338 FIBRES OF JAMAICA. 
Cordia Collococca. Clammy Cherry. Hibiscus elatus. Mahoe. 
£ Brosimum spurium. Milk-wood. : „  latifolius. Broad-leaved Mahoe. 
Ficus elastica. Yndia-rubber-tree. »  tiliaceus. Sea-side ditto. 
» religiosa. Pepul-tree. Lagetta lintearia. Lace-bark. 
» virens. Wild Fig-tree. Daphne tinifolia. Burn-nose bark. 
» Americana. Wild Fig-tree. Cocos nucifera. Cocoa-nut. 
Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis. Shoeblack-tree. Artocarpus incisa. Bread-fruit. 
» — ilüflorus, Lily-flowered ditto. Pterocarpus santalinus. Pterocarpus, 
» esculentus. Ochra. Crotalaria juncea. Rattlewort. 
The above list will be found to comprise fibre of such quality and 
colour, from the Cocoa-nut Coir to filaments resembling fine silk in 
strength and lustre of appearance, as cannot be surpassed. I might 
have extended the list to greater length, but 1 believe the enumeration 
will convince the most sceptical that this island abounds with a highly 
valuable description of textile plants, some of which are considered 
troublesome weeds. Those of a ligneous nature will annually produce 
two crops of shoots, from which good fibre may be obtained, requiring 
no machinery whatever in preparing it for market. The method I have 
pursued, as being the most easy and simple, is this :—Macerate the 
shoots until the cuticle or outer bark separates freely from the true 
bark: the latter will then be removed readily from the ligneous part, 
and requires but little labour or knowledge to wash, dry, and pack the 
fibre for market: this would furnish healthy employment for children, 
the aged and infirm, and would not diminish the amount of labour on 
plantations. 
_ For the Plantain, Pinguin, and all similar herbaceous plants, machi- 
nery is absolutely necessary to separate and clean the fibre advantage- 
à ously; when this desideratum is accomplished, and with one or two 
years’ practice, there is nothing to prevent Jamaica competing with 
any part of the world of ten times the same extent. The induce- 
ment to do so cannot be much greater than it is at present. I find, 
by a statistical account, that the imports of flax into the United King- 
; dom during 1853 amounted to 94,163 tons 14 ewt., and, at the exor- 
bitant price of £110 per ton, to which the average price of foreign fax 
has already risen, shows a sum of £10,358,007, which has been paid in 
cash for foreign flax-fibre last year ; and since the prohibition of Russian 
hemp into European markets, prices and demand are increasing daily- 
ve ME motiye for laying before you my views on this subject, and pre 
