Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 11]
N - 4. a Species of a Bixa, cultivated in the Dolea, and Brodra Purganah for a Nankin dye, which is extracted from it seeds, leaf and roots. They sow the seeds at first into a open flat field, from whence, when the plant has acquired the height of 12 inches, they transplant it in the beginning of the rains, in straight lines at the distance of ten feet from each other, and water them both in the cold and hot season, when the shrubs chiefly require: The shrub grows to the height of 20 feet with much luxuriency, that the planters commonly strip them of the leafs the second season, which they perform four times a year. The first time occurs about the beginning of September, and the rest successively every three month during the season. The shrub flowers in the cold season, and it seeds ripens in the beginning of April, which they gather in immediately before the capsul opens. I am told by one of the inhabitants that the art of extracting the dye of the leafs, is done in the same manner as with indigo, and the dye of the seeds is taken of by rainy water, in which it is suffered to such for two months, to which they add a certain quantity of gum arabic, and mixing it with the extract of the roots, and leafs, they form it into small cakes, and export it in that state to China, and Juda markets. The soil of these plantations consist of sand, and a light yellow clay.
N. 3 The Sandlewood Tree imported from the Malabar coast.
This Tree is propagated for the sake of it fragrant wood, which is an important articles of trade from Typoos Dominions. This tree flowers all the year round, but the best seeds ripens in the hot season, which is May, June, and July. it is then immediately sown in small furrows at the distance of 16 feet from each other, where it is suffered to grow without interruption till it comes to maturity. The sandle is the hearth of the Tree which enlarges every year from the center till it becomes a solid stem, the inhabitants call it then ripe for this they allow 20 year, and on the expiration of this time they cut it down.
Every plantation has a encompassment of a narrow ditch, and in the center a well, from whence they supply the vegetation with water in the cold and hot season, on one of the side stones of the well the date of the plantation is engraved that they may positively know the limited period, even their reunited trees have their respective numbers of the time when they were replanted. They are yearly enlarged as they get seeds, so, that the planters have trees of every growth and in continual perfection. The heighest of these were about 40 feet and so gradually decreased till two, which were sown last hot season