178 PAPER IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



and poplar; and to obtain i quintal (220.46 pounds) of dry pulp, it 

 takes about 2 quintals of fir and 3 quintals of poplar. The chemical 

 wood pulp (cellulose) is nearly all imported, as there is only one cel- 

 lulose mill in Italy, that of Von Willier & Co., at Romagnano Sesia. 

 The proportion of cellulose used is one-fourth to three-fourths rags 

 for news paper and one-third cellulose to two-thirds rags for other 

 paper of good quality. As the wood pulps are used more and more, 

 their importation must correspondingly .increase, since Italy does 

 not possess forests of suitable wood to supply the demand. 



Next to vegetable rags, wheat straw is the most used, especially 

 in the manufacture of wrapping paper and pasteboard; then come 

 hemp stalks, and last esparto. I can find no class for this made by 

 the customs authorities; but the table which shows the amount of 

 raw material used in 1896 gives the amount used in Italy for that 

 year. It is said to be very good paper stock and gives strong texture 

 with a smooth surface. It grows in the coast countries of the Black 

 Sea, in Tripoli, and in the south of Spain. There are, of course, 

 other materials used in the manufacture of paper, such as lime, talc, 

 stealite, baryta, etc., and, although to a certain extent found in 

 parts of Italy, most of these substances are imported, but are not 

 down in the statistics under paper materials as published by the 

 customs authorities. 



Amount of raw material used in 1896. 



Tons. 



Vegetable rags 50, ooo 



Mixed rags , 10, ooo 



Mechanical wood pulp , 14, ooo 



Chemical wood pulp (cellulose) 14, 600 



Straw 30,000 



Hemp stalks i, ooo 



Esparto ; 300 



Other material (for coloring, fecular, etc.) 55, ooo 



Total 174,900 



It is calculated that the above materials yield in paper about the 

 following: Vegetable rags, 65 per cent; mixed rags, 60 per cent; 

 mechanical wood pulp, 80 per cent; chemical wood pulp (cellulose), 

 85 percent; straw, 50 per cent; hemp stalks, 30 percent; esparto, 50 

 per cent; and the other materials, 40 per cent. 



IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. 



As the various tables in this report show, the wood pulps enter 

 largely into the manufacture of paper in Italy, and their importation 

 has become an important item in fact, the most important in the 

 paper industry and the following tables are of interest. 



