VEGETABLE FIBERS. 529 



9.— CUCUKBITACEJE. 



Liiffa cyUndrica. — Sponge Cucumber. — This is also called Papinjay, 

 and is the Estrapajo of the Venezuelans. The fruit is from 6 inches to 

 1 foot in length, the interior being formed of a dense tissue of wiry- 

 libers and containing three longitudinal tubes, in which are found the 

 numerous black seeds. It is also called " dish-cloth plant," as the dried 

 fiber, after the removal of the outer integument, is used as a substitute 

 for this indispensable article of household economy in the South, the 

 fibers becoming soft and pliable in water. Although the species are 

 natives of tropical Asia and Africa, the plants are found in many trop- 

 ical and semi-tropical climes. Museum specimens have been received 

 from South America, the West Indies, and the southern portions of the 

 United States. Ornamental baskets are sometimes made from the 

 sponge cucumber, and among the curious objects in the museum the 

 visitor is shown a bonnet, worn in the South during the late war, made 

 entirely of this fiber. To prepare it, the cucumbers were cut through 

 lengthwise upon one side only, and opened out flat^ the fibrous walls of 

 the tubes before mentioned forming longitudinal ridges which appeared 

 on the outside of the bonnet. Several cucumbers were required to make 

 this dainty head-covering, which was sewn together and afterwards 

 shaped with scissors, and lined on the inside and trimmed with pink 

 cambric. 



10. — ^Apocynacejej. 



Apocynum cannaMnum. — Indian Hemp. — Indigenous in the United 

 States. This is a species of perennial herb, belonging to the dogbane 

 family, with upright branching stems four or five feet in length, having 

 opposite leaves and a tough, reddish bark. As the name indicates, it is 

 used as a substitute for hemp by the Korth American Indians, as the 

 plant flourishes in many portions of the United States. A peculiarity 

 of the plant is that "its stalks exude a milky juice, which when dried 

 exhibits t he properties of India rubber." Its fiber is utilized in the rude 

 manufacture of bags, mats, small ornamental baskets, belts, rope, twine, 

 fish-nets and fishing-lines, &c. It is easily separated from the stalk, 

 and when cleaned is quite fine, long, and tenacious. In color it is a light 

 cinnamon, as usually seen, though finely-prepared specimens are creamy 

 white and remarkably fine and soft. 



In the museum there are samples of the fiber from Minnesota, Ne- 

 braska, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, together with a great variety of 

 articles of Indian manufacture. The finest prepared specimen is a fish- 

 line, such as is used by the Pi-Utes at the Walker Eiver Eeservation 

 in Nevada. The fiber will rank with Asclepias for strength , and is readily 

 obtained, as the stems are long, straight, smooth, and slender. Although 

 paper has not been made of it, it could doubtless be utilized for the pur- 

 pose. 



Lyonsia retimdata. — A specimen of so-called fiber from the seed-vessels 

 of this plant was received from the Queensland collection (Exhibition, 

 1876). It is worthless as a "fiber" and can only be classed with " sUk 

 cotton" fi-om the Bombax, and with " vegetable silk" from pods of As- 

 clepias. The plant is a creeper belonging to the dogbane fiimily, hav- 

 ing cucumber-shaped pods, which are the source of the fiber. The plant 

 is a native of Australia. 



34 Aa 



