54 



TEXTILE FIBRES. 



Manufacture. The process of preparing the commercial product from 

 the fibre is as follows : After harvesting, the stalks are soaked in running 

 water from five to ten hours. The bark is then stripped off and again 

 soaked in water two or three hours. It is then taken out and laid on a 

 wooden table, made of four sections of thin board 5 inches wide, 1 J feet 

 long, and about J inch thick, and the outer (nax) surface scraped off 

 with a thin iron scraper 4 inches long by 3 inches wide, with a handle 

 of wood. It is again put in water, and afterwards hung in the sun on 

 poles for four or five days. The amount of harvest is usually 



Fig. 34. Filasse fibres (slivers). 



from 50 to 60 Ibs. of the commercial product and 30 to 40 Ibs. of raw 

 material to \ acre. The market price is from 3*50 to 4 yen ($1*75 to $2) per 

 Ib. of the commercial product. 



Uses. The refined product is largely used in the manufacture of 

 Echigo chizimi (a corrugated cloth). The raw material is used for 

 hemp-cloth, and when beaten out soft is used for wadding in clothing 

 and coverlets. 



Imports. Of the so-called Chinese hemp imported into this country, 

 the karamushi seems to form the larger part ; but it is not suitable for 

 the manufacture of fine (closely woven) fabrics like the native Yamagata 



