26 TEXTILE FIBRES. 



No. 8. Cord made up of four strands of yarn spun from the fibres of 

 Russian Line. 



The preservation of hempen ropes has been very much studied in 

 His Majesty's dockyards, and tarring has generally been resorted to as a 

 preventive of decay. Some tests made by Duhamel showed that untarred 

 ropes bore a greater weight by nearly 30 per cent, than those to which 

 the tarring had been applied. Mr. Chapman, of His Majesty's dockyards, 

 has given some particulars of the mode of classifying the composition and 

 construction of ropes used there as follows : "Petersburg hemp is mostly 

 used for cables and cablets, Italian hemp for belt rope and breechings, 

 and Riga hemp for all other cordage. 



To make Petersburg hemp into No. 20s., the material is given to the 

 hatcheller in bundles of 70 Ibs. ; he takes out 7 Ibs. of shorts, and gives 

 63 Ibs. of heckled hemp to the spinner, who spins it into 18 threads of 

 170 fathoms and 3J Ibs. each. To make Riga hemp into No. 25s., the 

 hemp is given to the hatcheller in bundles of 56 Ibs. ; he takes out 5 Ibs. 

 of shorts and gives 51 Ibs. of heckled hemp to the spinner, who spins 18 

 threads of 170 fathoms and 2^ Ibs. each. 



In using Italian hemp 16 Ibs. of shorts are taken out of 112 Ibs. of 

 hemp, and the remaining 96 Ibs. are made up into bands of If Ibs. to 

 3| Ibs. each, according to the size of the yarns to be made. Quoted in 

 art. " Rope Making," English Cyclopedia. 



Hemp, Deccan or Kanaffe (Hibiscus cannabinus, Malvaceae). This 

 plant has a prickly stem with palmate leaves and half sessile flowers ; the 

 latter are covered with glandulose hairs; the plant is a native of the 

 East Indies and is known as Kanaffe. The cortical part of the stem is 

 rich in strong fibres, and the inhabitants of the Malabar Coast have used 

 it for cordage purposes and for the manufacture of thread. The plant 

 belongs to the natural order Malvaceae, and is therefore related to the 

 " Cotton plant," the Hollyhock, and the Marsh Mallow. 



Hemp, Indian Mallow (Abutilon Avicenne, Malvaceae). This also is a 

 malvaceous plant, from which a fibre has been obtained that is reputed to 

 be superior to Indian jute. It is used for cordage purposes, and is 

 mixed with silk in the manufacture of the cheaper kinds of quasi silk 

 goods. 



Hop Fibres (Humulus Lupulus, Cannabinacese). The hop is a 

 twining plant, and the author found it growing plentifully in a wild 

 state in the hedges about Wraysbury, near Staines, Middlesex. The 

 stems are long, weak, and rough, and grow to a length of from 7 to 8 

 feet. The plant is much cultivated in Kent, Sussex, Worcester and 

 Hants. After the hops have been picked, the stems or bines are cut 

 down, often for manurial purposes. In Sweden the bines are retted, and 



