SOME USEFUL PLANTS 341 
The Banana family yields the well-known manila fiber 
which is woven into very delicate fabrics, while the coarser 
kinds make the tough manila rope. 
The Mulberry family contains the paper mulberry tree, 
‘from the bark of which is made Japanese paper, and the 
hemp plant, of the greatest importance in the manufacture 
of rope and twine. 
The Linden family, the Mallow family, and the Silk- 
cotton family, all closely related, are the source of many 
valuable hairs and other fibers. Of these cotton, belong- 
ing to the Mallow family, is by far the most important. 
The product which is spun into thread and woven into so 
many kinds of fabrics consists of the hairs which thickly 
clothe the seeds of the plant. Cotton is cultivated in 
India, Egypt, and our own Gulf States, Georgia and South 
Carolina. The Sea Island cotton, grown on islands off the 
coast of South Carolina, is the most valuable variety any- 
where produced, on account of its length and fineness. 
Our annual cotton crop amounts to from 9,000,000 to 
13,000,000 bales of 500 pounds each and is of a value 
ranging from over $300,000,000 to nearly $600,000,000. 
The stems of the plant may be utilized for paper-making, 
and the seeds afford a valuable meal used as a food for 
cattle and a fertilizer. 
Paper-making consumes immense quantities of vege- 
table fibers of various kinds. Linen and cotton rags, old 
hemp and manila rope, jute and even straw, are used in the 
manufacture of various grades of paper. Several kinds 
of the softer woods, especially spruce and poplar, are very 
largely employed in making some: of the poorer kinds of 
white paper, such as are used for printing newspapers. 
