New Canadian Dye.

Scientific American 17, 27.4.1861

We have seen it stated in several of our exchanges that Professor Lawson, of Kingston, C. W., has prepared a new dye, of great beauty, from an insect found on the common black spruce. The new dye is said to resemble that of cochineal, which latter is now employed to impart rich red, scarlet and crimson colors to woolen and silk fabrics. If this dye can be sufficient quantities to be afforded at a reasonable price, the discovery will be of importance. Cochineal costs about $1 per pound, wholesale; it is very rich in coloring matter, one ounce being sufficient to color one pound of wool, and two ounces one pound of silk. If the Canadian dye can be afforded as cheap as Indian lac dye, of which we think it must be a variety, it is an important discovery.