220 MISCELLANEOUS FIBRES 



imported into the United Kingdom during 1910- 

 1915 were as follows : 



The prices of esparto and esparto pulp in the London 

 market in July, 1914, were as follows : 



Esparto, Spanish, $-$ 105. per ton. 



Esparto, North African, 3 ios.-^4 2s. 6d. per ton. 



Esparto pulp, bleached, 1 5-^19 per ton. 



Straw. Large quantities of straw pulp, made by 

 heating straw with caustic soda solution under pres- 

 sure, are imported into the United Kingdom chiefly 

 for the manufacture of brown papers and straw boards. 

 The straws of wheat, barley, oats and rye are those 

 most commonly used for this purpose, and give yields 

 of pulp varying from 40 to 45 per cent. Straw pulps 

 were quoted in London in July, 1914, at 12-^13 per 

 ton. 



Bamboo. The Chinese have long employed bamboo 

 for making their native paper, but its use in modern 

 paper-mills has been retarded owing to the severe 

 treatment which was found necessary to disintegrate 

 the nodes of the mature canes. This difficulty has 

 now been surmounted, however, by crushing the 



