  Green results from the mixing of blue and yellow in varying proportions according to the shade of colour required. Berthollet says:— "Many different plants are capable of affording green colours; such as, the field broom grass, Bromus secalinus; the green berries of the berry bearing alder, Rhamnus frangula; wild chervil, ChÆrophyllum silvestre; purple clover, Trifolium pratense; common reed, Arundo phragmites; but these colours have no permanence."[18] Hellot says:—"It is impossible to obtain more than one colour from a mixture of blue and yellow, which is green; but this colour comprehends an infinite variety of shades, the principal of which are the Yellow green, the Light green, the Gay green, the Grass green, the Laurel green, the Molequin green, the Deep green, the Sea green, the Celadon green, the Parrot green, and, I shall add, the Duck-wing green, and the Celadon green with Blue. All these shades and the intermediate ones are made after the same manner and with the same ease. The stuff or wool dyed blue, light or dark, is boiled with Alum and Tartar, as is usually done to make white stuff yellow, and then with Weld, Savory, or Greening Wood. The Weld and the Savory are the two plants that afford the finest greens." Another old Dye book says:— "If you would dye your goods green, you must first dye them yellow with Broom or Dyer's Weed, otherwise Yellow Weed; after which put them into the Blue vat." Every dyer has his particular yellow weed with which he greens his blue dyed stuff. But the best greens are undoubtedly got from weld and fustic. The wool is dyed first in the blue vat; then washed and dried; then after mordanting dyed in the yellow bath. This method is not arbitrary as some dyers consider a better green is got by dyeing it yellow before the blue. But the first method produces the fastest and brightest greens as the aluming after the If a bright yellow green is wanted, then mordant with alum after the indigo bath; if olive green, then mordant with chrome. The wool can be dyed blue for green in 3 different ways:—1st. in the indigo vat (see page 68 et seq.); 2nd. with Indigo Extract (see pages 65-67); 3rd. with logwood, the wool having been previously mordanted with chrome (see p. 82, No. 7, and p. 85 No. 17). For a good bright green, dye the wool a rather light blue, then wash and dry; green it with a good yellow dye, such as weld or fustic, varying the proportion of each according to the shade of green required. Heather tips, dyer's broom, dock roots, poplar leaves, saw wort are also good yellows for dyeing green. If Indigo Extract is used for the blue, fustic is the best yellow for greening, its colour is less affected by the sulphuric acid than other yellows. Bancroft gives many recipes for dyeing green with quercitron. He says:— "Wool which has been first properly dyed blue in the common indigo vat may be made to receive any of the various shades of green which are usually given in this way from weld, by boiling the blue wool (after it has been well rinsed) in water, In the same way cloth that has previously received the proper shade of Saxon blue, may be dyed to a beautiful Saxon green: it will be proper to add about 3 lbs. chalk with 10 to 12 pounds of alum for the preparation liquor for 100 lbs. weight of wool which is to be turned and boiled as usual for about an hour, and then without changing the liquor, 10 or 12 lbs. of Quercitron bark, powdered and tied up in a bag, may be put into it, and the dyeing continued. When the dyeing has continued about 15 minutes, it will be proper to add another lb. of powdered chalk, stirring it well in, and to repeat this addition once, twice or three times at intervals of 6 or 8 minutes. The chalk does not merely answer the purpose of decomposing the acid left in the wool by the sulphate of indigo, but it helps to raise the colour and to render it more durable." According to Bancroft, Quercitron is the yellow above all others for dyeing greens. He says:— "The most beautiful Saxon greens may be produced very cheaply and expeditiously by combining the lively yellow which results from Quercitron bark, murio sulphate of tin and alum, with the blue afforded by indigo when dissolved in sulphuric acid, as for dyeing the Saxon blue". For a full bodied green he says "6 or 8 lbs. of powdered bark should be put into a dyeing vessel for every hundred lbs. wool with Recipes for Dyeing Green. 1). Bottle Green for Silk with Fustic. (5 lbs.) Dissolve 2 lbs. alum and 1 lb. copperas in water; work the silk in this for ½ hour; wash in warm water. Work for ½ an hour in a decoction of 6 lbs. Fustic. Lift, and add 2 oz. Indigo Extract. Work 20 minutes. Wash and dry. 2). Green for Wool with Fustic. ½ lb. of wool is mordanted with ? oz. chrome and ? oz. Cream of Tartar for ½ an hour to 1 hour. Soak overnight in water, 3 oz. Fustic and 2½ oz. logwood, and boil for 2 hours. Strain, and enter wool. Boil for 2 hours. 3). Green for Linen with Larch Bark. Mordant 4 lbs. linen with ½ lb. alum. Boil for 2½ hours; wring out but do not dry. Boil up a quantity of larch bark and boil linen in this for 2½ hours. 4). Fustic Green for Wool. (50 lbs.) Mordant wool with 11 lbs. alum. Soak 50 lbs. Fustic over-night, and boil up. Enter the wool and boil for half-an-hour or more. Add Extract of Indigo in small quantities at a time, till the desired colour is got. 5). Saxon Green for Wool. Mordant the wool with alum and tartar for half-an-hour; it is then taken out and aired, but not washed. The bath is refreshed with cold water, and half the amount of the solution of Indigo which is to be used is well mixed in. The wool is entered and rapidly stirred for 5 or 6 minutes, without boiling. It is taken out and the rest of the Indigo solution is well mixed in. The wool is put in and boiled for ten minutes; then taken out and cooled. The bath is then three-quarters emptied and filled up with a decoction of fustic. When the bath is very hot, the wool is put in until the desired shade of green is got. 6). Green with Quercitron for Wool. Dye the wool blue in the Indigo vat. Wash well. For 100 parts of wool, put 3 parts of chalk and 10 or 12 of alum. Boil the wool in this for 1 hour. Then 7). Green with Quercitron for Cotton. First, the cotton is dyed a sky blue colour by means of indigo dissolved by potash and orpiment; then it is passed through a strong decoction of sumach, in which it is left until well cooled. It is then dried, passed through the mordant of acetate of alumina, dried again, washed, worked for 2 hours in tepid bath of Quercitron, (26¼ lbs. to 110 lbs. cotton). 8). Green with Indigo Extract & Weld for Wool. Mordant 1 lb. wool with 4 oz. alum and ½ oz. cream of tartar. Dye blue with sufficient quantity of Indigo Extract. Wash and dry. Prepare a dye bath with weld which has been previously chopped up and boiled. Enter wool and boil for half-an-hour or more. The End |
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