Preparing Madder.

Scientific American 12, 21.3.1863

C. A. Kurtz, chemist, of Manchester. Eng., patentee. The improvement is for treating madder roots and ground madder, or munjeet, for calico color-makers. The patentee takes 20 lbs., of crushed malt and boils it in 100 gallons of water for half an hour; he then stops the boiling and adds 45 lbs. of wheat bran, stirring the whole together, and then allows the liquor to settle. When settled the clear is runoff, and to every 65 gallons of it 100 gallons of water are added, which is placed in a copper vessel and heated to 112° Fah., and to this is added 3 cwt., of madder or of munjeet ("Rubia Munjista"), which is stirred at intervals of 15 minutes, until a homogenous mass is produced. In this state the mass is allowed to stand until it exhibits symptoms of fermentation, when they are checked by successive stirrings for 18 hours. This prepared madder is then filtered, pressed, dried, and ground, and packed away for use like garancine.