VEGETABLE FIBERS. 523 



of Connecticut ordered flax to be sown by each family in order to pre- 

 serve the seed. 



In modern times flax is widely cultivated throughout the northern 

 hemisphere, extending fi-om the tropics in India and Egypt to the 

 northern part of Europe, and in our own country. It is a little remark- 

 able, but flax has never been cultivated in Japan to any extent, and 

 only grown for its seeds or for medicinal purposes, ramie, hemp, jute, 

 and other fibers taking its place as a textile. The greatest quantity or 

 flax is probably grown in Russia. In our own country flax has been 

 produced largely, but in late years its cultivation, excepting as grown 

 for seed, has declined, as jute has come more generally into favor, and 

 has been utilized for bagging as well as for other purposes. A few of 

 its native names may be mentioned briefly, as follows : Sanscrit name, 

 Atasi ; Hindoo, Alsi ; Indian, Afees ; BeugsHese, Mosnee ; Persian, Ul- 

 vee; Malayan, Bidjee rammee; Japanese, Ama, or Numegoma; Persian, 

 Kutan ; Russian, Son, &c. 



Flax fibers, when separated by alkaline solutions, and afterward by 

 grinding in a mortar, under a power of 300 diameters, " appear independ- 

 ent of each other, transparent, and of uniform diameter for a great 

 length; they look like glass tubes, apparently thick, with a capillary 

 canal of extreme fineness in the center. These fibers are sometimes so 

 full the canal is not visible." If the filaments are bruised between the 

 fingers, so as to form creases at different points, and then examined 

 with a very high power, breaks or fissures will be observed parallel to 

 the axis of the fibers, and indicate the fibrous texture of flax fiber. 

 " The ends of flax fibers are long, fine, and pointed like needles." 



A section of bark examined transversely is found to be composed al- 

 most entirely of fibers agglomerated into groups or bundles, the differ- 

 ent groups only separated from each other by the prolongation of a 

 meduUary ray. The sections of fibers which compose these groups aro 

 polygonal with straight sides, and, generally, sharp aogles, though they 

 are sometimes blunt or rounded. The central cavity is often repre- 

 sented by a point and sometimes by a very short line. In fibers of the 

 last form, however, the openings are larger. 



The flax collection of the department is a fair one. The finest sam- 

 ples are of Russian, Irish, Flemish, and Belgian flax, belonging to the 

 old collection of the department. Through the Exhibition in Philadel- 

 phia the museum received large acquisitions of this fiber from the various 

 countries where flax is grown. The American series is only an average 

 one. The various stages of manufacture from flax-straw to fabric are 

 illustrated, and good samples have been presented from difierent por- 

 tions of the country. The most interesting branch of this collection, 

 however, is the group of samples received from the Hemp and Flax 

 Commission, which was appointed by Congress in 18G3.* 



'Twenty thousand dollars was appropriated for "investigations to test tho practi- 

 cability of cultivating and preparing flax or hemp as a substitute for cotton." The 

 war had cut off supplies of cotton from the South, and tho want of a substitute be- 

 gan to be seriously felt. A commission was organized by the Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture, Hon. Isaac Newton, consisting of three members, Hon. J. K. Moorhead, Dr. 

 John A. Warder, and Charles Jackson, esq. A report was made early in 1865, after 

 examination of m.achinery and processes of manufacture in different sections of the 

 country in which progress of inventions and manufacturing skill was reported, and 

 the opinion expressed that the preparation of flax-cotton was not sufficiently devel- 

 oped to justify a prediction of ultimate success. The culture of flax and hemp was 

 considered in detail, and the history, structure, and uses of these and other fibers were 

 presented. Feeliug that all attainable practical results of the investigation had been 

 accomplished, and that the possible supersedure of cotton by flax or otlicr Ober would 

 never be realized, the Commissioner disbanded the commission and returned to the 

 treasury |9,500, the unexpended balance of appropriation. 



