Home Fabric Dyes Mentioned in Confederate Newspapers
[LITTLE
ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, February 22, 1860, p. 1, c. 2
Sundries, Just received, and for sale cheap— . . . Indigo; 1½ barrel
Madder; . . .
Feb. 1, 1860. Sarasin
& Kramer.
[LITTLE
ROCK] WEEKLY ARKANSAS GAZETTE, July 7, 1860, p. 1, c. 4
Manufacturers' Articles.
J. & C. Reakirt,
52 Second Street, Cincinnati, O.
Keeps
a Full Supply of
Manufacturers' Articles,
. . . Also a full assortment of
Dye-Stuffs,
Cochineal,
Cudbear,
Indigo,
Madder,
Cutch,
Log Wood,
Sumac,
Cam Wood, &c., &c.
October 1, 1859
13—1y.
[DES
ARC, ARK.] THE CONSTITUTIONAL UNION, November 16, 1860, p. 4, c. 4
To Dye Slate Color.—Boil green chestnut bark one hour; take out the
bark, and add four ounces green vitriol for one pound woolen yarn or cloth; stir
frequently one hour; dry before washing.
TENNESSEE
BAPTIST, December 21, 1861, p. 4, c. 2
To Dye Wool Blue.—Take six pounds of wool, wash all the grease out, put
it in a kettle, cover with water, add half a pound of alum dissolved in water,
boil two hours, wring out and dry. Have
another kettle, put in three bushels of parseline, (the common field pursley,)
cover with water, cook until the stems are quite soft, strain through a basket,
put the liquid back in the kettle, add one ounce of the extract of logwood and
one ounce of sulphate capri (blue stone,) both previously dissolved, put the
wool in, boil two hours, wring out and dry, and then wash the loose dye out.
Spun wool can as easily be dyed in the hanks. If the dye does not stick after the first washing, too much
logwood has been put in. For twenty
years, Mrs. M. has used this dye, and finds it useful in servants clothing and
mixed cloth and socks.
Mecklenburg.
CHARLESTON
MERCURY, January 1, 1862, p.
1, c. 4
The Washington Star, of the 23d inst., says:
The clothing of the "secesh" taken in the recent battle at
Drainsville, proves that the enemy are, indeed, intense sufferers for want of
Quartermaster's stores. Thus,
three-fourths of their coats are of cotton cloth--not woolen--lined in some
instances with a heavier cotton cloth, or padded with cotton.
The coats of the South Carolina troops engaged were colored by being dyed
with tobacco juice.
[LITTLE
ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, February 6, 1862, p. 1, c. 5
The following letter was accompanied by some samples of home made cloth,
remarkable for their fineness:
For the True Democrat.
Belfast, Saline Co., Ark., Jan. 20, 1862.
Mr. Editor—As your valuable paper is a welcome visitor in our family
circle, and while perusing its columns, in these stirring and heart-rending
times, in search of something new and interesting, I see a premium offered to
those young ladies who will send in the largest number of yards of home made
jeans cloth, and as I wish the young ladies success in their efforts to gain the
medals, I will send you a few samples of my own manufacturing for those young
ladies to excel. Now girls, try
yourselves.
As times are hard, I will send you some receipts for dying cloth, and if
you think they will be of any value to the public, you may make them known to
your numerous readers.
For Brown.—Take a large pot, fill it with walnut roots and the bark of
red oak, about equal parts, boil them until the strength is out, then take out
the bark; strain the ooze through a cloth into a clean vessel; wash the pot,
pour back the ooze, let it boil. The
cloth must be sewed up like a sack, right side in, rinsed in warm soap suds
before you put it in; put in your cloth now.
Raise every 15 or 20 minutes, air it well and put it back again, until it
is as deep as you desire. Rinse it
well in clean water, then soap suds again; then dip the cloth in starch, let it
get half dry, then roll it, right side in, on a smooth beam very tight, and be
very careful to let no rinkles [sic] go on the beam, or they never will come
out. Then keep turning and beating with a mallet for one hour and
a half; then commence rolling off and ironing on the wrong side until perfectly
dry, as you take it off the beam.—The warp should be colored as you desire
before putting in the loom.
For Black.—First boil a potfull of walnut root, take out the root then,
add extract of logwood enough to dye it black; add a small portion of acatate
[sic] of copper; carry the cloth through the same process as the first in
dressing. Post oak will do if you
cannot get the walnut root; for dying black, add copperas.
This is no humbug, and will not rot the cloth, for I have been trying it
for 18 years.
To Dye Drab Color.—Beech bark and peach tree root, boiled together,
will make a beautiful color.
To Make a Dark Brown.—Walnut roots and the inside of pine bark, and
copperas.
To Make a Light Clear Brown.—Walnut roots and laurel leaves.
To Make a Flesh Color.—The inside of pine bark and madder.
To Make a Dove Color.—The inside of pine bark and walnut leaves, add
copperas. . . .
Mary
E. Barr.
[MARSHALL]
TEXAS REPUBLICAN, March 15, 1862, p. 2, c. 2
Mr. Loughery,
You will greatly oblige the ladies of this community, and, I have not a
doubt, of the State and South generally, by publishing these receipts for dyeing
woollen goods. I have had
numberless applications for them, and since old Abe's blockade, I think every
person ought to contribute what little knowledge he has for the benefit of the
whole. I therefore send my mite.
Respectfully,
Sally M. Ward.
To Dye Scarlet.—Put two ounces of cream of tartar in enough water to
cover a pound of goods well; boil the yarn one hour in the water; take out the
hanks and wash them in clear water. Scour
the kettle, and the, to every lb. of yarn, take 1 oz. of muriate of tin, 1 oz.
of cochineal, 2 oz. of cream of tartar, and put them all in clear water; wet the
hanks in the water while it is cold to prevent spotting; after which boil them
for one hour stirring them all the while. Hang
them in the shade till dry, then rinse them in clear water.
To Dye Blue.—Pound an oz. of indigo very fine, put it in a bowl, pour
on it a pound of oil of vitriol slowly, stirring it all the while; let it set 24
hours, then bottle it. Put enough
water in the kettle to cover well a pound of goods; put in a teaspoon full of
the mixture, and [illegible] oz. of alum powder, stir it well, then drop in your
hanks; boil them half an hour, stirring them occasionally.
You can get as deep a shade as you wish, by pouring in more of the
mixture, a little at a time, first taking out the hanks.
The first proportion is for a very pale blue.
Be careful in handling the oil of vitriol, as it will eat anything it
comes in contact with.
To Dye Green.—Boil a strong decoction of red oak and hickory bark, in
equal parts; take enough of the bark dye to cover 1 lb. of goods well, stir in 3
oz. of alum powder, and a soup spoon full of the mixture you dyed the blue with. Have your hanks washed clean, and rinsed free of the soap, or
they will spot, then put them in the dye, boil half an hour; let them dry, then
wash in soap suds to free them of the vitriol.
COLUMBUS
[GA] ENQUIRER, April 29, 1862, p. 2,
c. 8
A Cheap Dye.—A gentleman has handed us a specimen of cotton yarn
colored to represent copperas, which it does very closely.
The dye employed is very cheap. It
is made of red or black oak bark, the rough outside of which should be first
trimmed off. Make a strong
decoction of the bark by boiling, and to a pot of about ten gallons, add a
tablespoonful of blue vitriol. The
yarn to be colored should be put in and boiled for an hour or two, and then
washed as much as you please. The
color will stand, and the yarn will be found soft and free from the hardness
usual in copperas dye.—Exc.
BELLVILLE
[TX] COUNTRYMAN, May 31, 1862, p.
1, c. 3
Bellville, May 27th, 1862.
. . . A few days since I called in to see my old friend Dr.
Reams. The Doctor's health is not
very good now a days, still he is going about trying to do good.
His family are all hard at work, some knitting, some spinning and some
weaving, carding, etc. Mrs. Reams
is making some very good cloth. The
cloth sells well and I have no doubt will wear well.
It is dyed a sort of brown color, whether they color the cotton first
before spinning or color the cloth I was not informed.
This cloth seems to be a good deal in demand about here and I am told
there are a good many families about here making similar cloth.
There are a good many families making cloth of cotton and wool.
This you know is called linsey woolsy.
They dye the wool before it is carded or spun.
The old lady where I board colored some the other day.
She told me she wanted a cotton basketful of little
green moss. I wondered what she
could want that stuff for. I never
heard that it was good for anything before.
True, in North Carolina, we used to cut down trees in the winter when the
snow was upon the ground, and fodder and hay were scarce as they generally were
there, and let the sheep eat this green moss to keep them alive, and by this
means we were saved the trouble of pulling the wool from the dead sheep.
However, I said nothing to the old lady, and after dinner I took the
cotton basket and a couple of the boys and went to the timber.
We found a plenty of moss. The
boys climbed the trees and pulled it off while I picked it up and put it in the
basket. In about three hours, we
had got the basket full, when we started home. . .
You have known some very clever old women no doubt, who would sometimes
commence to tell a story, and after commencing it tell five or six other stories
before finishing the one they started to tell or perhaps forget all about it and
not finish it at all. You probably
begin to think it is going to be about so with my moss, but I have been all the
time thinking about that moss and will try and get to it now.
After we got home, the old lady took the moss and picked it all over,
picking out all the sticks and pieces of bark and dead moss, she then took the
large kettle and spread a layer of moss all over the bottom of it and then a
layer of wool and then a layer of moss, and so moss and wool alternately until
the kettle was full. She then laid
some boards across the top and put a rock on the top to hold it down and then
filled the kettle with water and boiled it.
It made the most beautiful brown color I ever saw.
They used to call it a dark snuff color in North Carolina.
This is called "dyeing in the wool," and will not wash out nor
fade. The old lady has a piece of
about thirty yards in the loom now. You
shall have a "Sunday go to meeting" suit off of it, if you get home
pretty soon. You would look better
in a suit of it than if dressed up in Yankee "store clothes." . . .
G. W. Jefferson Smith.
[LITTLE
ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, July 24, 1862, p. 1, c. 6
General Order No. 1.
Provost Marshal's Office,
}
3d Division of Arkansas,
}
Springfield, July 1862.
}
. . . The following tariff of prices is hereby announced to govern the sale of
all articles specified or included therein, and all subordinate Provost Marshals
of this district are required to enforce the same. All violations of this order will be met with punishment
commensurate with the offence:
. . . All other goods, wares, merchandize, drugs, medicines, dye-stuffs of every
description or character whatever, generally sold by merchants, druggists and
grocery keepers of this district, 40 per cent. on cost and carriage.
D.
McCreery, Maj.
and Provost Marshal, 3d
Dis't of Ark.
[fold in paper]
STATE
GAZETTE [AUSTIN, TX], October 1,
1862, p. 1, c. 3
RECIPE FOR DYING SLATE COLOR.--Equal portions of the inside bark of
sassafras and willow, boiled in a brass kettle; strain the decoction from the
bark, and add to two gallons of the fluid a small table spoonful of copperas,
the same of alum, or a small portion of the latter.
Have the wool well scoured, and taken out of a clean soapsuds; wring it
dry and put it into the dye--let it boil a short time raising it out to get air
frequently; dry it and then wash it in suds until quite cleansed from the smell
of dye. It is a permanent color,
and does not take a great quantity of the bark above named; it is richer than
almost any other bark I have ever used.
The black jack will dye a good slate color, prepared in the same way, but
not so permanent a color as the other.
BELLVILLE
[TX] COUNTRYMAN, October 11, 1862, p. 2, c. 3
Recipe for Dying Slate Color.—Equal portions of the inside bark of
sassafras and willow, boiled in a brass kettle; strain the decoction from the
bark, and add to two gallons of the fluid a small table spoonful of copperas,
the same of alum, or a small table spoonful of copperas, the same of alum, or a
small portion of the latter. [sic?] Have
the wool well scoured, and taken out of a clean soapsuds; wring it dry and put
it into the dye, let it boil a short time, raising it out to get air frequently;
dry it and then wash it in suds until quite cleansed from the smell of dye.
It is a permanent color, and does not take a great quantity of the bark
above names; it is richer than almost any other bark I have ever used.
The black jack will dye a good slate color, prepared in the same way, but
not so permanent a color as the other.
COLUMBUS
[GA] ENQUIRER, October 28, 1862, p.
3, c. 1
To Dye Solferino.—Take a quantity of poke-berries, squeeze out the
juice and to each cup of the juice add one cupful of vinegar; put in a brass or
tin kettle, put your yarn in warm water, squeeze it out, then put it in the dye
and let it boil slowly about thirty minutes, or until it received the proper
color. Wynnton.
The writer of the above has shown us a child's stocking dyed after the
above recipe. Though it has been worn and washed, it retains a deep and
handsome, and apparently permanent scarlet color. Indeed it is as pretty a color for children's wear as any we
have ever seen.
THE
SOUTHERN BANNER [ATHENS, GA], October 29, 1862, p. 3, c. 3
From
the Richmond Enquirer.
The Comfort Cloak--A Substitute for Overcoats and Blankets for Our Army.
I see
that great complaint is made for the want of clothing for our army.--Allow me to
suggest a cheap and warm substitute for a blanket and overcoat, and which can be
made by any country matron.
Take
sufficient quantity of common cotton shirting, dye it brown with black walnut,
cut it and make it in the form of a large loose cloak without sleeves, leaving
slits for the arms; wad it with cotton batting, in thin layers like a quilt, fix
an oil cloth cape to it, reaching down to the waist, fasten it with a belt
around the waist, the throat and breast part to be fastened with string--and you
have the most complete cloak and blanket a soldier ever slept in, and much
lighter than the woolen coat. . . .
SAVANNAH [GA]
REPUBLICAN, November 3, 1862, p.
1, c. 4
To Dye Wool Yarn a Durable Black Without Copperas.—Place in your kettle
a layer of Walnut leaves, then a layer of yarn, then a layer of leaves and
another of yarn, and so on till the kettle is full, pour on water till all is
covered, and boil all day. The next
morning pour off the liquor into another vessel, and put fresh leaves with the
yarn in layers as before and pour the same liquor over it and boil again all
day. Then hang the yarn in the air a few days after which wash it,
and it will be a fine black.
The Walnut leaves should be gathered in the autumn, just as they begin to
fall from the trees.
CHARLESTON
MERCURY, November 5, 1862, p.
2, c. 1
Aged Industry.--We have been shown by a friend a sample of check
homespun, the cotton of which was carded spun and woven by an aged and venerable
lady in Marion District, whose grand-children had planted and picked the raw
material. The indigo with which the
homespun is dyed was also made by the industrious lady, who has nearly completed
here three-score and ten. Surely
when such work can be accomplished by the aged, and with the great staple in
abundance, there is no reason why homespuns should be selling at fabulous
prices, nor why younger fingers with an average share of industry, might not
supply the wants of an army.
SOUTHERN
CONFEDERACY [ATLANTA, GA], November 7, 1862, p. 2, c. 2
To Dye Wool Yarn a Durable Black Without Copperas.--Place in your kettle
a layer of Walnut leaves, then a layer of yarn, then a layer of leaves and
another of yarn, and so on till the kettle is full, pour on water till all is
covered, and boil all day. The next morning pour off the liquor into another vessel, and
put fresh leaves with the yarn in layers as before and pour the same liquor over
it and boil again all day. Then
hang the yarn in the air a few days, after which wash it and it will be a fine
black.
The Walnut leaves should be gathered in the Autumn just as they begin to
fall from the trees.
SELMA
MORNING REPORTER, November 7, 1862, p. 1, c. 5
To Dye Wool Yarn a Durable Black Without Copperas.—Place in your kettle
a layer of walnut leaves, then a layer of yarn, then a layer of leaves and
another of yarn, and so on till the kettle is full, pour on water till all is
covered, and boil all day. The next
morning pour off the liquor into another vessel, and put fresh leaves with the
yarn in layers as before and pour the same liquor over it and boil again all
day. Then hang the yarn in the air a few days, after which wash it
and it will be a fine black.
The walnut leaves should be gathered in the Autumn just as they begin to
fall from the trees.
MOBILE
REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, November 8,
1862, p. 1, c. 7
To Dye Wool Yarn a Durable Black Without Copperas.—Place in your kettle
a layer of walnut leaves, then a layer of yarn, then a layer of leaves and
another of yarn, and so on till the kettle is full; pour on water, till all is
covered, and boil all day. The next
morning pour off the liquor into another vessel, and put fresh leaves with the
yarn in layers as before, and pour the same liquor over it and boil again all
day. Then hang the yarn in the air
a few days; after which wash it, and it will be a fine black.
The walnut leaves should be gathered in the autumn, just as they begin to
fall from the trees.
COLUMBUS
[GA] ENQUIRER, November 11, 1862, p.
1, c. 8
To Dye Wool Yarn a Durable Black Without Copperas.—Place in your kettle
a layer of Walnut leaves, then a layer of yarn, then a layer of leaves, and
another of yarn, and so on till the kettle is full, pour on water till all is
covered, and boil all day. The next
morning pour off the liquor into another vessel, and put fresh leaves with the
yarn in layers as before and pour the same liquor over it and boil again all
day. Then hang the yarn in the air a few days, after which wash
it, and it will be a fine black.
The Walnut leaves should be gathered in the autumn just as they begin to
fall from the trees.
MOBILE
REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, November 12,
1862, p. 1, c. 7
Confederate Dye.—To make a Beautiful Blue.—Take alder berries, mash
them and press out the juice; to two gallons of juice add about one ounce of
copperas and two ounces of alum. Dip
the thread in this thoroughly, and air it, and the dye is set.
MONTGOMERY
WEEKLY ADVERTISER, November 19, 1862, p. 4, c. 5
Substitute for Blankets.—We have been shown a substitute for soldier's
blankets, manufactured under the direction of Mrs. Wiley E. Jones, of this
vicinity. It is made after the style of rag carpets of a new material,
and colored with barks so as to make it the "loyal nut brown hue," so
well adapted to camp life. The
sample we have seen is a good substitute, and can be manufactured at a cost not
exceeding $4.50 or $5.
Let others of our female friends follow the patriotic example of Mrs.
Jones. Blankets can't be had—they are not in the country, and
money won't buy them. Our soldiers
must have something to shield them from the frosts and snow of the coming
winter, and rag carpet blankets will do when nothing better can be
hand.—Columbus Sun.
SAVANNAH
[GA] REPUBLICAN, December 10, 1862,
p. 1, c. 5
Substitute for Copperas.—The following is a recipe which answers every
purpose in dyeing where copperas is used in setting colors, or for dying
copperas color: Half pint vinegar, half pint syrup or molasses, three gallons
of water. Put the above into an
iron pot with nails or other rusty iron, and let it stand twenty days.
It is of no use to buy copperas for dyeing at one dollar per pound while
this will answer every purpose.
BELLVILLE
[TX] COUNTRYMAN, December 13, 1862, p. 2, c. 2
John H. Taylor of Georgia gives the above recipe, and says, many have
tried it with complete success last season.
To dye cotton or wool brown.—A lady friend sends the following receipt
for dying cotton or wool brown:
Take the bark of the root of a common wild plum—boil in iron or brass,
as most convenient until the dye looks almost black.
Strain, and add a small quantity of copperas dissolved in a small
quantity of the dye. Add the
article to be dyed. Boil an hour or
so. Wring out and dip in strong
cold ley. When dry, rinse in cold
water. This gives a genuine, bright
brown, which is the prettiest contrast for blue; and when checked in together
makes a dress becoming enough for the proudest Southern dame or belle.
Ladies, try it.
[LITTLE
ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, December 24, 1862, p. 2, c. 3|
To Dye Wool Black Without Copperas.—Place in your kettle a layer of
walnut leaves, then a layer of yarn, then a layer of leaves, and another of
yarn, and so on till the kettle is full, pour on water till all is covered, and
boil all day. The next morning pour
off the liquor into another vessel, and put fresh leaves with the yarn in layers
as before, and pour the same liquor over it, and boil again all day.
Then hang the yarn in the air a few days; after which wash it, and it
will be a fine black.
The walnut leaves should be gathered in the autumn, just as they begin to
fall from the trees.
[LITTLE
ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, December 31, 1862, p. 2, c. 5
To Color Thread.—Prepare a lump of beeswax by mixing into it while in a
melted state enough of soot to make it perfectly black.
When cold it is ready for use. By
drawing a white thread of cotton of silk over this twice, you will have gray
thread, and by repeating it you will have it black and good enough for nearly
every purpose.
With the above, says an exchange, we were furnished a sample of thread
colored as described, and find it all claimed for it.
The method has been tested by a well-known citizen, and there is no
question of its value.
BELLVILLE
[TX] COUNTRYMAN, January 17, 1863, p. 2, c. 2
The following is a recipe which answers every purpose in dyeing copperas
color: Half pint vinegar half pint
syrup or molasses, three gallons of water.
Put the above into an iron pot with nails or other rusty iron, and let it
stand twenty days. It is of no use
to buy copperas for dyeing at one dollar per pound, while this will answer every
purpose.
SELMA
MORNING REPORTER, January 21, 1863, p. 1, c. 6
To Dye Scarlet.
For 5 pounds of wool take 2 ounces pulverized cochineal, 2 ounces cream
tartar, boil 15 minutes, then add 1 ounce muriate of tin, put in the thread and
simmer for 30 minutes, then air 30 minutes and simmer again for 30 minutes and
the work is done.
For Cotton add to the above preparation ½ pound of red wood, 4 ounces linseed
oil and 1 ounce of alum; simmer and air as above.—Southerner.
MONTGOMERY
WEEKLY ADVERTISER, February 4, 1863, p. 2, c. 2
Blues of every shade are dyed with the indigo oat.
Yellow, after aluming [sic?], with a bath of tumeric or weld. Other tints may be obtained by a mixture of the above dyes.
MONTGOMERY
WEEKLY ADVERTISER, February 18, 1863, p. 2, c. 3
A Mobile, Alabama, lady recently dyed her kid gloves in the following
manner: The gloves were originally of an olive color.
She put them on, and, with a piece of sponge, besmeared or rubbed them
over, with common writing ink, with a soft tooth brush, she rubbed them again
with mutton suet. When dry, they have a beautiful soft, glossy black color,
equal to the best black gloves. Now
that gloves have got to be so scarce and so high, the above experiment is worth
the trial.
MEMPHIS
DAILY APPEAL [JACKSON, MS], February 18, 1863, p. 1, c. 6
How
to Dye Different Colors.
1. It is important to cleanse the wool or other material to be
dyed, from grease and all foreign matters, which might prevent it from taking
the dye. Wool must be well washed
in warm soap suds, rinsed in warm water, squeezed as dry as possible, and then
put into the dye. Cotton and linen
must be thoroughly wet in boiling water, and then squeezed or wrung out of it,
and put in the dye wet.
2. Use a copper cauldron for all light and delicate colors, and
an iron pot for black and dark colors. The
shades of color will be regulated by the strength of the dye, the number of
times the article is dipped, or the length of time it remains in the dye.
3. Many dyes that will color cotton will leave wool and linen
untinged, and some that will color wool deeply will dye cotton a very light
shade.
4. What is used for brightening and making the colors durable
are called mordants. The mordants
used here are copperas, (sulphate of iron), blue vitrol [sic], (sulphate of
copper), alum, wheat bran, lye and lime water.
Those who cannot obtain copperas (now a scarce article) use the water
from one of the mineral springs, which is strongly impregnated with iron.
5. The best seasons with dyeing with bark is in the spring and
summer, while the sap is up in the tree. Autumn
is the best season for dyeing with leaves, and winter is the season for dyeing
with roots, because the sap of the tree goes into the roots.
6. Bark and roots must be cut in small pieces, let the caldron
be two-thirds filled with the pieces, then fill up with water, and boil for
several hours until the color is as deep as desired. If leaves and twigs are used, fill the boiler with stem, and
cover with water. Two or three
hours steady boiling will extract the color from the bark, roots, and leaves.
Then strain off the liquid carefully from the sediment, and put it back
into a clean boiler, add to it the alum or copperas, or
both, according to the color desired; let it be completely dissolved and
well mixed with the dye, after which immerse the wet wool, yarn or cloth in the
dye, and proceed according to the definite directions for each color. By mixing different barks, roots and leaves together in the
same dye, a variety of shades of different colors are obtained by those who are
skilled in the art of preparing domestic dyes. The following named trees are much used for dying wool and
cotton:
Sassafras bark and roots are used for dying worsted a permanent and
beautiful yellow and orange color. Use
a copper boiler, and five ounces of alum to one pound of wool or worsted yarns.
Kalmia, or dwarf laurel, dyes cotton a fine drab color.
Use a copper boiler. The
leaves and twigs of the kalmia and about one tablespoonful of copperas to three
gallons of dye. Scale the cotton
material in the dye for twenty minutes, then rinse in cold water, and hang to
dry in the air.
Willow.—The bark dyes wool and linen a deep blue black, and dies [sic]
cotton a dark slate color. Use an
iron boiler. For black, three
ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye; for slate color, one ounce of
copperas is sufficient. Boil in the
dye for twenty minutes, rinse in cold water and hang to dry.
The dye may be deepened by a repetition of the same process in fresh dye.
Red Oak.—The bark and roots dye a fine shade of chocolate brown.
Use an iron boiler two ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye.
Boil twenty minutes in the dye and rinse in cold water.
This dyes cotton. The
Spanish oak dyes another shade of brown.
White Oak.—The bark dyes cotton lead color.
Use an iron boiler; two ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye; scald
in the dye twenty minutes, and rinse with cold water.
Oak bark will not die [sic] wool.
Pine bark—all the varieties found in our woods—dyes cotton slate
color, combined with the Kalmia it dyes dove color.
For each color put one ounce of copperas to four gallons of dye, and boil
in it for twenty minutes. Rinse the
slate color in cold water and the doe color in cold lye.
Sweet gum bark dyes cotton dove color.
Use a copper boiler; a spoonful of copperas to three gallons of dye, and
scald in the dye for twenty minutes; rinse in cold water.
To produce another shade, rinse the cotton stuff in cold lye water, and
hang to dry in the air.
Guinea Corn—The seed dyes wool lead color, and will not dye cotton.
Use an iron boiler, a little copperas, and rinse in lye.
Maple—The bark dyes both wool and cotton a fine dark shade of purple.
Use an iron boiler and two ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye;
scald in hot dye for twenty minutes and rinse in cold water.
Beech—The bark dyes dove color. Use
an iron boiler and one ounce of copperas to four gallons of dye; rinse in cold
water, or in lye for another shade.
Sumach—The leaves and berries dye black.
Use an iron boiler, and four ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye.
Boil the cotton yarn or cloth in the dye for an hour, and rinse in cold
water.
Walnut.—The bark and roots dye cotton fawn-brown and root-color,
according to the portion of bark or of roots and copperas used.
The leaves boiled into dye color cotton purple and wool black; when used
without boiling the leaves dye wool fawn-color.
The green shells of the full grown nuts dye black with copperas. What is dyed black must be rinsed in cold water; the cotton
to be dyed purple must be rinsed in lye. The
fawn, brown and root color must be rinsed in cold water.
The proportion of copperas used for black is two ounces to four gallons
of dye; for the other shades use much less copperas.
To make a cold dye for wool, fill a tub with alternate layers of walnut
leaves and wool, then pour on water till all is covered.
The next day take out the wool and dry it in the sun, then re-place it in
another tub with alternate layers of fresh walnut leaves.
Strain off the water from the old walnut leaves and pour it over the wool
and fresh walnut leaves; let it remain again till the next day.
Repeat this process for one week, adding as much water from day to day as
to make the dye sufficient to cover the wool and fresh leaves.
This is a fine, permanent fawn-colored dye.
Madder dyes wool red. Mix
four quarts of wheat bran with four gallons of water, and set it to ferment.
When it is quite sour strain off the water and dissolve in it a lump of
alum the size of a hen's egg. Set
the liquid on the fire in a copper kettle, and just before it boils mix well
into it a half pound of fresh madder for every pound of wool.
Then put into the dye the wet wool or worsted stuff to be dyed, and let
it remain immersed in the dye for an hour, turning and pressing it frequently,
during which hour the dye must be kept very hot, but must not boil, lest the
color should be tarnished. When the
wool is taken from the dye pot it must be rinsed immediately in cool strong lye,
or in lime water, and then dried.
Spanish brown is used for dyeing cotton red.
Put a pound of Spanish brown, powdered, into a little bag, and rub it
out in a gallon of hot water till the bag is completely emptied of its contents.
Then put the cotton yarn into the painted water, and rub the color into
the yarn till all the coloring matter
is transferred from the water to the yarn.
After which put two tablespoonsful of linseed oil into the water and boil
the yarn in it for fifteen minutes, then hang the yarn to dry.
If the linseed oil cannot be obtained, boil the painted yarn in new milk
for fifteen minutes.
Solferino pink.—Cut a piece out of the end of a pumpkin large enough to
admit the hand, take out all the seeds and leave the strings in.
Mash poke berries into a pulp and fill the cavity of the pumpkin with
them, stir them up well with the strings and put the worsted yarn into the
mixture, then cover it up close with the piece of pumpkin that was cut out. The next day take out the yarn and dry it in the air; when
dry put the yarn back into the pumpkin as before, and cover it up again till
next day. Repeat this process every
day till the desired shade of pink is obtained, then rinse the worsted out in
cold strong vinegar, and dry it for use. It
will take a week to dye the deepest shade of pink.—Charleston Courier.
COLUMBUS [GA] ENQUIRER, March 3, 1863, p. 1,
c. 7
A Good Wool Dye.—A gentleman in Terrell Co., Ga., says a good dye for
wool, or woolen cloth, may be made of white oak and spanish oak bark.
Make a strong decoction of these barks, and let the goods remain in it a
day or two, and then set the dye by dipping them in a weak lime water.
[LITTLE
ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, March 4, 1863, p. 2, c. 3
The following is a recipe which answers every purpose in dyeing copperas
color: Half pint vinegar, half pint syrup or molasses, three gallons
of water. Put the above into an
iron pot with nails or other rusty iron, and let it stand twenty days.
It is of no use to buy copperas for dyeing, at one dollar per pound, when
this will answer every purpose.
MOBILE
REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, March 14,
1863, p. 1, c. 5
The following is a recipe which answers every purpose in dyeing copperas
colors: Half pint vinegar, half
pint syrup or molasses, three gallons of water.
Put the above into an iron pot with nails or other rusty iron, and let it
stand twenty days. It is of no use
to buy copperas for dyeing, at a dollar per pound, while this will answer every
purpose.
SAVANNAH
[GA] REPUBLICAN, March 20, 1863, p.
1, c. 5
The following is a recipe which answers every purpose of dying copperas
color: Half pint vinegar, half pint
syrup or molasses, three gallons of water.
Put the above into an iron pot with nails or other rusty iron, and let it
stand twenty days. It is of no use
to buy copperas for dyeing, at one collar per pound, while this will answer
every purpose.
[LITTLE
ROCK] ARKANSAS TRUE DEMOCRAT, March 25, 1863, p. 1, c. 5
How to Dye Different Colors.
1. It is important to
cleanse the wool or other material to be dyed, from grease and all foreign
matters, which might prevent it from taking the dye.
Wool must be well washed in warm soap suds, rinsed in warm water,
squeezed as dry as possible, and then put into the dye.
Cotton and linen must be thoroughly wet in boiling water, and then
squeezed or wrung out of it, and put in the dye wet.
2. Use a copper cauldron for all light and delicate colors, and
an iron pot for black and dark colors. The
shades of color will be regulated by the strength of the dye, the number of
times the article is dipped, or the length of time it remains in the dye.
3. Many dyes that will color cotton will leave wool and linen
untinged, and some that will color wool deeply will dye cotton a very light
shade.
4. What is used for brightening and making the colors durable
are called mordants. The mordants
used here as coppers, (sulphate of iron), blue vitrol, (sulphate of copper),
alum, wheat bran, lye and lime water. Those
who cannot obtain copperas (now scarce article) use the water from one of the
mineral springs, which is strongly impregnated with iron.
5. The best seasons for dyeing with bark is in the spring and
summer, while sap is up in the tree. Autumn
is the best season for dyeing with leaves, and winter is the season for dyeing
with roots, because the sap of the tree goes into the roots.
6. Bark and roots must be cut in small pieces, let the caldron
be two thirds filled with the pieces, then fill up with water, and boil for
several hours until the color is as deep as desired. If leaves and twigs are used, fill the boiler with them, and
cover with water. Two or three
hours steady boiling will extract the color from the bar, roots and leaves.
Then strain off the liquid carefully from the sediment, and put it back
into a clean boiler, add to it the alum or copperas, or both, according to the
color desired; let it be completely dissolved and well mixed with the dye, after
which immerse the wet wool, yarn or cloth in the dye, and proceed according to
the definite directions for each color. By
mixing different barks, roots and leaves together in the same dye, a variety of
shades of different colors are obtained by those who are skilled in the art of
preparing domestic dyes. The
following named trees are much used for dyeing wool and cotton.
Sassafras bark and roots are used for dyeing worsted a permanent and beautiful
yellow and orange color. Use a
copper boiler, and five ounces of alum to one pound of wool or worsted yarns.
Kalmia, or dwarf laurel, dyes cotton a fine drab color.
Use a copper boiler. The
leaves and twigs of the kalmia and about one table spoonful of copperas to three
gallons of dye. Scald the cotton
material in the dye for twenty minutes, then rinse in cold water and hang to dry
in the air.
WILLOW.—The bark dyes wool and linen a deep blue black, and dies [sic]
cotton a dark slate color.—Use an iron boiler.
For black, three ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye; for slate
colors one ounce of copperas is sufficient.
Boil in the dye for twenty minutes, rinse in cold water and hang to dry.
The dye may be deepened by a repetition of the same process in fresh dye.
RED OAK.—The bark and roots dye a fine shade of chocolate brown.
Use an iron boiler, two ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye.
Boil twenty minutes in the dye and rinse in cold water. This
dyes cotton. The Spanish oak dyes
another shade of brown.
WHITE OAK.—The bark dyes cotton lead color.
Use an iron boiler; two ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye, scald
in the dye twenty minutes, and rinse with cold water.
Oak bark will not dye wool.
PINE BARK.—All the varieties found in our woods—dyes cotton slate
color, combined with the kalmia it dyes dove color.
For each color put one ounce of copperas to four gallons of dye, and boil
in it for twenty minutes. Rinse the
slate color in cold water, and the dove color in cold lye.
SWEET GUM bark dyes cotton, dove color.
Use a copper boiler; a spoonful of copperas to three gallons of dye, and
scald in the dye for twenty minutes; rinse in cold water.
To produce another shade, rinse the cotton stuff in cold lye water, and
hang to dry in the air.
GUINEA CORN.—The seed dyes wool lead color, and will not dye cotton.
Use an iron boiler, a little copperas, and rinse in lye.
MAPLE.—The bark dyes both wool and cotton a fine dark shade of purple.
Use an iron boiler and two ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye;
scald in hot dye for twenty minutes and rinse in cold water.
BEECH.—The bark dyes dove color. Use
an iron boiler and one ounce of copperas to four gallons of dye; rinse in cold
water, or in lye for another shade.
SHOMACH [sic].—The leaves and berries dye black.
Use an iron boiler, and four ounces of copperas to four gallons of dye. Boil the cotton yarn or cloth in the dye for an hour, and
rinse in cold water.
WALNUT.—The bark and roots dye cotton fawn brown and root color,
according to the portion of bark or of roots and copperas used.
The leaves boiled into dye color cotton purple and wool black; when used
without boiling the leaves dye wool fawn color.
the green shells of the full grown nuts dye black with copperas. What is dyed black must be rinsed in cold water; the cotton
to be dyed purple must be rinsed in lye. The
fawn, brown and root color must be rinsed in cold water.
The proportion of copperas used for black is two ounces to four gallons
of dye; for the other shades use much less copperas.
To make a cold dye for wool, fill a tub with alternate layers of walnut
leaves and wool, then pour on water till all is covered.
The next day take out the wool and dry it in the sun, then replace it in
another tub with alternate layers of fresh walnut leaves.
Strain off the water from the old walnut leaves and pour it over the wool
and fresh walnut leaves; let it remain again till the next day.
Repeat this process for one week, adding as much water from day to day as
to make the dye sufficient to cover the wool and fresh leaves.
This is a fine, permanent fawn-colored dye.
Madder dyes
wool red. Mix four quarts of wheat
bran with four gallons of water, and set it to ferment.
When it is quite sour strain off the water and dissolve in it a lump of
alum the size of a hen's egg. Set
the liquid on the fire in a copper kettle, and just before it boils mix well
into a half pound of fresh madder for every pound of wool.
Then put into the dye the wet wool or worsted stuff to be dyed, and let
it remain immersed in the dye for an hour, turning and pressing it frequently,
during which hour the dye must be kept very hot, but must not boil, lest the
color should be tarnished. When the
wool is taken from the dye pot it must be rinsed immediately in cool strong lye,
or in lime water, and then dried.
Spanish brown is used in dyeing cotton red.—Put a pound of Spanish
brown, powdered, into a little bag, and rub it out in a gallon of hot water till
the bag is completely emptied of its contents.
Then put the cotton yarn into the painted water, and rub the color into
the yarn till all the coloring matter is transferred from the water to the yarn. After which put two tablespoonfuls of linseed oil into the
water and boil the yarn in it for fifteen minutes, then hang the yarn to dry.
If the linseed oil cannot be obtained, boil the painted yarn in new milk
for fifteen minutes.
SOLFERINO PINK.—Cut a piece out of the end of a pumpkin large enough to
admit the hand to take out all the seeds and leave the strings in.
Mash poke berries into a pulp and fill the cavity of the pumpkin with
them, stir, them up well with the strings and put the worsted yarn into the
mixtures, then cover it up close with the piece of pumpkin that was cut out.
The next day take out the yarn and dry it in the air; when dry put the
yarn back into the pumpkin as before, and cover it up again till next day.
Repeat this process every day till the desired shade of pink is obtained,
then rinse the worsted out in cold strong vinegar, and dry it for use.
It will take a week to dye the deepest shade of pink.—Charleston
Courier.
NATCHEZ
DAILY COURIER, May 7, 1863,
p. 1, c. 1
Substitute
for Copperas.
To the Ladies:
Copperas is composed of Sulphuric Acid, or Oil of Vitriol and Iron, and
is called by chemists Sulphate of Iron. A
better material for dyeing, and the one invariably used by dyers is called
Acetate of Iron, and is thus prepared:
Take common vinegar, the stronger the better, put into it rusty nails, or
any pieces of rusty iron, and let it stand several days; the vinegar will eat
off or dissolve the rust, and when it ceases to act on the iron, pour off the
clear liquor and use it as you would Copperas, and you will find it a much
better article and cost you nothing.
E. N. Elliott, Chemist.
SAVANNAH [GA]
REPUBLICAN, May 16, 1863, p. 1,
c. 1
Substitute for Copperas.—To the Ladies:
Copperas is composed of sulphuric acid, or oil of vitriol and iron, and
is called by chemists sulphate of iron. A
better material for dyeing, and the one invariably used by dyers, is called
acetate of iron, and let it stand several days; the vinegar will eat off or
dissolve the rust, and when it ceases to act on the iron, pour off the clear
liquor and use it as you would copperas, and you will find it a much better
article, and cost you nothing.
E. N. Elliott, Chemist.
MOBILE REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, May 16, 1863,
p. 2, c. 3
Substitute for Copperas.—Prof. E. N. Elliott publishes the following in
the Natchez Courier:
Copperas is composed of sulphuric acid, or oil of vitriol and iron, and
is called by chemists Sulphate of Iron. A
better material for dyeing, and the one invariably used by dyers, is called
Acetate of Iron, and is thus prepared:
Take common vinegar, the stronger the better, put into it rusty nails, or
any pieces of rusty iron, and let it stand several days; the vinegar will eat
off or dissolve the rust, and when it ceases to act on the iron, pour off the
clear liquor and use it as you would copperas, and you will find it a much
better article.
BELLVILLE [TX] COUNTRYMAN, May 23, 1863, p. 1, c. 4
Dye.—Place in a kettle a layer of walnut leaves, then a layer of yarn,
then a layer of leaves, then another of yarn, and so on till the kettle is full,
pour on water till all is covered, and boil all day.
The next morning pour off the liquor into another vessel, and put fresh
leaves with the yarn in layers as before, and boil again all day.
Then hang the yarn in the air a few days, after which wash it, and it
will be a fine black.
The walnut leaves should be gathered in the autumn, just as they begin to
fall from the trees, and dried in the shade.
COLUMBUS [GA] ENQUIRER, May 26, 1863, p. 1, c.
6
Substitute for Copperas.—To the Ladies:
Copperas is composed of sulphuric acid, or oil of vitriol
and iron, and is called by chemists sulphate of iron. A better material for dyeing, and the one invariably used by
dyers, is called acetate of iron, and is thus prepared:
Take common vinegar, the stronger the better, put into it rusty nails, or
any pieces of rusty iron, and let it stand for several days; the vinegar will
eat off or dissolve the rust, and when it ceases to act on the iron, pour off
the clear liquor and use it as you would copperas, and you will find it a much
better article, and cost you nothing.
E. N. Elliott, Chemist.
COLUMBUS [GA] ENQUIRER, June 9, 1863, p. 3, c.
1
A Receipt to Dye Black.—We publish for the benefit of our lady readers,
the following recipe which has been furnished us, to dye cotton a beautiful jet
black colour:
1 pot of red oak ooze; 1 do. of maple dye; 1 do. of strong ley; 1 do. of
strong copperas water.
Dip the hank in the red oak, and next in the ley, and then in the
copperas water five times. Then dip
in the maple, ley, and copperas water five times.
It is no humbug. Try
it.—Atlanta Intell.
THE SOUTHERN BANNER [ATHENS, GA], June 17, 1863, p. 1, c. 6
Receipt to dye black.--We publish for the benefit of our lady readers, the
following receipt which has been furnished us, to dye cotton a beautiful jet
black color:
1 pot of red oak ooze; 1 do. of maple dye; 1 do.
of strong copperas water.
Dip the hank in the red oak, and next in the
lye, and then in the copperas water five times. Then dip in the maple, lye and coperas, five ties.
It is no humbug. Try it.
SOUTHERN WATCHMAN [ATHENS, GA], July 29, 1863, p. 2, c. 4
To
Dye Copperas.
Mrs. Jane Waters, of Hart county, has sent us a sample of thread dyed a
copperas color by a new process, which is as follows:
Find a spring or stream of chalybeate water, stir it up, then take a tub
full and let it stand until it settles. Pour
off the clear water, and wash the thread or cloth in the dregs.
It will not fade. Mrs. W. says some of her neighbors have tried it and found it
will set dye--which we do not doubt, as it is the very thing of which copperas
is made.
MOBILE REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, September 11, 1863, p. 2, c. 1
Communicated.
How to Dye Wool Gray.
In the course of some experiments by my wife last year, in regard to
dying wool and cotton, it was ascertained that if wool be immersed in a
decoction of the sliced fruit of the pomegranate, prepared in an iron vessel, a
permanent and beautiful and beautiful gray color will be the result, which may
be varied from the lightest drab to a deep black.
The lighter shades require no mordant, the black should be set with
copperas. The shade, of course,
will vary with the changing proportion of fruit and water.
By this simple process the tedious labor of hand-mixing is saved, while
perfect uniformity and regularity of color is obtained.
Cotton thread may also be dyed blue by soaking well in the juice of
elderberries, washing in warm suds, and setting with copperas. Previously to immersion in the warm suds, it is a royal
purple. Though not a fast color, it
is as permanent as any of our indigenous dyes.
MOBILE REGISTER AND
ADVERTISER, September 25,
1863, p. 2, c. 4
Blue Dye for Cotton and Linen.—Cotton and linen articles are dyed blue
by a solution of one part indigo, one part green sulphate of iron and two parts
of quick lime.
MONTGOMERY
WEEKLY ADVERTISER, September 30, 1863, p. 4, c. 5
How to Dye Wool Grey.—In the course of some experiments by my wife last
year in regard to dying [sic] wool and cotton, it was ascertained that if wool
be immersed in a decoction of the sliced fruit of the pomegranate, prepared in
an iron vessel, a permanent and beautiful grey color will be the result, which
may be varied from the lightest drab to a deep black.
The lighter shades require no mordant, the black should be set with
copperas. The shade, of course,
will vary with the changing proportion of fruit and water.—By this simple
process the tedious labor of hand mixing is saved, while perfect uniformity and
a regularity of color is obtained.
Cotton thread may also be dyed blue by soaking well in the juice of elder
berries, washing in warm suds, and setting with copperas.
Previously to immersion in the warm suds, it is a royal purple. Though not a fast color, it is as permanent as any of our
indigenous dyes.—Mobile Register.
SOUTHERN
WATCHMAN [ATHENS, GA], November 25, 1863, p. 4, c. 1
How
to Dye Wool Gray.
In the course of some experiments by my wife last year, in regard to
dying wool and cotton, it was ascertained that if wool be immersed in a
decoction of the sliced fruit of the pomegranate, prepared in an iron vessel, a
permanent gray color will be the result, which may be varied from the lightest
drab to a deep black. The lighter
shades require no mordant, the black should be set with coperras [sic]. The shade, of course, will vary with the changing proportion
of fruit and water. By this simple
process the tedious labor of hand mixture is saved, while perfect uniformity and
regularity of color is obtained.
Cotton thread may also be dyed blue by soaking well in the juice of
elderberries, washing in warm suds, and setting with copperas. Previously to immersion in the warm suds, it is a royal
purple. Though not a fast color, it
is as permanent as any of our indigenous dyes.--Mobile Reg.
COLUMBUS [GA]
ENQUIRER, December 1, 1863, p.
1, c. 3
Receipt for Dyeing Brown.—Take red oak bark, sufficient to make four
gallons of very strong dye, boil very strong, then strain it; add two table-spoonsful
of blue stone, then dip your thread in the dye, then in strong lye; repeat it
four times, then hang out and let it get half dry and rinse in clear water.
Blue Dye.—Take one quarter of a pound of extract of logwood, put it in
four gallons of water, boil one half an hour, add two table-spoonsful of blue
stone, put in your thread or cloth, boil one-half hour more, take it out and let
it air fifteen minutes; put back and wash out in warm soap suds, then rinse in
clear water.
Black Dye.—Put a quarter of a pound of extract of logwood in three
gallons of water, boil it thirty minutes, add two table spoonsfull of copperas,
put in your thread, boil fifteen minutes, take out, wash in strong soap, then
air and rinse in clear water.
Yellow Dye.—Take of each a lot of sassafras, swamp bay and butterfly
root, put in four gallons of water, boil until strong, then strain and put in
your thread or cloth and boil it thirty minutes, take out and air fifteen
minutes, put in a table spoonful of burnt copperas and two of alum and boil
fifteen minutes, then rinse in clear water and let it dry.
Five pounds of thread can be dyed in any of these.
To Dye a Blue Color Without Indigo.—Make a strong dye of red oak bark,
another of maple bark, and have in a third vessel of weak copperas water, and in
a fourth vessel a weak lye. Wet
your cotton thoroughly in each vessel of dye, and rinse it out in the order in
which they are mentioned, having each fluid as hot as the hand can bear,
repeating the process until the color is sufficiently deep.
By making the thread a deep copperas color first, and then going through
the process, you can have a good black color.
COLUMBUS [GA]
ENQUIRER, December 1, 1863, p.
2, c. 4
To Dye Cotton or Wool.—A lady sends the following recipe for dying
cotton or wool brown:
Take the bark of the root of a common wild plum—boil in iron or brass,
as most convenient, until the dye looks black.
Strain, and add a small quantity of copperas dissolved in a small
quantity of the dye. Add the article to be dyed.
Boil an hour or so. Wring
out, and dip in strong cold ley. When
dry rinse in cold water. This gives
a genuine, bright brown which is the prettiest contrast for blue; and when
checked in together, it makes the dress becoming enough for the proudest
Southern dame or belle.
MONTGOMERY
WEEKLY ADVERTISER, December 2, 1863, p. 1, c. 7
To Dye Cotton or Wool.—A lady sends the following recipe for dying
cotton or wool brown:
Take the bark of the root of the common wild plum—boil in iron or
brass, as is convenient, until the dye looks almost black.
Strain, and add a small quantity of copperas dissolved in a small
quantity of the dye. Add the
article to be dyed. Boil an hour or
so. Wring out, and dip in strong
cold ley. When dry, rinse in cold
water. This gives a genuine, bright
brown, which is the prettiest contrast for blue; and when checked in together,
it makes a dress becoming enough for the proudest Southern dame or belle.
SOUTHERN
WATCHMAN [ATHENS, GA], December 9, 1863, p. 4, c. 1
Receipt for Dyeing Brown.--Take red oak bark, sufficient to make four gallons of
very strong dye, boil very strong then drain it; add two table spoonsful of blue
stone, then dip your thread in the dye, then in strong lye; repeat it four
times, then hang out and let it get half dry, and rinse in clear water.
Blue Dye.--Take one quarter of a pound of extract of logwood, put it in four
gallons of water, boil one half an hour, add two table spoonsful of blue stone,
put in your thread or cloth, boil one half hour more, take it out and let it air
fifteen minutes; put back and wash out in warm suds, then rinse in clear water.
Black Dye.--Put a quarter of a pound of extract of logwood in three gallons of
water, boil it thirty minutes, add two tablespoonsful of copperas, put in your
thread, boil fifteen minutes, take out, wash in strong soap suds, then air and
rinse in clear water.
Yellow Dye.--Take of each a lot of sassafras, swamp bay and butterfly root, put
in four gallons of water, boil until strong, then strain and put in your thread
or cloth, and boil it thirty minutes, take out and air fifteen minutes, put in a
tablespoonful of burnt copperas and two of alum, and boil fifteen minutes, then
rinse in clear water and let it dry.
Five pounds of thread can be dyed in any of these.
To Dye a Blue Color Without Indigo.--Make a strong dye of red oak bark,
another of maple bark, and have in a third vessel of weak copperas water, and in
a fourth vessel of weak lye. Wet
your cotton thoroughly in each vessel of dye and rinse it out in the order in
which they are mentioned, having each fluid as hot as the hand can bear,
repeating the process until the color is sufficiently deep.
By making the thread a deep copperas color at first, and then going
through the process, you can have a good black color.
MONTGOMERY
WEEKLY ADVERTISER, January 6, 1864, p. 2, c. 2
Home Industry.
As the time is at hand when families are making their plans and
preparations for the ensuing year, we deem it appropriate to offer a suggestion.
Much more than heretofore should housekeepers and farmers make their
arrangements for meeting all their wants by home industry and enterprise.
It will not do to rely on importation.—Already the blockade has closed
all our Atlantic ports except Wilmington; and twenty grim steamers lie as
watchers off the mouth of the Cape Fear, like so many grimalkins at a mouse
hole. We shall have no reason to be
disappointed or surprised if the port of Wilmington should be closed ere many
months. Nor must we rely on our
factories. Look how the prices of
their products have already ascended until they have become unpurchasable by the
multitude. This is all according to
"the laws of trade" we are told, and therefore to be approved and
applauded; but a protection must be found, and it is to be found in home
production. Besides, the number of
these mills has been reduced by fire, and the machinery of those that remain
will not last forever.
A hundred reasons combine to urge upon every family to look to its own
resources. The hand card and the hand loom and the spinning wheel, whose
music is sweeter far than that of the piano, should be found everywhere.
All who can should grow their patches of flax and cotton.
All should have sheep, if but a few. Our
forest furnish dyes as various and as bright as the tints that make their
foliage so glorious at "the turn of the leaf."
With these materials, there is no reason why our ladies should not be
clad in beautiful apparel, the product of their own industry and taste, while
they may clothe their husbands and sons fine enough for kings. There is not a farmer's wife who may not easily provide for
all her servants, and make some to sell besides.
And how much more independent and happy should we all be if thus
providing for ourselves. A fig for
blockaders, we might well exclaim; nor would be any longer exposed to the
extortioner's grip. And those
eventualities of the future in which we have alluded would bring no terror to
us. Earnestly, therefore, do we
advise every one to use every means and make every arrangement in his power to
provide for the clothing of his family from his own resources, and thus make
himself independent of manufacturers and blockade runners.—Richmond Sentinel.
MONTGOMERY
WEEKLY ADVERTISER, January 13, 1864, p. 2, c. 7
Home Resources.
The good of our country, the advancement of our cause, the comfort of our
brave defenders in the field, self-interest—in fact a hundred reasons, says
the Augusta Chronicle & Sentinel, combine to urge upon every family
to look to its own resources. The
hand card and the hand loom, and the spinning wheel should be found every
where—in every family. All who
can, should grow their patches of flax and cotton.
All who can should have sheep, if but a few.
Our forests furnish dyes as various and as bright as the tints that make
their foliage as glorious at "the turn of the leaf."
With these materials, there is no reason why our ladies should not be
clad in beautiful apparel, the product of their own industry and taste; while
they also may clothe their husbands and sons.
There is not a planter's wife who may not easily provide clothing for all
her servants, and make some to sell besides. Ladies in the cities also can do much towards providing cheap
and substantial clothing for their families, if they only had the mind so to do.
Where there is a will, there is generally a way.
A little energy, a little determination, a little effort put forth in the
right direction by ladies who do nothing, would accomplish a great deal.
How much more independent and happy we should all be if we thus provided
for ourselves as we ought to. Much
more now, than heretofore, should all housekeepers and heads of families make
their arrangements for meeting all their wants by home industry and enterprise.
Earnestly, therefore, do we advise all to use every means in their power
to provide for themselves and their families from their own resources.
CLARKE
COUNTY [AL] JOURNAL, February 4, 1864, p. 2, c. 4
New Goods.
We are receiving the following Goods:
. . . Blue Stone, Ext. Logwood, . . . Indigo, . . . all of which will be
sold as low as the present high prices will justify.
Persons purchasing liquid medicines must furnish Bottles or Vials.
Burge & Daffin.
Grove Hill, Feb. 2.
[LITTLE
ROCK] UNCONDITIONAL UNION, April 22, 1864, p. 2, c. 6
1864
1864
New Goods,
Latest Arrival from the North.
Attention! Attention!!
Marshall & Saxton,
One door East of Fisher's old stand, on the corner
of Markham and Cumberland Streets.
Have just received a large and well selected stock of
Spring and Summer Goods. . . .
Cotton
Cards,
Wool Cards,
Dye Stuffs.
Copperas
and Indigo,
Madder and Blue Stone.
CLARKE
COUNTY [AL] JOURNAL, May 19, 1864, p. 2, c. 1
Every pound of cochineal contains seventy thousand insects boiled to
death, and from six to seven hundred thousand pounds are annual brought to
Europe for scarlet and crimson dyes.
GALVESTON
WEEKLY NEWS, June 8, 1864, p. 1, c. 4
Bonham, May 28th, 1864.
. . . The ink with which this note is written was made by boiling a very
prevalent weed of our prairies and adding a small quantity of copperas to the
decoction as a mordant. There is no
further need of quartermasters paying a thousand dollars a bottle for ink.
A lake of it might be made about here.
Our women have been dying their garments with it.
One girl said "she went into the woods, in a dress dyed with it, the
other day, and the birds all went to roost;" and I don't know what all
happened. The dye is ordinarily
called "Lincoln's Blood."
B.
GALVESTON
WEEKLY NEWS, June 8, 1864, p. 1, c. 5
Bonham, May 28th, 1864.
. . . If I was a botanist, I would make known to your female readers a jet black
die [sic], recently discovered, and now in use in the country. The weed used for this purpose grows in great abundance on
the prairies.
Your correspondent, "B," has this instant handed me a bottle of
ink, with which I write, taken, as he says, from his wife's "die pot,"
and as he informs me he is before me in communicating this "item," it
is proper that I should desist. . .
"A."
MOBILE REGISTER AND ADVERTISER, August 11, 1864, p. 1, c. 7
Indigo.
[From the Charleston Courier.]
Editors Courier: The present
high price of indigo may render some information on the culture of the plant and
some simple processes for extracting the coloring matter, not unacceptable or
inopportune to a portion of your readers. They
are compiled from the valuable work, "Resources of the Southern Fields and
Forests, by Dr. Francis Peyre Porcher:"
Indigo (indigofera tinctoria) was once cultivated in South Carolina to a
considerable extent, and the remnants of indigo plantations, with the vats in
which indigo was prepared, are still to be seen in the lower districts.
In quality it is inferior to the wild indigo (indigofera argentea), but
the increas