- Title
- State
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-
- Date
- January 01 1967
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-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
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State
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Il is not generally known that the
production and cultivation of Indigo
represented the second greatest money
returning crop of Colonial Carolina.
Furthermore, it was due to the inde¬
fatigable energy and determination
of an intelligent girl, who refused to
recognize or admit failure, that the
landed gentry were able to secure fi¬
nancial stability and accumulate com¬
fortable fortunes.
Indigo is a blue coloring substance,
formerly produced as a result of agri¬
cultural growth. With the development
of modern industrial methods, indigo
later was manufactured chemically,
largely from coal-tar derivatives.
Stalled in India
Indigo was first employed as a major
dyestuff in India. From thence it was
brought to the Mediterranean coun¬
tries by traders. Indigo plants for¬
merly were extensively cultivated in
the Far F.ast and in the West Indies.
It was from the last mentioned area
that the introduction of the glamor¬
ous and valuable product had its be¬
ginning in America.
In the case of the French colonics,
indigo had become a source of valu¬
able commerce with Europe. It was a
short time before the middle of the
eighteenth century that George Lucas,
an Englishman, became Governor of
Antigua, one of the West Indian is¬
lands. He was the fortunate possessor
INDIGO
Plucky
Girl
Established
Glamorous
Crop in
Carolina
of an extensive plantation a short dis¬
tance from Charleston. There was a
charming daughter in the family. Her
name was Eliza. The father had
often noticed her fondness for super¬
vising the production of flowers and
shrubs in the spacious gardens of his
estate. It was his custom from time to
time to send her various fruits and
seeds of tropical origin, with which to
experiment.
Neither Lucas nor Eliza realized
what future bountiful financial results
would eventuate when in 1741 he sent
her. by a mariner, a few indigo seeds.
These were accompanied with special
directions for planting. As soon as the
bushes had gotten well above ground,
they were killed by a heavy frost. Dis¬
heartened but not discouraged, the de¬
termined girl, in early April, planted
a second supply of the seeds. How¬
ever the nights continued cold, and
the weather aided by worms served to
destroy the second installment of
shoots.
A Third Attempt
The girl was not to be denied.
Therefore, she decided to plant the
indigo seeds for the third time, using
the remainder of the limited quantity
which had been sent by her father.
With the planting of the third crop
near Charleston. Eliza Lucas' efforts
were crowned with success. When ad¬
vised by his daughter that the indigo
plants were hardy and vigorous. Gov¬
ernor Lucas envisioned the latent com¬
mercial possibilities of the plant. He
then decided to send a large quantity
of seed from Antigua to his plantation
on the South Carolina coast. At the
same time he persuaded a friend
named Cromwell to assume charge.
The latter was experienced not only-
in production of the plants but also
was familiar with the method of pre¬
paring the valuable crops for market.
Cromwell had slaves build vats on
the plantation. He then proceeded to
raise a bountiful crop of indigo. How¬
ever, for fear that the prosperity of
Antigua, his island home, might be
jeopardized, Cromwell ruined the yield
by surreptitiously placing lime in the
vats.
Eliza Lucas had carefully followed
all the technical procedures which
Cromwell had used. Thus she had as¬
certained the intricate secrets in¬
volved in production of the plants.
Parting company with Cromwell with
scant ceremony, the enterprising girl
engaged another plantation manager
in whom she had full confidence. An
immediate and full measure of suc¬
cess followed.
Shortly afterward, Eliza was mar¬
ried to Charles Pinckney, who owned
an extensive plantation near that of her
father. As a token of recognition of
her sagacity and fruitful vision. Gov¬
ernor Lucas made his daughter a wed¬
ding present of all the indigo on his
plantation. The entire amount was
saved for seed. A portion was reserved
by the young married woman and other
allotments were distributed to friends
up and down the Carolinas coast be¬
tween Wilmington. New Bern, and
Charleston. From this beginning it was
soon proved by experiments that there
was far greater production from the
imported cultivated strains than from
a variety which grew wild along the
coastal areas.
Volume Increased Rapidly
Within a period of five years from
the commencement of planting of in¬
digo by the enterprising Carolina girl,
whose ingenuity and vision had made
the new money crop possible, there
was a constantly increasing volume of
indigo being produced on the coastal
plantations. The product now was
being shipped to England. With rice
and cotton, it immediately became the
third of a trio of crops which brought
wealth, prosperity and material com¬
forts to the planters living in the Low
Country of the Carolinas.
Indigo now was recognized as one
of the most valuable commercial com¬
modities of the time. England soon
awakened to the fact that her demands
were requiring quantities of indigo
from the French colonies approximat¬
ing one hundred and fifty thousand
pounds sterling in annual value. It was
soon appreciated that a great national
saving would result if indigo could be
purchased from a dependable source
THE STATE. January 1 . 1967
11