Jan. 1, 1S67.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE. GOSSIP. 



13 



Erom the leaves thereof is procured a fibrous 

 material known and appreciated by the barbarous 

 hordes of Africa and the semi-civilized Malays. 

 The celebrated pine-apple cloth of the Philippines, 

 resembling the finest muslin, is woven with the 

 delicate fibres of the uncultivated pine-apple plant. 

 This muslin is embroidered by the nuns of the con- 

 vents of Manilla with excellent skill and taste, so 

 that the " Pina " muslin of the Philippines has be- 

 come a celebrated article of manufacture. Mr. Ben- 

 nett has observed in his " Wanderings," that one of 

 the coarser fibres may be subdivided into filaments 

 of such fineness as to be barely perceptible, and yet 

 sufficiently strong for textile purposes. 



The Malays use the fibre of the pine-apple to 

 manufacture their fishing nets, and so plentiful is 

 the plant in many parts of India and the East, that 

 it forms immense thickets; and Dr. Heifer says that 

 the fruit is so abundant in the Tenasserim provinces 

 that it is sold in Amherst Town during June and 

 July at the rate of two shillings for a boat load. 

 "What an inducement for the rapturous devourers of 

 pine-apples ! Should a Tenasserim Pine-apple 

 Emigration Company (Limited) become one of the 

 projects for 1867, we shall not permit the fact to be 

 forgotten, that its suggestion originated with our- 

 selves and the New Year. 



UP-HILL WORK. 



"A/TR- CHARLES BONER has recently pub- 

 -*■**- lished a very portable and useful little guide to 

 tourists and mountain-climbers ; and, although this 

 is not exactly the season when people sling the 

 " Rucksack " over their shoulders, and grasp the 

 alpen-stock, with a determination to brave the 

 dangers of the Wetterhorn, or "do" the Capel 

 Curig ascent of Snowdon, we are, nevertheless, in- 

 duced to make our readers acquainted with the 

 mysteries of the alpen-stock as revealed by the said 

 Charles Boner, in anticipation of next season. 



" Your pole should be of your own height— six 

 feet, we will say ; light, tough, unbending, and iron- 

 shod." One who has done a little climbing every 

 autumn adds that it should be of good,' tough, old, 

 well-seasoned ash, 



" Let your whole body be as quiet as possible, 

 slightly bending forward, and your pole before you. 

 Such pole properly used is a great help in going up 

 a mountain': a great assistance and support. But 

 if you plant it behind or beside, instead of before 

 you, thus pushing yourself on, its use will fatigue 

 rather than otherwise. The staff being in front, 

 you lean the whole weight of your forward-bending 

 body upon it — thus quite resting on it— as you 

 step. 



" In coming down a ' Geroll ' (sloping bed of 

 stones), you will soon get to the bottom. With 



your pole behind you, and your body bent back- 

 ward and leaning upon it, jump on boldly among 







the loose stones, with your heels downwards and 

 the toes well pointed upwards. The weight of your 



Fig. 5. 



body will carry the mass on which you alight several 

 feet forwards. The 'Geroll' will slide on like a 

 miniature landslip, and you slide with it. To go 



