370 ON PAPYRUS, BONAPAHTEA, ETC. 



alkali, animal fibre is dissolved, and the vegetable fibre becomes avail- 

 able for making white paper pulp. Sia^at^ or Jute^ the inner bark of 

 Corchorus Indicus (?), affords a paper-pulp of inferior quality, and with 

 difficulty bleached. Agave^ Fhormmm tenax^ and Banana^ or Plantain 

 fibre (Manilla Hemp), are not only costly, but it is almost impossible 

 to bleach them. The Banana leaves contain 40 per cent, of fibre. Flax 

 would replace rags in the manufacture of paper, were it not for its high 

 price and scarcity, due, partly to the War, and partly to the injudicious 

 way in which it is cultivated. Six tons of Flax straw are required to 

 give one ton of T'lax fibre ; and by the present mode of treatmeiit all 

 the woody part is lost. By my process the bulk oi Flax straio is less- 

 ened by partial clearing before retting, whereby 50 to 60 per cent, of 

 shoves (a most valuable cattle food) are saved, and the cost of the 

 fibre reduced. By the foregoing statement it will be seen that the 

 Flax plant yields only 12 to 15 per cent, of paper-pulp. All that I 

 have said of Flax is applicable to Flemp^ which produces 25 per cent, 

 of paper-pulp. Nettles afibrd 25 per cent, of a very beautiful and easily 

 bleached fibre, Palm-leaves 30 to 40 per cent., but not easily bleached, 

 and the BromeliacerB 25 to 40 per cent. Bonaparlea juncoidea (an Agate 

 geminiflora?) contains 35 per cent, of the most beautiful vegetable fibre 

 known, which is rrt)t only available for paper-pulp, but for all manu- 

 factures in which Flax, Cotton, Silk, or Wool are used. It appears 

 that this plant exists in great quantities in Australia (?); and it were 

 highly desirable that our manufacturers should import a large quantity 

 of it- The only preparation it requires is to be cut, dried, and com- 

 pressed, like hay ; the bleaching and finishing may be done here. 



Ferns give 15 to 20 per cent, of fibre, hard to bleach, and Equisetnm 

 the same quantity, easily bleached, but of inferior quality. The inner 

 bark of the Lime-tree affords an easily bleached, but not very strong 

 fibre. Althaa and many Malvacete yield 15 to 20 per cent, of paper- 

 pulp. Stalks of Beans, Peas, Hops, Buckwheat, Potatoes, Heather, 

 Broom, and many other plants, contain 10 to 20 per cent of fibre; but 

 the extraction and bleaching present difficulties, which will probably 

 forbid their use. The straws of the cereals cannot be converted into 

 white paper-pulp after they have ripened their seeds, the joints or knots 

 of the stalks having then became so hard as to resist all bleaching 

 agents. To produce paper from them, it would be needful to cut them 

 green, before the grain appears, — a probahhj disadvantageous plnn- 



