88 ELEMENTS OF APPLIED MICROSCOPY. 



while with the long cells of Linum and Cannabis the tips 

 are hard to find. 



The most marked peculiarity of the j'ute cell is, how- 

 ever, its canal, which varies markedly in diameter, at one 

 point occupying a large part of the cell and then shrink- 

 ing to an almost invisible line (Fig. 35). 



7. Ramie. — ^Ramie or China grass is the product of a 

 low shrub, Bcehmeria nivea, indigenous to China, Japan, 

 and the Philippine Islands. Its fibre is long and lustrous, 



Fig. 36.^Ramie. (After Hassack.) 200 diameters. 



stronger probably than any other fibre; it is used for 

 making sail-cloth and for other special purposes. The 

 cells of ramie (Fig. 36) are easily distinguished by their 

 great length, sometimes reaching 50 cm., and by their 

 flat ribbon-like structure. In cross-section they are 



