is almost white, but becomes brownish when moistened.There is reason to believe that in former ages this part of France was entirelysubmerged. Schlumberger found, on analysis, the composition of this soil tobe—after desiccation at ioo° C.—

Soil yielding

Palud District. Rose-coloured

Madder.

I. II.

Carbonate of lime .. .. ■ ■ 93 9 °

Insoluble in hydrochloric add.. 6 5

Superior. Inferior.

38 7

50 go

Trace of oxide of iron. Trace of oxide of iron.

The palud roots are very rich in colouring matter, and exhibit in their centrea deep red colouration. The roots grown in a soil richer in clay exhibit arather yellow—or, more corredtly speaking, rose-pink—colour. As regards thequality of the soil best suited to the cultivation of madder, it is difficult to givea clear description, seeing that the crop succeeds well under widely differentconditions of soil, climate, and treatment. Thus there is no point of comparisonbetween the soils just referred to and the soil upon which madder is successfullygrown in the province of Zealand. Further, a difference of some ro° of latitudecannot fail to bring about a corresponding variation of climate. Whatevermay be the nature of the soils applied to the cultivation of it, it requirescareful tillage. The ground is ploughed to the depth of 60 to 80 c.m., and iswell manured with rich but well-rotted horse-dung, or farm-yard manure. Inthe Vaucluse, madder is sown about the month of March, and the young plant.