South African Fibre Plants. 577 



probably due to insufficient retting-. Streng-th, good. Length of 

 staple about 6 feet. The fibre was not submitted to chemical 

 examination. 



" The tangled state of the sample would also depreciate its 

 value, as it could not be used for spinning purposes without the 

 expenditure of much labour. Well-prepared Hibiscus fibre could 

 be used as a substitute for jute, and would probably be worth 

 about the same as ' medium jute,' which is now selling at £15 

 per ton in the London market." 



Recently the fibre was brought more prominently to the Depart- 

 ment's notice by Mr. W. R. Pedley, of Nylstroom, Transvaal. 



Mr. Pedley, in a letter to the Government Botanist, dated the 

 19th June, 1916, in asking for advice on the subject, wrote as 

 follows : — 



" The plant from which this fibre is taken grows exceedingly 

 well in the sandy soil of the Northern Districts, and, should it 

 prove of commercial value, would make a very payable crop, as it 

 can be grown in our poorest soil with a minimum rainfall. 



" The chief difiiculty, I fear, is the length of time it must 

 remain in water to clear it of vegetable matter. 



" The sample I am sending has been in water for over eight 

 weeks and still has a certain amount of vegetable matter adhering. 



" The vegetable matter can be got rid of by boiling, but 

 that process discolours the fibre to some extent, in addition to 

 which it would hardly be practicable to treat large quantities in 

 that way. 



"I shall be glad of your opinion at an early date with a 

 view to collecting and distributing seed, which must be sown early 

 in the spring, as it takes some five or six months to mature. 



The identity of the fibre was soon established, and all the avail- 

 able information regarding the plant and preparation of the fibre 

 placed at Mr. Pedley' s disposal. 



On the 26th of June, in a further letter on the subject, Mr. Pedley 

 communicated the following interesting notes : — 



" This plant, or rather weed, has been a curse to me since I 

 have been farming here, and not alone to me but to every farmer 

 around ; in fact some have given up lands on account of it. It 

 grows stoutly to the detriment of everything else. It has taken 

 me three years to clear one of my lands of it sufficiently to raise 

 a crop of mealies, and even now I anticipate a good germina- 

 tion with the first rains. 



" To give you some idea of the durability of the fibre I 

 enclose witli other specimens a small sample taken from the 

 upholstery of my cart, where it has been for the last six Uionths, 

 prior to which it was lying on a ' land ' for about eighteen 

 months, from whence I carted about two wagon loads to my cattle 

 kraal, where the cattle trampled it to its present state. 



" I am also forwarding you another sample of the fibre which 

 was cut green, cured, and then placed in water. The other sample 

 I sent you was from plants cut green (before seedpods opened) and 

 put straight into water. 



" I should like to know which you consider the better sample 

 and I will on receipt of your reply send yon about 4 lb. I have 



