1 8 9 1 -9 2 .] Vegetable Fibres used in Brushmaking. 1 9 



vulgare. Carpet-switches of the cheaper kind are made of 

 this product, and shipped from Venice to England. 



7. American Millet. — This is the fruiting-spike of Sorghum 

 saccharatum. It is commonly known in the States as broom 

 corn. According to American tradition, all the millet in the 

 country is the progeny of one seed taken by Benjamin Frank- 

 lin from a hand-whisk which a lady had brought from the 

 East. Superior carpet-switches are made from the tops of 

 this plant. 



8. Baliia Bass. — This fibre is obtained from the leaf-stalk 

 and sheathing base of Attalea funifera, a Brazilian palm-tree. 

 It is the best material in the market for stable- and street- 

 brooms, but the supply has diminished of late. The fruit of 

 this tree is called the Coquilla nut, and is used by turners for 

 making knobs, buttons, and articles of ornament. 



9. Monkey Bass. — This is obtained from the leaf-stalks of 

 Leopoldina piassaba, a palm-tree which grows in the north of 

 Brazil. It is collected by the natives, piled on rafts, and 

 floated down the Amazon to the harbour of Para. Scrubbing- 

 and dandy-brushes are filled with this fibre. 



10. African Bass. — This fibre is simply the midribs from 

 the leaves of a bamboo palm, Baphia vinifera, a tree widely 

 distributed over Africa. Although this material is not so tough 

 as Bahia bass, it is well adapted for stable-brooms, and large 

 shipments come from the Gulf of Guinea. 



11. Bassine. — This is also used for stable-brooms, and is 

 obtained from an Indian tree, the Palmyra palm, Borassus 

 flabelliformis. It is a durable fibre, but becomes very crooked 

 when quite dry, — rather a serious drawback. 



] 2. Patent Bass. — Bamboo cane from the Malay Islands is 

 sold under this name. It is a cheap commodity, and makes 

 very inferior brooms. 



13. Rattan Cane. — This is used to a limited extent in 

 the manufacture of stable - brooms. It is obtained from 

 Calamus verus. 



14. Madagascar Fibre. — This is often mixed with other 

 fibres for the purpose of making scrubbing-brushes. I do not 

 know its botanical source — probably obtained from the leaves 

 of an Agave. 



