INDIGO.

489

by the Chinese for dyeing blue. They designate all the plants they areacquainted with, and which yield indigo, with the word lan, while the bluecolour derived therefrom is called lan-tien; they employ the fresh leaves of atleast five different species of plants for dyeing blue in the following manner:—The fabric to be dyed is thoroughly cleaned in pure water, and, after havingbeen dried, the cloth is steeped into a tepid warm bath, containing the leavesof the lan, to which some lime-juice is added.