Maas ate 
ae RE ts egal aaa i es ele, 
EE RS ag is ala AE a whe 
267 
bottom of the pond. In four or, at the most, five days the fibrous peel 
is loose enough to he easily removed by hand from the woody interior. 
The fibre ribbons, which have now all but laut their green colour, are 
afterwards washed in clean cold water and spread out in the sun, me 
when n dry they are of a good white colour, such of the external greenn 
as remains after the retting and washing disappearing in the process “of 
ing. 
These remarks apply to the plant as cultivated at Chefoo, but I am 
informed that in other parts of this province and in the Mongolian hills 
the stems attain a much greater pigias and yield a longer fibre. 
fibre exported from Tientsin, for example, much of which probably 
aa from Mongolia, is sometimes found to be-as much as fifteen feet 
n length, where the piant itself does not attain that height in the 
light sandy soil near Che 
“The table annexed to this ‘Report gives the climatic conditions under 
which the plant is cultivated here. ae ot reproduced. 
Signed) ALEX. HOSIE, 
H. B. M. Consulate, Chefoo, Acting Consul. 
September 5, 1891. 
ROYAL GARDENS, KEW, to FOREIGN gna 
Royal Gardens 
SIR, Nove ser rA "1891. 
I AM desired by Mr. Thiselton-Dyer to acknowledge the receipt 
of your an of the 2ist ultimo, forwarding a copy of a despatch and 
report by Mr. Hosie, Acting Consul at Chefoo, on the subject of a 
fibrous species of Abutilon yielding Chinese jute. 
r. Hosie and sent direct to pra 
ad 
2: PE i 
establishment have now been received. These specimens were 
is inquiries in this 
afforded to this establishment. 
I have, &c., 
Sir T. H. Sanderson, K.C.M.G., (Signed) D. MORRIS. 
Foreign Office, S.W. 
ROYAL GARDENS, KEW, to FOREIGN OFFICE, 
17, 1891. 
I aM directed by Mr. Troest or v a you that he 
read with interest the report on the Trade of Xiungchow tor the year = 
1890, by Acting Consul Parker [F. 0. Annual Series, 1890, No. 898]; 
SIR, 
