Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 4, 1802).djvu/375

341&#93; W O A tfrpated with a knife, and the re- mainder destroyed by escharotics. WOAD, or hatis, L. a genus of 'plants compreheoding Q species, of which only the tinBoria, or Wild AVoad, is a native of Britain. It is biennial; grows in corn-fields, prin- cipally at New Barns, in the Isle of Ely; where it flowers in the months of June and July. The stalk attains a height of from 3 to 4 feet ; and the leaves are eaten by cows, but refused by horses, goats, and sheep : these leaves are highly valued by dyers, for the beautiful blue colour which they impart to wool ; hence, this vegetable is cultivated to a considerable extent, Woad prospers in a deep fat loam, though a moderately rich and mixed soil is the most pro- per : as this plant remarkably exhausts the ground, more than two crops should never be taken in succession. The land ought to be ploughed four times ; first, shortly before the winter ; a second time in the spring, when it will be ad- visable to form the ridges ; a third time in June ; and, lastly, towards the end of July, or early in August : in the intervals between each ploughing, it will be necessary to harrow the soil, so that all weeds may be destroyed. Woad, in this country, is sown earty in August, and generally broad-cast, though ti.e drill-hus- bandry is the most advantageous. At the end of two or three weeks, the plants must be hoed, at the dis- tance of at least six inches : after which they will require no farther attention, except a careful weeding in October, and particularly in the month of March. The proper time for gathering the leaves, is determined by their full growth, and the first change of W O A [341 colour at their points : they are cut with an edged tool, and collected into baskets by women and chil- dren. If the land be good, three or four successive crops may be taken ; but the two first are the finest, and produce from 25l. to 30l. per ton ; whereas, the third or fourth do not sell for more than 7 or 8l. per ton. After the leaves are gathered, they are submitted to the action of mills, similar to those employed for grinding oak-bark; and in which they are reduced to a kind of pulp. The woad is then laid in small l^aps, which are closely and smoothly pressed down. As often as the crust, formed qn the outside, cracks or separates, it is again closed, to preserve the strength of the colouring matter. In this state, it remains for a fort- night ; at the expiration of which, the heaps are broken up ; the ex- ternal part is worked into a ciass ; and the whole is formed into oval balls, cither by the hand, or by means of moulds. The balls are now exposed to the sun, under shelter : when perfei.^ly dry, they are ready for sale ; or are prepared for the vat, in the manner stated vol, ii. p. 202. — Such is the pro- cess which woad undergoes, before it becomes fit for dyeing blue co- lours ; but M. ASTRUC is of opi- nion, that, if this vegetable v^re cured in the same manner as in- digo, it would produce a colour of equal lustre to that obtained from such expensive foreign drug. Thus, considerable sqms of money, that are annually exported for indigo, might probably be saved ; a con- jedure which is now corroborated by the test of experience.- — Dam- BOURNEY direfts to boil the fresh leaves of woad with ciiluted bul- locks' blood, or more effeftually Z 3 witU