ESSAYS 129 



they have developed into shrubs as high as a man. In other cases plantations 

 have been formed on moorland which is unsuitable for growing food crops, and 

 it is claimed that by doing this the land is subjected to a process of slow, natural 

 cultivation that in time will increase the agricultural value of the land. 



Other fibre substitutes are still of comparatively little importance, though they 

 have proved useful in emergencies. The long hairs attached to the flowering 

 heads of cotton grass {Eriophorum sp.) have been used for spinning purposes, 

 either alone or mixed with wool or cotton. When mixed with ordinary cotton 

 in the proportion of 3:1 a fine yarn is obtained, and when combined with about 

 equal proportions of wool it yields a coarse yarn useful for making into thick 

 stockings, or for weaving into a serviceable cloth. Cotton grass is very abundant 

 on the German peat moors, though the exact species used is not indicated. 



The hairs from the seed of willow-herb {Epilobium sp.) were used at one time 

 for stuffing pillows, bed-quilts, etc., and were also spun with cotton to give a yarn 

 for glove-making. The cost of production is high, the yield is low, and the fibre 

 has little strength, so the outlook for this is not promising. The hairs from the 

 heads of reedmace {Typha sp.) have been used for stuffing feather beds, and it was 

 an old Swedish fashion to mix them with cotton for the manufacture of hats. 



Other wild plants yield a class of much rougher fibres. The bast fibres from 

 willow-bark (obtained from twigs peeled for the manufacture of baskets) make 

 a good substitute for oakum, and have been used instead of tow and jute in 

 Germany, the carded willow-bark being very useful instead of tow for cleaning 

 guns. Successful attempts have also been made to spin the fibres into cloth, 

 either with or without the admixture of cotton. The willow fibres have been used 

 as a bast for tying up planks. Air-dried willow-bark (or rind) will yield from 

 10-20 per cent, (or even up to 30 per cent.) of fibre, but care is needed in treat- 

 ment, as, if the freshly gathered material is piled in heaps, it is apt to rot, which 

 renders it practically worthless. 



Hop tendrils have also been recommended as a good substitute for jute, 

 especially in the production of sacks, but, as the proportion of fibre is only about 

 8 per cent, and the cost of production is rather high, it is more profitable to utilise 

 the tendrils as fodder. 



In Sweden cloth has been woven from peat fibres, proving cheaper than 

 shoddy at the prices ruling in 1916. Broom fibre is being used for rope-makers' 

 wares, and may be regarded as a prospective substitute for hemp. 



In connection with the textile industry, seaweed has been turned to account 

 in the preparation of a dressing substance which is said to be valuable in binding 

 the other dressing stuffs and to make the colours faster and more brilliant. 

 Various species of seaweed are used for the purpose, including Laminaria. 



Sedge, rushes, and reeds used to be widely employed for coarse work, though 

 they are of less importance nowadays. Rushes were woven into mats and baskets 

 of all kinds ; chair bottoms were made from them, and useful cordage for rustic 

 purposes was prepared by twisting the rushes together. 1 Sedge has been used 

 by the Italians for the covers of oil-flasks and for chair bottoms, and also for 

 stuffing crevices in casks, while the Laplanders are said to make a kind of flaxy 

 fibre from it to protect their feet and hands in winter. In Kent the larger varieties 

 of sedge have been used as ties to fasten the hop-vines to the poles. 3 



The great shortage of paper-making materials has led to a diligent search for 

 substitutes, and much work in this direction has been carried out by Professor 



1 Pratt, A., ibid. 



2 Wilson, ibid. 



