504 " REPORT OF TnE COMMISSIONER OP AGRICULTURE. 



DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FIBERS. 



That the list may be made more available for reference by tlie stu- 

 dent or inquirer, the i>lants furnishing the various fibers and fibrous 

 substances here enumerated have been grouped in their natural fami- 

 lies, and these arranged in the regular order of classification. By thia 

 means the relations of the fibers to each other in the vegetable kingdom, 

 as well as to the various plants producing them, may be noted. Strict 

 generic order has not in every case been followed, x^lants of the greatest 

 importance having been given first mention in the families to which they 

 belong. 



1. — Anonace^. 



XyJopia sericea. — Known to the Brazilians as the Pyndai/ha; also called 

 Malaqueie. The plants of this genus are trees or shrubs indigenous in 

 Brazil and warm districts of South America, and also found in the West 

 Indies. They are noted for the bitterness of the wood and for the aro- 

 matic properties of their fruit and seeds. 



The fiber of the species named, if fiber it can be called, is of the 

 coarsest description, and consists only of the cortical layers of bark, 

 which are torn from the trees in ribbon-like strips. These have no use 

 that can be dignified by the name of manufacture, and are only rudely 

 twisted or plaited by the natives into a kind of coarse cordage, which 

 is used to tie fences, and sometimes to secure cattle. A sample of this 

 coarsely-twisted rope was received from Brazil (Exhibition, 1876), and is 

 a little more than half an inch in diameter, composed of three strands, 

 each of which contains about nine or ten of these ribbons or strips of 

 bast, the interior ones being quite harsh and woody. Doubtless in 

 Bkilled hands finer specimens of cordage might be produced, though 

 strictly speaking it does not possess fibrous material. It would be avail- 

 able for mats. Xylopia fruticens, known as the Emhria in Brazil, fur- 

 nishes a similar fiber. It is also a native of Cayenne. But one species 

 is represented in the collection. 



2. — MALVACE^. 



In this family are included a large number of species of fiber-pro- 

 ducing plants, found chiefly in tropical countries, though exteu ding into 

 temperate climates, as the mallow, and marsh mallow, so common to 

 portions of our own country. The genera represented are Abutilon^ 

 Hibiscus, Sida, Urena, Lagunaria, &c. The cotton plant, Gossypiuni, 

 belongs to this family, though cultivated for its capsular fibers and not 

 at all for its bast. It is worthy of note that the cotton plant would pro- 

 duce a strong bast fiber if treated in the same manner as hemp or jute, 

 but of course it would be at the sacrifice of a much more available fiber, 

 many times more valuable and useful. 



Some of the foreign representatives of this family find their way into 

 commerce, though to a very limited extent, the plants being cultivated. 

 The most prominent of these is the Ambaree, grown in India; Paritium 

 tiliaceum is much prized in the West Indies ; other species have attracted 

 attention in various parts of the world, and even our indigenous species 

 are not altogether unknown. The species are all trees or shrubs with 

 large leaves and conspicuous flowers, and all yield fiber which is valu- 

 able for cordage and many other purposes. 



Ahehnoschus esculentus. — Okra and Okro: This plant, which finds a 

 •home in the southern portions of the United States, is a native oif the 



