PAPER PLANTS 



PAPER PLANTS 



507 



Cotton (Gossypium species). MalvacecB. Pig. 355. 



Cotton is a single-iibered seed hair and is used 

 in the paper industry in the form of fibrous waste 

 from the decortication of the seeds, which, even 

 after ginning, retain on their surfaces about 10 

 per cent of fiber; by delinting, 1 per cent of a 

 short fiber is recovered. Old and new rags, spin- 

 ning waste and thread are the chief sources of 

 cotton-paper stock. Large quantities of rags are 

 imported from England, Germany and Egypt. The 

 total quantity of cotton and flax fiber used in the 

 United States for paper-making in 1905 was 294,- 

 552 tons. Cotton is largely employed in the finest 

 record, ledger, writing, book and blotting papers, 

 usually mixed with a little linen. The iibers are 

 20 to 40 mm. long, and .012 to .037 mm. in diam- 

 eter. The yield of paper from rags is approxi- 

 mately 83 per cent. [See Cotton.] 



Cottonwood (Populus deltoides). SaHcacece. Fig. 

 449. 

 Cottonwood is used to a small extent and yields 

 a pulp by the soda process of the same general 

 nature as poplar. 



Esparto (Stipa tenacissima and Lygeum Spartum). 

 Graminece. 

 This plant grows wild in Spain and northern 

 Africa. It is gathered, baled and shipped, chiefiy 

 to England, where large quantities are used. The 

 fibers of the fibrovascular bundles constitute the 

 paper-making material. The fiber is tough and is 

 particularly suitable for the manufacture of book 

 papers, yielding a soft paper of good quality. The 

 fibers are 1.5 to 2 mm. long and .0125 to .022 mm. 

 in diameter. The yield of paper is about 45 per 

 cent. It has been used for centuries in southern 

 Spain and northern Africa for the manufacture 

 of baskets, matting and similar wares. The leaf, 

 which grows three to five feet long, is used and is 

 stripped annually from the plant by hand. This can 

 be done only in dry weather. The plant must grow 

 ten to fifteen years before the leaf is suitable for 

 paper-making. Its cultivation has not been suc- 

 cessful. [See Fiber plants.] 



Flax {Linura usitatissimum). Linaeem. Figs. 405- 

 407. 

 The bast fiber from the inner bark of the straw 

 is employed in the form of scutching refuse, spin- 

 ning waste, threads, and new and old rags. The 

 fibers have a length of 25 to 30 mm. and an aver- 

 age diameter of .02 mm. The yield of paper from 

 rags is about 75 per cent. Flax fiber is the most 

 suitable material for the preparation of high-class 

 papers, such as are used for court and other rec- 

 ords, which are to be handled a great deal and 

 preserved for many years. [See Flax.] 



Ground wood. 



In addition to the use of wood pulp prepared by 

 chemical treatment, paper is also made from wood 

 pulp prepared by grinding against a stone under a 

 stream of water, such pulp being known as 

 " ground wood " or " mechanical wood." The paper 



thus prepared has only a temporary value, as the 

 fibers are very short, much shorter than from the 

 same wood chemically treated ; and, as the color- 

 ing matter and ligneous matter are still in the 

 pulp, the paper darkens and deteriorates rapidly. 

 Spruce is most largely used for grinding. Small 

 quantities of hemlock, pine, balsam and poplar are 

 also used. Ground wood is used chiefly in making 

 newspaper, which consists of about 80 per cent 

 ground wood and 20 per cent sulfite. It is also 

 used alone or in mixture with other materials in 

 making board, cards and cheap wrapping paper. 



Hemlock {Tsuga Canadensis). Coniferm. Fig. 454. 

 This wood yields a somewhat coarser pulp of the 

 same general character as spruce, but is reduced 

 with more difficulty. Hemlock is native from the 

 St. Lawrence river to Wisconsin on the west, 

 south to Delaware and Maryland, and in the moun- 

 tains to Alabama. It is now employed largely in 

 Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, 

 Ohio and West Virginia for making sulfite pulp, 

 which is used for the same class of paper as spruce 

 is. The fibers have a length of 1 to 4 mm. and a 

 diameter of .021 to .063 mm. 



Hemp {Cannabis saliva). Urticacece. Figs. 566-568. 

 The bast fiber from the inner bark of the hemp 

 plant is used in the form of scutching refuse, spin- 

 ning waste, threads, cuttings, rope ends and canvas. 

 As the fiber has great strength, it is used largely in 

 combination with rags for bank note and ledger 

 paper. Unbleached, it is used for wrapping paper 

 and for cable insulation. Hemp is cultivated in 

 Russia, Italy, France, China, Japan, and in the 

 United States. The fibers are about 22 mm. long 

 and .022 mm. in diameter. The yield of paper is 

 about 68 per cent. [See Hemp.] 



Jute (Corehorus capsularis and Corehorus olitorius). 

 Tiliacem. Figs. 392, 393. 

 The fiber of jute is thin-walled, highly lignified, 

 and contains much coloring matter. It is obtained 

 from the inner bark and is used in the form of 

 threads, butts, bagging and spinning waste. It is 

 used chiefly where strength is of more importance 

 than appearance, as in wrapping papers and heavy 

 envelopes ; it is seldom used in white papers. Jute 

 is cultivated commercially in India, Burmah, Japan, 

 China and Formosa and has been introduced into 

 the United States. The flbers are 2 mm. long and 

 .022 mm. in diameter. The yield of paper is 50 per 

 cent. [See Fiber plants.] 



Manila hemp (Musa textUis). MusaeecB. Fig. 398. 

 The fiber of Manila hemp or abaca is obtained 

 from the fibrovascular bundles of the leaf stalks and 

 is used in the form of scutching refuse and old rope. 

 It is cultivated in the Philippine islands and has 

 been introduced into the East Indies. The fibers are 

 about 6 mm. long and .024 mm. in diameter. The 

 yield of paper is about 50 per cent. It is used 

 chiefly for wrapping, cable insulation and heavy 

 envelope papers, which are known as "rope manila." 

 [See Fiber plants.] 



