This does not mean, however, that unless a dyer can match shades perfectly, he cannot turn out very interesting and, indeed, beautiful results. But it does mean that he will find it difficult, if not impossible, to reproduce such results, and will be frequently handicapped in trying to utilize his dyeing skill and knowledge commercially. The beginner thinks—not unnaturally perhaps—that in order to get any considerable variety of shades it is necessary to have on hand a large and varied assortment of dyestuffs; and it is consequently a surprise to find that skilled workers keep in stock chiefly a good supply of blue, yellow, and red only. Black is convenient and useful, but not essential, excepting for special purposes. By mixing these three “primary” colors it is possible to get every conceivable shade needed. And another point, which will be emphasized below and which is also likely to be a surprise, is that practically every pretty and agreeable shade, no matter how delicate, is composed of all three of these primary colors. Blue and yellow produce green, blue and red produce violet, and yellow and red produce orange, while the addition of the third or “complementary” color to any of these combinations of two makes _grey_, when all three colors are perfectly balanced, and when one color or another predominates, it is greyed and softened by the presence of small quantities of the other two. Experiments with Single Colors The way to study color dyeing is, first of all, to get a clear idea of the effect of different strengths of each of these three primary colors in producing both light and dark shades of a single color. This can be easily accomplished with the red, blue, and yellow of the Salt dyes described in the last chapter. Dissolve each color separately and keep them in separate dye-pots so that you can readily dye pieces of cheesecloth or other cheap, easy-dyeing materials any light, medium, or dark shade, to serve as a basis for future comparisons. [Illustration: DIAGRAM OF PRIMARY COLORS Two color shades—Red + Blue = Violet Red + Yellow = Orange Yellow + Blue = Green Complementary colors—Red + Blue + Yellow = Grey Red + Green = } Blue + Orange = } Grey Yellow + Violet = }]