506 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



has been the subject of renewed experiment in l^evr Jersey, the better 

 means for the extraction of the fiber, now at hand, having made its suc- 

 cessful cultivation probable. In the second report of the bureau of 

 statistics, labor and industries of ^ew Jersey, it is stated that the — 



Recent experiments with tlie rose mallow at Camden and Newark incline us strongly 

 to believe that jute of equal quality may be obtained from it, and possibly under con- 

 ditions more advantageous than from the Almtilon (avicennce). One very important 

 advantage the rose mallow would have over the Abutilon, in respect to the ecouomy 

 of culti-v^tion, consists in its being a perennial. Like ramie, the plants once estab- 

 lished, the annual cuttings from the stands would be a perpetual source of profit to 

 the cnltivator, in case the quality and cost of the fiber meet our present expectationa. 



Although the plant is generally found, in a wild state, in marshes, or 

 upon the margins of streams, or in low wet places, experiment shows 

 that it will thrive upon uplr.nds as well. Twenty years ago rose mallow 

 roots were taken from the pierce of their natural growth and planted 

 upon uplands on the Delaware Eiver, with a view to utilization of the 

 fiber, and these roots hold their own as tenaciously to-day as when grow- 

 ing in their native swamp. More than this, they have defied attempts at 

 eradication, and continue to grow in spite of opi>osition. 



Samples of fiber produced last year by gentlemen interested in further- 

 ing this industry are considered as "a substitute not only for Asiatic 

 jute, but for secondary grades of imported hemps." 



Samples of this fiber upon exhibition in the museum are evidently 

 hand prepared, and of very little strength. There is no doubt, however, 

 but that a reaUy good fiber can be prepared from this plant, as well as 

 from allied species which occur from Pennsylvania to Illinois, and south- 

 ward. It would be interesting to test favorably ijrepared specimens of 

 the indigenous species of Hibiscus, to ascertain their relative strength, 

 though without doubt the northern species would be found inferior to 

 the okra, or species mostly gTown in the Southern States. R. gradi- 

 ■fiorus and H. militaris are other indigenous species yielding fiber. 



Hibiscus cannabinus. — Hemp-like Hibiscus. — This plant, a native of the 

 East Indies, is extensively cultivated in many parts of India for its fiber, 

 which is employed as a substitute for hemp, under which name it is ex- 

 ported, though sometimes called bastard jute. It has a variety of na- 

 tive names, the most commonly known of wliich is Ambaree, its name 

 in Western India. In Madras it is called Falungoo ; it is the Maesta 

 plant of Bengal, and Deehanee hemp of Bombay ; the Sanscrit name is 

 Ndlika. The plant has a prickly stem, the leaves deeply parted, and 

 the stem attains a height of 6 to 8 feet. 



Though thriving at all seasons of the year, it is generally cultivated 

 m the cold season. The seeds are sown as thickly as hemp, in rich loose 

 soil, and it requires about three months' growth before it is ready to be 

 pulled for "watering" and dressing, the mode of treatment being the 

 same .as that given the Sunn hemp. Crotalariajuneca (see Leguminosce). 

 Full-grown plants that have ripened their seed furnish stronger fiber 

 than the i)lants cut while in flower, though the fibers of this species are 

 more remarkable for their fineness than for strength. 



As to uses, a coarse sackcloth is made from its fiber, in India (some- 

 times called gunny fiber), though its chief employment is for ropes and 

 cordage, it being the common cordage of the country in a few districts. 

 Coarse canvas is also made from it. In Bengal it is employed at the pres- 

 ent time for all the purposes of jute, and also for making fish-nets and 

 paper. Vetillart says : " The fiber of H. cannabinus is stifi' and brittle, 

 and has no superiority over jute, and it is very inferior to that of India 



