458 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



these may be made, or how well tliey may be adapted to fine 

 fabrics, is, perhaps, an open question. 



The process, as described, is original, and will doubtless prove 

 valuable in many respects. " For to preserve the color and 

 strength of fibres all that is necessary is to separate the pulp, bark, 

 or wood, as soon as possible, and by the least complicated process." 

 This Mr. Blanc certainly has shown us he can do by his method. 

 But your committee, from the sliort time they have had the mat- 

 ter in hand, are not prepared to say what effect " the changing of 

 the color to a light yellow" will have on the value of the fibre. 

 If this " yellow" be a stain resulting from the coloring matter of 

 the plant, in most cases it could not be removed by bleaching, as 

 it is 3 species of natural tanning which occurs in the plant. 



Again, it is true that this process can be applied to various 

 wild plants, as milk weed, mallow, marsh mallow, wild indigo, 

 &c., but it will be a question of some importance whether being 

 adapted to these plants, the process will be sufficiently profitable 

 to ensure its adoption. It is true that these plants grow sponta- 

 neously; but it requires the same care to dig the trench, set the 

 vines, attend them and prepare the fibre, that it would a crop of 

 flax or hemp, and all with an almost absolute certainty of yield- 

 ing a revenue below the commonest and coarsest of either; at least 

 your committee would hesitate to recommend the experiment as 

 a matter of profit. The flax in addition to the value of its fibre, 

 bears a seed which, in the market, has a valuable standai*d, medi- 

 cinally as well as in the arts, and even its refuse may be turned 

 to use. 



Your committee in investigating this subject, have been amazed 

 at the great want of disposition in agriculturists in raising flax in 

 the country at large. It has been said to be an impoverishing 

 crop, but with the new appliances and fertilizers, and especially 

 in the vicinities of large cities where street manure can be had, 

 your committee are led to believe that its impoverishing power 

 has been greatly overrated. 



Mr. Blanc's improvement we consider most valuable where its 

 application may be resorted to in a seed- bearing plant, and in no 

 section of country more so, than in cotton-bearing countries. 

 The cotton plant tree although of the size of person's small finger, 

 will, when discharged of its gluten exhibit fibres the thickness of 

 the wrist, and on this account will make perhaps the most pro- 

 fitable plant on which Mr. Blanc's process can be used either for 

 the manufacture of fabrics or rope. 



