EXAMINATION OF TEXTILE FIBRES. 



87 



guished from flax, its broad diameter shows the broad 

 canal quite distinctly. Second, the ends of the cell are 

 comparatively blunt, and the canal runs up to the very 

 tip (Fig. 34). 



6. Jute. — The jute-plant, Corchorus capsularis, is an 

 annual, native to the East Indies, and furnishes a long 

 smooth fibre which, however, quickly softens and breaks 



Fig. 3S. — ^The Jute-fibre. (After Hassack.) 200 diameters. 



when wetted. It is used for making rope, coarse twine, 

 and gunny-bags, and for the backing of various other tex- 

 tile materials. 



The cells of which the long jute-fibre is made up are 

 much shorter than those of flax and hemp, being only 

 about 2 mm. in length, while their width is nearly the 

 same as that of the other fibres. In- any given field of 

 the microscope numerous ends of cells will be apparent, 



