KAPOK 213 



roughened fibres can be spun either alone or in ad- 

 mixture with cotton. These processes are applicable 

 not only to kapok, but also to many other flosses. 

 The yarns so produced cannot be satisfactorily 

 bleached, but are readily dyed and possess an excellent 

 lustre and a woolly character, and are said to be 

 suitable for the manufacture of plushes, lace and 

 other materials. 



During recent years the market value of kapok has 

 fluctuated considerably, as is shown by the following 

 average prices per Ib. : Java kapok, 1904-06, $\d.-6d. ; 

 1907-1909, 5fd.-6ffi?. ; 1910, 6ld.-j%d. ; 1911 

 lod. ; 1912-1913, ?%d-9d. ; 1914-1915, 6\ 

 Calcutta kapok, 1904-1910,4^-5^.; 1911, $d- 

 1912-1913, 6d.-?d.', 1914-1915, $d.-6d. 



Allied to kapok are many other plants of the Bom- 

 bacacese which bear flosses derived from the inner 

 wall of the capsule. Among these may be mentioned 

 Bombax spp., especially B. Ceiba of South America 

 and B. malabaricum of India, Chorisia spp. of South 

 America, Eriodendron Samauma of Brazil, and Q chroma 

 Lagopus of tropical America and the West Indies. 



Various plants of the natural order Asclepiadaceae, 

 including Asclepias spp., Calotropis gigantea, C. 

 procera, and Gomphocarpus brasiliensis, produce silk 

 cottons attached to the seeds. Reference may also 

 be made to Funtumia elastica (Apocynaceae), the well- 

 known rubber tree of West Africa, and Cochlospermum 

 Gossypium (Bixaceae) which occurs in India. Most 

 of these products are decidedly inferior to true kapok 

 in resilience, and are therefore less valuabfe for 

 upholstery purposes. 



VEGETABLE CURLED HAIR 



Another fibre used as a stuffing material in up- 

 holstery is one obtained from the leaves of the dwarf 

 fan palm, Chamcerops humilis, which grows wild in 

 some parts of Southern Europe, and is very abundant 

 in Algeria and Tunis. The fibre is extracted by sub- 

 jecting the leaves to the action of a rapidly revolving 

 drum, the surface of which is studded with spikes. 



