ERIODENDRON 



ANFRACTUOSUM 



Kapok 



WHITE SILK-COTTON TREE 



Gum. 

 Tan. 

 Fibre. 

 Oil. 



Wood. 



Silk-cotton. 



Upholstery. 



Trade. 



Felts. 



Life-belts. 



Upholstery. 



Sterilised. 



good as many others produced up to two centuries later. He tells us that it 

 occurs everywhere in Malabar and bears fruit in January and February and puts 

 on fresh leaves in March and April. Hence if it be not indigenous to India it 

 must have been introduced at a very early date. 



Properties and Uses. From the bark a medicinal GUM is obtained ; the wood 

 is employed as a TANNING material for leather, and from the bark an inferior 

 bast FIBRE is sometimes prepared. The seeds yield 28 per cent, of an OIL that 

 much resembles cotton-seed oil, and the cake is found to be a highly beneficial 

 cattle food. The oil is used in Holland as food and in the manufacture of 

 soap. It dries more rapidly than cotton-seed oil. The WOOD is of poor 

 quality, and is only of use in the construction of toys. But interest in the 

 plant may be said to be concentrated in the^FLOss or SILK-COTTON obtained from 

 the fruits. This is known to commerce as kapok, a Dutch-Malay word derived 

 apparently from the Sanskrit karpdsi just as the most general Indian name for 

 the tree is hatian, a word derived from the Arabic katan, and thus its names 

 suggest the similarity of the floss to cotton. Gamble (quoting Trimen) very 

 properly remarks that the kapok cotton is obtained, not from the testa of the 

 seed but from the wall of the capsule. This is perhaps more than a botanical 

 peculiarity, and doubtless accounts for some of the characteristics of the floss, 

 which is used in nature as a packing material for the seeds, but is not, like cotton, 

 formed from the seeds themselves. Kapok is of better quality than the corre- 

 sponding cotton of JBoMuc as it is more elastic, and when used for upholstery 

 is less liable to knot. Both Bontius and Rheede (as already shown) mention the 

 the cotton is used in stuffing couches and cushions and is held in great esteer 

 because of its softness. Rumphius (Herb. Amb., i., 196, t. 80) tells us that in 

 time (1750) the tree was very abundant in Java and had been carried from ther 

 to most of the Malayan islands. He further remarks that although the fibre is 

 too short to spin, it is largely used for filling cushions and has the advantage 

 not being, like ordinary cotton, easily rolled into balls. During the Color 

 and Indian Exhibition of London (1885-6) I showed samples of Indian kapok 

 and other silk cottons and urged the claims of this particular fibre to attention. 

 It is only within the past decade or so that the subject seems to have attracted 

 the notice of Indian merchants as being something more than a curiosity. It- 

 would thus almost seem as if the plant had been in India more highly esteemed 

 over two centuries ago than to-day. And it is precisely in upholstery that 

 the fibre has in Europe come into prominence. Fairly largely exported from 

 Java. In 1898, for example, the traffiocame to 51, 919 bales, and in 1901 to 74,123 

 bales. Of the last-mentioned year's consignments 45,631 bales went to Holland, 

 23,192 bales to Australia, and 5,300 bales to the United States. The supply 

 received by Holland in 1903 was 51,918 bales. Ceylon would also appear to 

 have commenced to export this fibre. India exports none, and the local demand 

 even is insignificant, Bombttjc floss (see p. 168) taking its place. 



According to some writers the increasing demand for this floss in Europe 

 necessitates belief that it is being used for textile purposes. But it is too fine, 

 light, smooth and slippery to be easily spun, unless used as an admixture with 

 other flosses. It is reputed to be employed in Bordeaux for the manufacture of 

 soft non-conducting felts. Attempts have unsuccessfully been made to blend 

 it with the fur fibre of the coney and hare, in the production of the " nap " of 

 silk hats. The Kapok Supply Company of London announce that they are now 

 using it very largely ha the construction of life-belts, lifebuoys, etc., and that it is 

 regarded as superior to cork or hair since much more buoyant, softer and cheaper. 

 Life-jackets may be padded with kapok and rendered waterproof by being lined 

 with waterproof cloth. It is, however, as already mentioned, in upholstery mainly 

 that kapok has found its most important use. It is largely worked up for 

 cushions, pillows, chairs, bedding, etc., in Holland, Germany, Australia and the 

 United States, but only to a comparatively small extent in England. For these 

 purposes its non-hygroscopic character, its softness and resiliency render it 

 peculiarly suitable. It is also less absorbent, less liable to harbour insects, and 

 can be sterilised by heating at least three times without being seriously damaged. 

 With so much to recommend it, the apathy preserved in India is remarkable ; but 

 there is this to be said as possibly explanatory, viz. that so far the Indian floss 

 has fetched less than that of Java. This is by some believed to be due to defec- 

 tive methods of collecting, cleaning, packing, pressing, etc. ; by others, and perhaps 

 with greater reason, as due either to climate or stock of plant grown. Certainly 

 the opinion advanced by some writers (in the Indian press particularly) that 



