64 



round. The sides of the stalks may be separated and the 

 pulp removed and the material thus rendered more fit for 

 weaving into finer grades of mats and hats. The straw 

 can be made more pliable as is done with tikug by passing 

 it between the fingers and a rounded piece of wood or 

 bamboo. The sedges can also probably be worked to better 

 advantage when the air is not so dry, as in the morning 

 and evening and on cloudy and rainy days. 



USES. 



At present, mats, hats, and slippers made of species of 

 Scirpus are rather coarse, but this does not necessarily prove 

 that finer articles could not be manufactured. 



CAT-TAIIj. 



(Typha angustifolia.) 

 Cat-tail (E.) ; balangot (Batangas, Leyte) ; caid-qued (II. and Pang, 

 in Pangasinan) ; lampacanay (Bohol) ; tubol-tubol (Oriental 

 Negros). Also reported from Iloilo and Mindoro. 



This plant reaches a height of 2 m. It can easily be 

 distinguished from other plants by its semioval stalks and 

 its characteristic spike, cylindric in shape and brown in 

 color when mature. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



When this marsh plant does occur in low wet places and 

 shallow, stagnant, fresh water, it is found in abundance. 



PREPARATION. 



Dried in the sun either whole or split into strips. 



USES. 



The straw is well adapted for the making of slippers. By 

 splitting the straw and twisting it, a better-looking slipper 

 with macrame toe can be made. 



The whole stem can be woven into fancy braid and in 

 combination with braided rice straw or buri, colored or 

 natural, can be wound around a framework and made into 

 very pretty flower baskets. 



The straw can also be woven into screens. In connection 



