=Safflower Carmine.=—This substance, used by dyers, is a solution of carthamine red in soda solution. It is only necessary to add an acid after once introducing the fabric in order to fix the colouring matter at once upon the fibre. The shades produced by carthamine red are distinguished by a delicacy of tint not produced by other dyes; all shades between the deepest red and the palest rose-red may be obtained from it. Unfortunately it is very susceptible to the action of alkalis; one careless washing of an article dyed with carthamine is sufficient to remove the greater part of the colour. On account of its cost and little durability carthamine red is not used in painting. It is principally employed in the artificial flower industry for colouring flowers. Pure carthamine or a mixture with finely powdered steatite is applied by rubbing. =Alkanet.=—The roots of alkanet (_Alkanna tinctoria_) contain in the bark a fine red colouring matter, from which also a violet lake can be obtained, though this is rarely made. The plant is largely grown in Southern Europe and also around Vienna. The colouring matter is obtained pure by macerating the root for a long time with water and then treating with strong alcohol, which dissolves the colouring matter, together with a large quantity of resin. The alcohol is distilled off, the residue extracted with ether, and the ethereal extract treated with a large quantity of water, which extracts the colouring matter. This is left in the pure state, when the solution is slowly evaporated. According to Carnelutti and R. Nasini alkannin is obtained by extracting the root of _Anchusa tinctoria_ with petroleum ether, evaporating, treating the residue with weak caustic potash, filtering, and shaking the filtrate several times with ether. The solvent is removed, the colouring matter precipitated by carbonic acid, dried over sulphuric acid, and dissolved in ether. The filtered solution is then allowed to evaporate. Alkannin is then obtained as a dark brownish-red mass, which is easily powdered. It has a metallic lustre, and readily dissolves in alcohol, glacial acetic acid and chloroform. When alum is added to the aqueous solution of the colouring matter a beautiful violet precipitate separates, which when dry is very suitable for artistic purposes. Alkanet is little used. It is completely replaced by much cheaper colouring matters. CHAPTER LIV. MADDER AND ITS COLOURING MATTERS. The root of the madder (_Rubia tinctoria_) contains a red colouring matter which is distinguished over all other colours of vegetable origin by great fastness, on account of which it occupies a most important position in dyeing and colour making. The use of madder in dyeing has been much restricted by the discovery of artificial methods of making alizarine, the most important colouring matter of madder. Thus the following account of madder and its products is chiefly of historical interest only.