PAPER FIBRE PLANTS. 129 



trials were made in this country with the grass as a paper material, it has 

 become very largely used in India." 



Bodolee Sutta (Pederia fcetida). A native of India, where it grows 

 profusely in the jungles and on the banks of the Brahmaputra river. 

 Like most dicotyledonous plaats the stem is conspicuous for the nodes, 

 which occur at intervals of 10 to 24 inches. 



The process of obtaining the fibre has been described by a writer in 

 Spon's Encyclopedia as follows : 



" The cut stems, while still green, are divided at the joints, and the 

 fibre is removed in the following way : The operator takes each section 

 in both hands, and twists it as much, as possible, to disengage the fibres, 

 having first carefully stripped off all the bark of the stem. He then 

 disengages at one end enough of the fibre to take hold of, and gradually 

 strips it entirely away. The process would be too slow, laborious, and 

 costly for commercial purposes. Machinery has not yet been applied to 

 it. Probably a pair of crushing rollers and a simple scutching apparatus 

 would suffice. The fibre is possessed of great strength and flexibility, 

 and has a silk-like appearance ; it seems to be adapted to the finest 

 textile purposes in spite of its shortness as governed by the length of the 

 sections. Samples of the fibre, exposed for two hours to steam under a 

 pressure of two atmospheres, then boiled for three hours, and again 

 steamed for four hours, lost only 4*26 per cent, by weight, thus showing 

 its durability." 



Canada Rice (Zizania aquatica, Gramineae). This plant is a 

 native of North America. The stems and leaves, which contain only a 

 small amount of silica, have been used for paper-making purposes, for 

 which they are well adapted. The seeds of the plant are farinaceous, 

 and the plant was formerly grown on the margins of ponds in Middlesex, 

 and Ross-shire in Scotland, for poultry feeding. The plant is an annual, 

 and grows plentifully on the banks of Lake Erie, in the swampy 

 districts. 



Chinese Coir Palm '(Trachy carpus excelsa, Palmacese). The leaves 

 are large and fan-like. Fig. 87 is a photograph of a plant which was 

 growing in the open air at the Royal Gardens, Kew, in 1898. 



The leaves serve as a kind of macintosh, and are used also for sun- 

 hats, mantles, and bags. Brushes, brooms, and mosquito whisks have 

 been made from parts of this noble palm. 



Many of these articles are to be seen in No. 2 Museum at the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew ; also brooms made from the bases of the leaves grown in 

 the grounds. 



Colorado Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum, Apocyuaceae). A native 

 of North America. Loudon says : " From the stalks of Apocynum 



9 



