VEGETABLE FIBERS, 653 



coarse Mud of Tapa cloth, and are used in this way, doubtless, for clothing. The 

 fibers of Daphne, under the microscoiie and when examined in glycerine, appear 

 united in bnndlea ; they are easily separated by the needles. They are very fine, stiff", 

 and generally full, and their surface appears smooth without longitudinal or transverse 

 striae. The body of the fiber shows a swelling at the points where it has been sud- 

 denly folded upon itself. The most of the cells have a comparatively regular and uni- 

 form diameter, but we meet with some in which the middle is very large for a little 

 distance, the fiber then becomes suddenly thin and at each end terminates in fine long 

 points; they are usually rounded at the end andsometimes exhibit a tendency to bifur- 

 cate. The part widened in the middle contains a large cavity which is very apparent, 



Pimelia axiflora. — Similar to the plants of the Daphne group are those 

 belonging to the genus Pimelia, which are natives of Australia, Tas- 

 mania, and Kew Zealand, comprising some seventy or more — slender 

 branching shrubs bearing white or yellow flowers. The species have 

 all, more or less, tough, stringy bark, suitable for textile purposes. Dr. 

 Guilfoyle i^repared the present species, and accompanies it with this 

 description: "The Curryjoug of the aborigines, a tall glabrous shrub 

 with smooth bark of exceeding toughness, suitable for fishing-lines, 

 whip-cord, &c. It is found plentifully in the forests and gullies in 

 alpine and sub-alpine situations." Samples of Curryjong paper are also 

 exhibited in the collection of paper substances received at the same 

 time. 



The seeds of the plant yield an oil from which the genus — derived 

 from the Greek pimele, a fat — received its name. Some of the species 

 are cultivated as greenhouse plants. 



14. — TJRTICACEJE. 



Boehvierianivea. — Kamie, China Grass. — This is another plant of prac- 

 tical value to American agTiculture, though its value can hardly be said 

 to be appreciated save by the few who have fought over the ground of 

 experiment. As to nomenclature, we have adopted the Javanese name 

 of the plant, which is known as Bamee. In India it is commonly known 

 as Bhea, having been cultivated from time immemorial in Assam, Ding- 

 lepore, and Sylhet, where it is regarded as most useful for fishing-nets. 

 The cultivated variety, though botanicaUy the same as the wild, is called 

 Dome rhea, and is produced for nets and fishing-tackle, while the latter 

 variety is called Ban rhea. With the Singpoos the name is Pan, and 

 cloth is made from it, while in Burmah it is used to make a kind of linen. 

 In Sumatra it is caUed Caloee, and the Chinese name is CMi, ma, from 

 which th# celebrated grass cloth is made, and from which we derive our 

 English name, " China Grass." Several varieties of Boehmeria are cul- 

 tivated in Japan, and the process of preparing the fiber is similar to that 

 in use for the preparation of hemp — as, indeed, all of their best fibers. 

 The China Grass industry in Japan dates back to 1660 A. D., and the 

 finest fabrics are manufactured at Techigo (to the north of Tokio, on the 

 west coast). The annual production amounts to nearly 100,000 pieces 

 of goods, 9 to 10 yards in length. 



In our own country ramie, as yet, has only been produced experi- 

 mentally. That it can be produced in any quantity in the South is a 

 settled fact, and that it can be grown successfully even as far north as 

 New Jersey has been demonstrated within the last two years. Much 

 has been written upon the subject of ramie culture, both in this and other 

 lands, and no small share of ramie literature is to be found between the 

 covers of department publications. 



The strength of this fiber, judging from Dr. Eoxburgh's experiments, 

 places it in the first rank. He found that Jeetee fiber {Mamdenia teriaces- 

 sima) broke with a strain of 248 pounds, when Caloee (or ramie) broke 



