uld look like good light
ale. If the liquor is greenish and sufficient time has elapsed,
another pinch of zinc dust and a little more lime must be added as
before, and the vat again stirred, allowed to settle and again tested.
A little difficulty may be found in getting the vat to start, but once
it has worked well no difficulty will be found in starting it again.
It will work more easily as it gets older.

As indigo does not penetrate easily, every effort must be made to help
it to do so. The stuff to be dyed must be thoroughly scoured so that
no particle of grease, size, or any other impurity is present. Every
effort must be made to prevent unreduced indigo from attaching itself
to the cotton. Never begin to dye in a vat which is greenish. The
unreduced indigo will attach itself to the stuff and be wasted. Your
time will also be wasted in washing it off.

The vat should be thoroughly stirred and allowed to settle each day
before dyeing begins. When the sediment has settled, the froth should
be carefully skimmed and kept to return to the vat when the day's
dyeing is finished.

If a net is to be used it should be thoroughly wetted (if everything
goes into the vat wet it will take less air with it). The net can be
kept down by tying a few stones in a bag or an iron weight to the
centre of it. If the hanks are to be dipped on a rod this may be of
iron, or of wood suitably weighted. The hanks should not be less than
8 inches below the surface of the liquor and about 1 ft. above the
bottom of the vat. The hanks should be turned after each dip, as, if
the same end goes to the bottom each time it will be darker. A pulley
over the vat to draw out the rod or net is convenient. The dyeings can
then be allowed to drain a few seconds. Then wring each hank, shaking
it out to get the air into it. After a sufficient airing, dip again.
Many short dips with airing between will produce faster colours. Dip 1
minute, wring and air 2 minutes. Dip 2 minutes, wring and air 4
minutes. Dip 5 minutes, and so on.

As linen and cotton look so very much darker when wet than when dry, a
bit should be dried to judge if the colour is right.

Indigo can be dyed from the palest sky blue to black. The very palest
shade of sky blue is never very fast. The virtue which indigo alone
seems to possess is that, though it may become lighter with continual
use, it also becomes a clearer and more lovely blue. This is
especially so on cotton and linen, for