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 C!arolina, is the most valuable ^•ariety 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 8300,000,000 to nearly 8000,000,000. 

 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. 



