MATERIALS USED FOR PAPER. 153 



circumstances hereafter cause a scarcity of linen and 

 cotton rags for the production of this most essential 

 article of civilized life, it is plain that we are sur- 

 rounded by vegetable substances which are convert- 

 ible into most valuable substitutes. That part of 

 hemp and flax which is thrown away as refuse, be- 

 cause it is too rough and too short for spinning, and 

 which in general amounts to a large proportion of 

 the whole, may, if properly prepared and bleached, 

 be made into as good paper as the most valuable 

 part of the plant, after it has been converted into 

 cloth and worn for years. 



The bine of hops likewise makes a very good ma- 

 terial for paper. It is calculated that the stalks of 

 the hops grown in Kent, Sussex, and Worcester, 

 and which, after the flowers have been plucked, are 

 now thrown away as useless, would supply materials 

 for the manufacture of all the paper consumed in 

 England. 



Paper has recently been fabricated in France from 

 the liquorice root, or the root of the glycyrrhiza ger- 

 manica. It is said that this paper is very white, and 

 does not require any size in its prepartion, while it 

 can be manufactured at a price much lower than that 

 made from rags. 



Many attempts have been made to convert the 

 husk of maize or Indian corn to the same useful 

 purpose. We are told of an excellent paper being 

 prepared at Rimini from the husks of maize, and 

 lately a patent has been obtained in America for a 

 similar application of this material. Both the husks 

 and flag leaves being mixed with certain proportions 

 of alkali and of water, and exposed to a gentle heat 

 for two hours, are converted into a pulp which is 

 managed in every respect like the pulp of rags in the 

 manufacture of paper. 



Another patent has been recently taken out in 



