Blue Gold
From the beginning, indigo kin a
valuable and exciting crop for the
C arolina colonists.
By JULIA M. STREET
Early farmers in the Colony of North
Carolina experimented with a number
of European crops, but they found that
their most dependable products were
native — com for food, and tobacco as
a money crop for export. In 1772 the
Colony exported 1 .500.000 pounds of
tobacco from home ports and some
through Virginia. They did however,
have considerable success with other
commodities, both for home consump¬
tion such as peas, beans, sweet and
white potatoes and rice; and for ex¬
port. such as
Пах,
hemp, silk, naval
stores and indigo.
Although tobacco and naval stores
were the most extensive exports, in¬
digo from which a blue dye was ex¬
tracted was a crop much favored by the
Colonists because of the high prices it
brought, and. like some other farm
products was for a time subsidized by
the Assembly. Both the British au¬
thorities and the Colonial Assemblies
encouraged the production of indigo.
Fashion was undoubtedly one of the
dictators that led to the production of
indigo in the earlier days of the south¬
ern colonies. Blue dye from this plant
along with madder red, cochineal red
and their modifications were the most
popular coloring agents in the 18th and
19th centuries, both in America and
abroad.
Indigo blue dye. extracted from the
leguminous plant. Indigofcro mainly,
was known in India and Egypt before
the Christian era. The plant was intro¬
duced into Europe in the early 16th
century by Portuguese. Dutch and En¬
glish traders, and from the West Indies
to the American Colonics prior to
1716.
Very Profitable
Indigo was a valuable crop from the
beginning in the Southern Colonies,
but after its first introduction into
America it was dropped for some
years, probably because of the severe
weather and the lack of experienced
labor. It had a resurgence, however, in
the 1730s and for many years there¬
after furnished plantation owners con¬
siderable incomes.
A planter might realize a profit from
indigo the first year, and in three or
four years double his investment. An
acre would yield three or four cuttings
a season in some sections, and at least
two everywhere, and returned up to 5
pounds sterling profit, as well as the
subsidy from the government. In 1738
one North Carolina planter, George
Livingstone, wrote to the House of
Burgesses: "I have brought the mak¬
ing of Indigo to perfection in this Pro¬
vince . . . one acre of Indigo can be
tended by one laborer and brings 4 sh.
6 p. to 5 pounds, sterling." And he
added. "Whatever Bounty the House
shall think proper be paid me."
I
л
Tender
Not only did the Assembly pay
bounties for the production of indigo,
but at one period allowed it to be used
as legal tender because of the shortage
of gold, silver and paper currency.
Around 1768 for a time it accepted the
dye in lieu of taxes. When used as
Proclamation money the rate w(as 3
shillings per pound; and in 1754 the
rate when used to pay taxes was 4 shil¬
lings per pound. In all such cases the
blue cubes had to be rigidly inspected
— at the expense of the taxpayer —
before being accepted.
The Assembly kept a constant watch
over the production and for many
years bickered over the regulations of
inspection policies. The final inspec¬
tion bill listed in the Colonial Records
of North Carolina was passed in 1762.
In 1748 the Assembly suggested to
Governor Gabriel Johnston that he.
"recommend to the planters to be very
careful in the planting curing and pack¬
ing of their Indigo to the end that they
may equal if not exceed the French in
this commodity." And that he "Keep
the Assembly informed of the no. of
Plantations, name of the planters.
From 'Noturol Dye* in «be US./'
о
Frenchmen'* interpretation of indigo preporolion in Indio during the lote
1 7th century. Step* include cutting the plont, plocing the *tolk* in
о
woter-tilled vat, ogifotmg the looking
■ndigo ttolki, and carrying the precipitated dye material to dry (Pomet, 1694).
THE BTATE, MAY 1976
