VEGETABLE FIBRES, 2S1 



tity of land. As the plants, though nearly two years old, are 

 stilliuxuriant, I have reason to expect that the average pro- 

 duce will be for many years to come as great, if not greater, 

 than it was last year. Another great advantage in favour of 

 the Abroma Augusta is, that the Sun requires to be drest, for 

 convenience of stowage, prior to its being shipped, by which 

 it^loses about one third of its weight: the fibres of the Abroma 

 Augusta are naturally clean and white, and do not, in my opi- 

 nion, require dressing. 



No, 17 and 18 is No. 16 of my former communication, and New species of 

 there called Hibiscus Maniho. It is, however, I am now hibiscus, 

 convinced, an undescribed species from the Moluccas, which 

 I call H, Strictus, on account of the remarkable straightness of 

 the stem and branches. Last year, all the fibres of the few 

 plants I then had, were only sufficient to make one line The 

 experiments on this beautiful material were, on that account, 

 very limited. Nevertheless, the seed collected from these 

 few plants produced plants sufficient to fill 40 square yards of 

 land, and yielded 33 pounds weight of the naturally clean fibre 

 from one cutting ; and, as it is a short-lived annual, does not 

 yield any second crop. A drawing and description of this 

 plant is in the possession of the Honourable the Court of Di- 

 rectors. 



No. 1 9 and 20. Hibiscus Cannabinus, an annual univer- Hibiscus can- 

 sally known over India, and in many parts cultivated, not only "^ ^""^' 

 for the fibres of its bark, but also for its green leaves, which 

 are of an agreeably acid flavour, not unlike sorrel, and used by 

 the Hindoos as a pot-herb. For a drawing and description of 

 the plant, consult Coromandel Plants, Vol. II, No. 190. 



Eioo, *No, 4, of my former memoir, in which it is ob- ^J°°', ,^ ^^y^ 

 11 1 • 111 11 T 1 • r 1 valuable palm, 



served, that this very valuable and beautitul tree is tound to 



grow well in Bengal, Since that time I have attended particu- 

 larly to its growth, and tljund that, on an average, each tree 

 produces about six leaves in the year, and that each leaf yiejds 

 lOf ounces of Cjoo (the black horse-hair-like fibres f employed 



for 



* Palma Indica venifera; and Rumph, Anab. voU i, p. 57, t. 13. 

 Arenga saccharifera of Labillardiere. Anon. Mariden's History of 

 Sumatra, p. 77, 



f The fibres grow from the base of the footstalks (stip.) of each 

 leaf (frond,) and embrace completely the trunk, of the tree. The 

 fibres and leaves are easily removed without injuring the tree. 



