IXDUSTRL\L RETTING OF TEXTILE PLANTS IO73 



hours, and is a perfect success both on the stalks and the strips and the 

 derived product called " China-grass ". The well known difficulties, how- 

 ever, experienced in getting rid of the cork-like film will hardly allow 

 of applying it except to China-grass. Energetic washing is needed after 

 retting. The resulting fibre, however, differs from the ramie fibre obtained 

 by chemical retting. It differs greatly from silk waste, which the last- 

 named resembles ; on the other hand it very much resembles the superfine 

 qualities of flax. 



The product obtained is stronger, the fibres are more parallel, and it 

 is easier to obtain long yarns with high yield. It is also possible to cany 

 out bleaching, at least in medium sizes, on the finished yarn, and even to 

 disregard this operation in inferior products and all those which do not 

 need it owing to their purpose. The cost of retting may be estimated at 

 1 s. 8 d. per cwt of China-grass in normal times, and the combing yield may 

 go up to 44 %. This method will render ramie-growing possible every- 

 where, when advances m machinerj^ have furnished the means of producing 

 China-grass by mechanical means. For the moment the industry con- 

 tinues to be completely subservient to the Chinese hand-barked China-grass. 



Agave, other Liliaceae, Jute, etc. The method is perfectly well applic- 

 able to Agave Americana, Agave sisalana and Sanseviera ceylanica. With 

 regard to the flesh}' leaves, they must in the first place be reduced to strips, 

 their tissues roughl}' crushed, and the product washed after retting. The leaf 

 parench^'ma is reduced to a pasty mass easily carried away by water. Drying 

 is very easy, and may be completed in 2 to 3 hours. In 4 days the leaf is 

 reduced to perfect and ver^^ white fibre. The retting of jute {Corchorus 

 sp.) is also quite successfully accomplished. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



G. Rossi. — Primo coiilributo alio studio della decomposizione di framnienti ricavati da or- 

 gani vegetali viventi. Annali della R. Sciiola Superiore d'Agricoltura in Portici, Vol. V. 

 Portici, Delia Torre, 1903. 



— Contributo alio studio della decomposizione dei vegetali. Extrait de rArchivio di Farma- 



cologia sperim. e Scienze affini, annee III, fasc. X. En collaboration avec S. De Gr.\zi.\ 

 et T. De C.^praris, Siene, Nava, 1904. 



— Studi istologici e chimici sulla decomposizione dei vegetali. En collaboration avec S. De 



Grazl\. Annali della R. Scuola Superiore d'Agricoltura in Portici, Vol. VI. Portici, Delia 

 Torre, 1905. 



— Histologische und chemische Untersuchiuigeu iiber die Zersetzung der Pflanzen. En colla- 



boration avec S. De Gr.'^zi.a.. Centralblatt fiir Baktetiologie, II. Abt. XV. Bd., p. 212. 

 Jena, Fischer, 1905. 



— Contributo alio studio della formazione dell'humus. Ricerche sulla decomposizione dei ve- 



getali. En collaboration avec F. Guarxieri. Archivio di Farmacologia e Scienze affini, 

 Siene, Nava, 1906. 



— II Bacillus Comesiie le sue proprieta. En collaboration avec Fr.\ncesco Guarxieri. Atti 



del VI Congresso di chimica applicata. Rome, 1907. 



