



PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY AND AFFILIATED 



SOCIETIES 



'BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The 122d regular meeting of the Botanical Society of Washington 

 was held at the Cosmos Club, Tuesday, October 2, 1917, at 8 p.m. 

 Thirty-one members were present. The following scientific program 

 was given: 



Need for textile plant fibers (Illustrated with lantern slides) : Lyster 

 H. Dewey. The speaker presented for the inspection of the audi- 

 ence samples of the fiber produced from different plants, such as flax, 

 hemp, jute, and henequen, and showed slides illustrating the culture 

 of these crops and the operations necessary for separating the fiber 

 therefrom. The following conclusions were announced by the speaker: 

 The reduced production of flax and hemp in Russia, and jute in India, 

 combined with difficulties of transportation and increased consumption 

 of certain fibers, has resulted in demands greatly in excess of supplies. 



Flax is not now regarded as absolutely necessary for tablecloths 

 and napkins, and it has long since given place to cotton in most of the 

 so-called linen collars and shirts, but it is demanded in the wings of 

 airplanes, and must be used largely in shoe thread. Ireland's 107,000 

 acres of flax, double the area devoted to this crop in pre-war years, and 

 the marked increase up to 39,000 acres in Japan are helping out the 

 supplies, while hemp and cotton are used more than ever before as 

 substitutes. 



Hemp is in demand as indicated by the increase in the price from 

 about 6 cents per pound before the war to 16 cents per pound now. 

 The usual supplies of Russian hemp and Italian hemp have been cut 

 down, while the prices for these imported hemps have gone up 300 per 

 cent. Hemp is used for commercial twines, fishing lines, nets, pack- 

 ing, and oakum, and it is now being dressed like flax and made into 

 shoe thread. The reduced supply of imported hemp is more than 

 counterbalanced by the increased supply of hemp grown in this coun- 

 try, the acreage increasing from 4000 in 1914 to more than 41,000 in 

 1917. 



Jute is normally used in greater quantit} r than any other fiber except 

 cotton, and in addition to its use for covering cotton, wool, grain, sugar, 

 coffee, cement, and many other articles in transit it is now in denland 

 for sand bags in the trenches. Practically all of the jute of the world's 

 supply comes from India. The crops of the last two years have been 

 below the normal consumption, and this, added to the very serious 

 difficulties of transportation, has resulted in shortage of supply and 



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