130 TEXTILE FIBRES. 



cannaUnum the Indians of North America prepare a substitute for hemp, 

 of which they make twine, bags, fishing-nets arid lines, and linen for their 

 own wear." 



The fibre obtained from the plant is long, of considerable strength, 

 and very elastic; it has been utilised for the making of paper. It is 

 easily bleached, and has an affinity for dyes. 



Cotton Grass (Eriophorum latifolium (Hoppe), Cyperacese). A 



Fig. 87. Chinese Coir Palm. 



grass-like sedge, found growing plentifully on the bogs and marshy 

 districts of the hilly districts of England. The downy bristles are 

 plumose appendages to the ovaries. Some attempts have been made 

 to utilise the bristles or so-called fibres of the cotton grass in the 

 spinning of cotton yarns, but without success. 



Fig. 88 shows the characteristic feature of the fibres, which are not 

 spirally twisted; hence their unfitness for spinning into yarn. The 



