212 MISCELLANEOUS FIBRES 



1909, 87,685; 1910, 106,442; 1911, 123,295; 1912, 

 149,610 ; 1913, 120,710. 



The value of the total imports of kapok into the 

 United Kingdom amounted to 27,645 in 1909, 

 29,020 in 1910, 38,023 in 191 1, 44,664 in 1912, 

 27,458 in 1913, 37,869 in 1914, and 79,002 in 1915. 



Kapok consists of pale yellowish, highly lustrous, 

 silky hairs which are unicellular and of cylindrical 

 form. The hairs are from 0*6 to 1*2 inches long, 

 with an average length of 0*75 inch, and from 0-0004 

 to 0-0012 inch in diameter, with an average of 0-0007 

 inch. The cell-wall is very thin, and it is for this 

 reason that the strength and durability of the fibre 

 are so small. The base of the hair is dilated and bears 

 annular or reticulate markings, but other parts of the 

 cell-wall are smooth and devoid of markings. The 

 free end tapers gradually to a point. The hairs are 

 straight and do not possess the twist which is charac- 

 teristic of true cotton. The cells are full of air 

 and are very light ; they also possess the property 

 of being impermeable to moisture, and on this account 

 are extremely buoyant. It has been stated that 

 kapok can support about thirty-five times its own 

 weight in water, whereas cork can only carry about 

 five times its weight. 



Kapok is employed chiefly as a substitute for hair or 

 feathers for stuffing cushions, pillows, mattresses, 

 chairs and similar articles, and is well adapted for this 

 purpose on account of its lightness, its springy or 

 resilient nature, and its non-hygroscopic and non- 

 absorbent character. Owing to its buoyancy, it is 

 used as a packing material for the manufacture of 

 buoys, life-belts, and life-saving jackets. 



Many attempts have been made to employ kapoK 

 as a textile material, but considerable difficulty has 

 been experienced which is due chiefly to the fact that 

 the fibres have a smooth, slippery surface and there- 

 fore lack cohesive force. The difficulty has been 

 surmounted recently however by roughening the sur- 

 face of the fibre by chemical treatment, and so enabling 

 it to exert the necessary grip. By a special arrange- 

 ment and adaptation of the spinning machinery the 



