B L U „

cyanus or cornbottle fhould be fown ; and, whereas this flower
is faid to be plentiful enough in the fields between Twicken-
ham and Teddington in Middlefex, fa there might eafijy be
feed enough procured for that purpofe in half an hour's time
to fow an hundred acres.

As to the manner of cultivating this plant, every knob or
head of feed muft be opened before it is fown, for £ach head
contains a great number of feeds ; as for the preparing of the
ground to receive this feed, there need to be no more trouble
and expence than common plowing requires ; which being
done, the feed is to be fown, either at the latter end of Auguir,
which will come up foon enough to ftand the winter, and blof-
fom early the May following ; or elfe it may be fown at the
end of March, and it will begin flowering the June following.

At either of thefe feafons, after the ground has been well
plowed, harrow it in with bufhes, and it will come up in a
little time.

As to the choice of this feed, it will be neceffary that it be
gathered only in fuch fields, where you are fure there grow
no corn bottles of any other colour but Blue ; and then all the
plants which rife from fuch feed, would produce Blue ; but, if
they fhould be gathered in fuch places where there are varieties
of them, then various forts are to be expected, as white, red,
or purple, although we are fure we gather the feed from fuch
as were truly of a Blue fort; for, if there is a red flower of the
fame tribe growing near it, the difference of the colour will be
fo intermixed between both, that the feed of both will bring a
variety from the principal, depending on the colours of both.

Blue, of the dyers, is one of their fimple or mother co-
lours, which is ufed in the compofition of others. It is made
of woad, indigo, and a paftel brought from Normandy, and,
of the three, the paftel is efteemed the beft and moft neceffary;
woad, though of lefs force and effect, yet makes a tolerable
colour ; indigo only makes a fpurious colour; yet it may be
yfed along with paftel, if it be well prepared, and be not mixed
in too great a proportion. Woad, having but little fubftance,
can neither be ufed alone, nor is it capable of ^orrefting the
indigo, without the affiftance of paftel. Some dyers heighten
their Blue by adding brahl and other woods. The way of
brightening Blues is by paffing the fluff, when dyed and well
warned through lukewarm water, or, which is much better,
by working and fulling the dyed fluff with melted foap, and
then fcowering it well.—Blues arc immediately dyed from the
whites, without any other preparation than fulling.

%hi method of making a vat, and preparing hot juds for dying
linen andwcollei: Blue. Have a vat made big enough to con-
tain