FIBRES AND PAPER-MATERIALS. 171 



equally long known in Egypt, Nineveh, and Peru. 

 In 1886 we retained for consumption and manufac- 

 ture 671 026 tons of cotton, or more than 40 Ib. per 

 head of the population, and we exported cotton yarn 

 to the value of nearly 1 1 J millions sterling, and cotton 

 manufactures valued at over 57 millions sterling. The 

 refuse seeds yield a good oil-cake for cattle.* 



Hibiscus esculentus, L., and H. cannabinus, L. ; 

 recommended. 



Leopoldinia Piassaba, Wallace. Para Piassaba, of 

 which the ramenta are used for brushes, and fetch 

 25 to 45 per ton. 



Linuni usitatissimwn, L., FLAX, already mentioned 

 (pp. 8 1 and 133, supra), for the valuable oil obtained 

 from its seeds, was cultivated for fibre in prehistoric 

 times, as evidenced by remains in the Swiss lake- 

 dwellings, and has been grown for ages in Egypt. 

 It will grow equally in very warm and in far colder 

 climates ; and though we import more than half our 

 supply from Russia, flax is one of the staple crops of 

 Ireland. We import nearly 100,000 tons of Flax and 

 Tow, or CODILLA OF FLAX, the rough or broken fibres 

 or combings, while we export linen yarn and manu- 

 factures to the value of over six millions sterling. 

 Being a true bast or lignified fibre, flax is far stronger 

 than cotton, and linen rags are still one of our chief 

 paper-materials.t 



Macrochloa tenacissima, Kunth. (=Stipa), the entire 



* J. Forbes Royle, ' On the Culture and Commerce of Cotton,' 

 1851 ; Archer, 'Popular Economic Botany,' pp. 170-181 ; ' Cata- 

 ogue of Indian Exhibits : Colonial and Indian Exhibition/ 

 pp. 124-126. 



f ' Pharmacographia,' p. 91; Archer, 'Popular Economic 

 Botany,' p. 148. 



