214 MISCELLANEOUS FIBRES 



The leaves are kept moist during the operation by 

 causing a jet of water to play on them. Short, coarse 

 fibres are thus obtained which, after being dried, are 

 twisted together into a kind of rope. The rope is 

 left for a few weeks, and is afterwards untwisted ; 

 the fibres then present a crinkled appearance and 

 constitute the material known as " vegetable curled 

 hair " or " crin vegetal." The product is used 

 either in its natural or " green " state or is dyed black 

 by means of logwood and sulphate of iron. Large 

 quantities of crin vegetal are exported from Algeria, 

 chiefly to Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary and 

 France. The black kind is used by upholsterers as a 

 substitute for horse-hair. 



Total Exports of Vegetable Curled Hair from Algeria 



Year. Quantity. Value. 



Tons. 



1911 . . . 46,426 212,320 



1912 . . . 54,686 296,520 



1913 . . . 58,509 332,960 



Exports from Algeria to the United Kingdom 



Year. Quantity. Value. 



Tons. i 



1911 . . 1,670 7,640 



1912 . . . 1,696 8,960 



1913 . . . 3,441 19,600 



Algerian curled hair is usually quoted in the London 

 market at the following prices : green, 5-^6 per ton ; 

 black, 9 per ton. 



RAFFIA OR BASS 



This product is the well-known material which is 

 used by gardeners for tying up plants, and is also 

 employed for the manufacture of matting. It is 

 obtained by peeling off the cuticle from the leaves 

 of various species of Raphia palms, and consists of a 

 thin fibrous substance which is divided, by means of 

 a kind of Comb, into strips or ribbons of the width 



