like the Abutilons, easily propagated by stout cuttings a foot in 

 length, and should be planted in rows, in a sandy or loose soil, 

 during the winter season. Perhaps the best known here are — 

 Hibiscus Syriacus (syn. Althasa frutex), or " Syrian Eose-mal- 

 ■low"; H. splendens, "Hollyhock tree" of Queensland and New 

 South Wales ; H. heterophyllus, the Queensland " Sorrel tree," 

 Tiative name "Batham"; and H. mutabilis, or "Changing Rose- 

 mallow," from China and India. These shrubs average from 

 10 to 12 feet in height, and the bast from their stems and 

 branches may be spun and woven into fine textures. The first 

 mentioned affords a long beautiful white fibre of considerable 

 strength, which could be worked into cloth or converted into cord. 

 Hibiscus esculentus, besides giving a fibre of fair quality, pro- 

 duces mucilaginous seeds, the capsules being used as an article of 

 food in the West Indies and South America, and known as 

 " oBhro," " gobbo," or " baudakai." 



The " Eibbonwood of Otago " (Hoheria populnea) is a hand- 

 some tree, not unlike the Aspen, and the delicate lace-like bast 

 from its young branches, being strong and glossy, might be used 

 for other purposes than matting and string. The same may be 

 said of Plagianthus pulohellus, known as the " Victorian Hemp 

 •bush," but which is indigenous also to New South Wales and 

 Tasmania. It abounds on the banks of the Yarra near Mel- 

 bourne, and will flourish on any land subject to occasional 

 inundation. In this case, as in many others, it may be said that 

 familiarity breeds contempt, and that a prophet is not without 

 lionour save in his own country, for this plant will produce fibre 

 quite equal to that of the Sida rhombifolia, or " Queensland 

 Hemp," and is, in fact, longer in staple. It may be obtained fully 

 8 feet in length if necessary ; but, although the tree is of rapid 

 growth and easily reproduced from seed, a good crop of bark 

 could not be obtained until the plants are, say, from five to six 

 years old. Another species of this tree (P. betulinus), the "Lace- 

 bark," or " Ribbon tree " of New Zealand, also grows well in 

 moist rich soil, and furnishes good fibre. Nor are the Mallows* 

 themselves to be despised. 



The " Common Tree Mallow " (Lavatera arboiea), a tall 

 biennial plant, yields a bast highly recommended for paper 

 pulp ; the Sea Mallow (L. maritima) gives a fine fibre 3 to 4 

 feet long, easily prepared; and the "Velvet Mallow" (L. Olbia), 

 which is a perennial evergreen, supplies from its bark a substance 

 not unlike white horsehair, and quite as useful for many purposes. 

 Malva Capensis, the " Cape Mallow," and Sphseralcea umbellata, 



"* Lavatera plebeja (Australian Mallow)— a white-flowered perennial often attaining alieight 

 of 6 feet, and found In Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia— produces a strong 

 soft silky fibre, which has been converted into fine twine of great strength. It is frequently 

 used by the Aborigines for_fishlng lines and nets. 



