ON THE TEEE MALLOW, 295 



them out on end through the winter, the bark comes off quite 

 freely if they are saturated for a short time in water, or even 

 thoroughly wetted by rain. 



The principal advantages to be derived from the cultivation of 

 the tree mallow are its production of two crops or returns — seeds 

 tindjlhre — either of which would alone remunerate its growers; 

 its suitability for extensive districts which are now almost 

 worthless, or only capable of bringing low pasture rents ; tlie 

 prevention or abatement of river pollutions, as little if any 

 t;austic soda or other deleterious chemicals will be required in the 

 preparation of its fibre ; its resistance of injury from wet weather 

 at, and after harvesting. And for the encouragement of such as 

 wish to try it where the winters are occasionally too cold, it may be 

 stated that plants of only one season's growth will yield a profit- 

 able return of good fibre, should they happen to be killed by frost. 



In addition to the forenamed Scottish habitats of the tree 

 mallow, it is also indigenous on some parts of the south-west of 

 England and Welsh coasts ; while in the " Cyble Hibernica," by 

 Dr. David Moore and Alexander G. More of the Glasnivea 

 liotauic Gardens, it is stated to be found wild ia five of the 

 twelve divisions that therein comprise the map of Ireland, only 

 one of which is on its eastern, and the other four on its southern 

 -cind western coasts. So that in the western and northern coasts 

 of Scotland, its Western Isles, the Orkneys, and probably the 

 Shetland Isles, added to the other sufficiently mild tempera- 

 tured districts of Great Britain and Ireland, it may be safely 

 inferred that a much greater extent is available for tree-mallow 

 culture than would suffice for all the wants of our home paper 

 manufacturers, — and that without lessening materially the land 

 surface pjresently devoted to ordinary agricultural crops. Con- 

 tinental Europe, it may be remarked, is too cold in winter for 

 the Lavatera arhorca, except tliose districts which border on the 

 Atlantic and Mediterranean ; and the same may be said of the 

 Northern United States. In short, as beforementioned, no place 

 IS suitable for its regular cultivation where the temperatu 

 frequently falls below 15^ Fahr. in winter. 



In Lawsons' "Agriculturists' Manual," published in I80G, the 

 fjavatcra arhorca is included in the section " Plants Yielding 

 Fibre," from its having been shortly before recommended by M. 

 iJavaniller^ for "])roduciiig a very strong fibre which may bo 

 t'mployed for making ropes," &c. In August 1 S70 Lady Grde 

 kindly favoured me with the perusal of a letter from ^Ir 

 Freer of llayden, Norfolk, in which he stated that ^Ir William 

 JJillingtoii, who was deputy-surveyor for the woods and forests 

 at Chopwell, Diiihiiiii, and afterwards " resideil at liay Towers 

 on the west coast of county Afayo, where, ex])osed to all the 

 ritornis of the Atlantic, Lavatera arhorca nourished in native- 



