332 TRANSACTIONS OP THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



away. If the production of the seed will pay the agriculturist 

 for raising the flax, the saving of the fibre will make it one of 

 the most reliable crops in the country. When the straw is broken 

 in the manner before described, 'the shore or woody part remain- 

 ing, becomes a valuable food for farm stock. The seed will, of 

 course, be sold to the oil mills, but the oil cake should be retain- 

 ed for consumption on the farm. 



We have seen specimens of bleached Fibrilia, which demon- 

 strate qualities fully equal to those of Sea Island cotton. We 

 think none will doubt the feasibility of the plan suggested by 

 Mr. Allen. 



Colonel Lander, who has just returned from California, states 

 that in his surveys across the Rocky Mountains he saw millions 

 of tons of wild flax and hemp, that could be used for manufac- 

 turing purposes, and the Indians of the plains now use the fiber 

 for many purposes in their own domestic economy. 



The following is a list of plants more or less valuable for mak- 

 in-g fibrilia, flax cotton and paper stock: The banana, nettle, 

 palm leaves, ferns, stalks of beans, peas, hops, buckwheat, pota- 

 toes, heather, the straws of the cereals (if taken green) many 

 grasses and sedges, common rushes, leaves which cover the ears 

 of Indian corn, the pita or great aloe, pine-apple, wild rhue, 

 thistle, wild indigo, hollyhock, mallow, althea, black and white 

 mulberry, yellow willow, sugar cane, grape vine and American 

 paparas. 



WOOL vs. COTTON. 



Solon Robinson called the attention of the club to the fact 

 that wool was of vastly more importance to the great mass of 

 people of the United States than cotton. He said, we can do 

 without cotton, but we cannot do without wool. Look at our 

 clothing — one little lock of cotton makes our shirt, while every 

 other garment is made of wool, from head to foot. And for this 

 one garment we can substitute other fabrics, such as silk, linen 

 or light woolen cloths, but to protect us from the inclemency of 

 our climate we must have wool. So it was agreed that wool, 

 cotton and corn should be the subjects for discussion at the next 

 meeting. 



FREE GRAFTS. 



Wm. S. Carpenter offers to distribute apple and pear grafts of 

 all kinds recommended by the committee on choice fruits, com- 



