AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 455 



bottom of a river, or creek, whicli process required about two 

 weeks to loosen the wood from the fibre. 



The other method, or what is commonly called dry rot. was by 

 laying the flax in thin layers on a grassy bed, and turning it 

 carefully, which, having the action of the sun and moisture of the 

 earth, served to loosen the fibre. 



The former of these methods was used for centuries, and from 

 the renown of the Holland lace, and the fabrics steeped in the 

 Lys, in Flanders, we would almost hesitate to look into and ex- 

 amine any new method of separating the back and fibre of flax, 

 after a trial of thirty-five centuries, but as water and fire, which 

 have existed from the creation, never were brought into usefnl 

 contact for man's employment until a century ago, so in the pre- 

 paration of fibrous fabrics perhaps our age and country may be- 

 come the pioneer of a new system, far outstripping the lands of 

 Pharaoh and Scythia, of Prussia, Holland, Belgium and Ireland. 



The fact that various plants of the nettle family contained fibre 

 we iiave shown was known to the ancients, and modern discov- 

 eries have brought to light an almost unlimited number of plants 

 containing ^6ri;2. 



The subject matter therefore referred to this committee for in- 

 vestigation, so far as it relates to the fact that the Hibiscus palus- 

 tris (cotton stalk), Veronica virginica (wildindigo), palma christi, 

 Asclepias arvonica, Asclepias cornuta, Asclepias incarnta 

 ve] gigantice, Tuberosa, Asclepias cumastinica, hollyhock, 

 mallow, nettle, wild sainfoin, or luzerne, althea, black mul- 

 berry, white mulberry, Morus multicaulis, Otaheitan mulberry, 

 yellow willow, manilla, okra, passion-flower plant, lizeron, 

 iEnothera serotina, Kentucky or ordinary hemp, ordinary flax, 

 sugar cane and grape vines, as plants, contain useful fibres, is not 

 altogether new, nor can the discovery thereof be awarded to Mr. 

 Elanc. The simple claim he is entitled to the merits of, is his 

 improvement in separating the bark and fibres of these plants. 



There have of late arisen several new processes for this separa- 

 tion; among these, one known as the India, another as the south- 

 ern process, to both of which Mr. Blanc mal^s a full disclaimer. 

 The first, as used in India, is as follows : 



The fibres of succulent, fleshy plants, are obtained by cutting 

 them when in full vigor, and burying them in wet sand on the 

 banks of a running stream, or in the mud at the edge of a tank, 

 and leaving tliem there to soak and rot from one to two or three 

 weeks, according to temperature and the weather. The plant is 



