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To the end of the 18th century _Spanish wool_ was the finest and best wool in the world. Spanish sheep have since been introduced into various countries, such as Saxony, Australia, Cape Colony, New Zealand; and some of the best wools now come from the Colonies.
Silk is covered with a natural gum which has to be removed before the dyeing process can begin. This is done by boiling for one hour or more in a bath containing soap, 2 to 8 oz...
10. Chapter 10The dyeing of cotton is difficult with the natural dye stuffs, there are only a few colours which can be said to be satisfactory. The fastest known in earlier days was Turkey re...
4. Chapter 4Some of the most useful dyes and the least known are to be found among the Lichens. They seem to have been used among peasant dyers from remote ages, but apparently none of the...
5. Chapter 5Indigo is the blue matter extracted from a plant _Indigofera tinctoria_ and other species, growing in Asia, South America and Egypt. It reaches the market in a fine powder, whic...
2. Chapter 2Any dye belongs to one of two classes. _Substantive_, giving colouring directly to the material: and _adjective_, which includes the greater number of dyes and requires the use...
1. Chapter 1To the end of the 18th century _Spanish wool_ was the finest and best wool in the world. Spanish sheep have since been introduced into various countries, such as Saxony, Austral...
7. Chapter 7Weld, _Reseda luteola_, is an annual plant growing in waste places. The whole plant is used for dyeing except the root. It is the best and fastest of the yellow natural dyes.
6. Chapter 6Kermes, or Kerms, from which is got the "Scarlet of Grain" of the old dyers, is one of the old insect dyes. It is considered by most dyers to be the first of the red dyes, being...
8. Chapter 8Catechu (Cutch) is an old Indian dye for cotton. It can also be used for wool and silk, and gives a fine rich brown. It is obtained from the wood of various species of Areca, Ac...
3. Chapter 3On the introduction of foreign dye woods and other dyes during the 17th and 18th centuries, the native dye plants were rapidly displaced, except in some out of the way places su...
9. Chapter 9The wool is first dyed in the blue vat; then washed and dried; then after mordanting, dyed in the yellow bath. This method is not arbitrary as some dyers consider a better green...