﻿292 
  G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  

  

  bast-tissue, 
  represented 
  by 
  flax. 
  JS"o 
  new 
  plant 
  hairs 
  have 
  

   been 
  suggested 
  which 
  can 
  compete 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  for 
  spinning 
  

   with 
  those 
  yielded 
  by 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Gossypium, 
  or 
  cotton, 
  but 
  

   experiments 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  systematic 
  and 
  thorough 
  are 
  being 
  

   carried 
  on 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  improvement 
  of 
  the 
  varieties 
  of 
  

   the 
  species. 
  Plant 
  hairs 
  for 
  the 
  stuffing 
  of 
  cushions 
  and 
  pil- 
  

   lows 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  this 
  subject. 
  

  

  Countless 
  sorts 
  of 
  plants 
  have 
  been 
  suggested 
  as 
  sources 
  of 
  

   good 
  bast-fibers 
  for 
  spinning 
  and 
  for 
  cordage, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  

   these 
  make 
  capital 
  substitutes 
  for 
  those 
  already 
  in 
  the 
  factories. 
  

   But 
  the 
  questions 
  of 
  cheapness 
  of 
  production, 
  and 
  of 
  subse- 
  

   quent 
  preparation 
  for 
  use, 
  have 
  thus 
  far 
  militated 
  against 
  suc- 
  

   cess. 
  There 
  may 
  be 
  much 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  profits 
  

   promised 
  by 
  a 
  laboratory 
  experiment 
  and 
  those 
  resulting 
  from 
  

   the 
  same 
  process 
  conducted 
  on 
  a 
  commercial 
  scale. 
  The 
  exist- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  such 
  differences 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  rock 
  on 
  which 
  many 
  

   enterprises 
  seeking 
  to 
  introduce 
  new 
  fibers 
  have 
  been 
  wrecked. 
  

  

  In 
  dismissing 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  our 
  subject 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  

   a 
  process 
  for 
  separating 
  fine 
  fibers 
  from 
  undesirable 
  structural 
  

   elements 
  and 
  from' 
  resin 
  like 
  substances 
  which 
  accompany 
  

   them, 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  desideratum. 
  If 
  this 
  were 
  supplied, 
  many 
  

   new 
  species 
  would 
  assume 
  great 
  prominence 
  at 
  once. 
  

  

  VI. 
  Tanning 
  Materials. 
  

  

  What 
  new 
  tanning 
  materials 
  can 
  be 
  confidently 
  sought 
  for? 
  

   In 
  his 
  "Useful 
  Native 
  Plants 
  of 
  Australia," 
  Mr. 
  Maiden 
  28 
  

   describes 
  over 
  thirty 
  species 
  of 
  " 
  Wattles 
  " 
  or 
  Acacias, 
  and 
  

   about 
  half 
  as 
  many 
  Eucalypts, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  examined 
  for 
  

   the 
  amount 
  of 
  tanning 
  material 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  bark. 
  In 
  all, 
  

   87 
  Australian 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  under 
  examination. 
  Besides 
  

   this, 
  much 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  looking 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction 
  at 
  the 
  

   suggestion 
  and 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  Baron 
  von 
  Mueller, 
  of 
  

   Victoria. 
  This 
  serves 
  to 
  indicate 
  how 
  great 
  is 
  the 
  interest 
  in 
  

   this 
  subject, 
  and 
  how 
  wide 
  is 
  the 
  field 
  in 
  our 
  own 
  country 
  for 
  

   the 
  introduction 
  of 
  new 
  tanning 
  plants. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  highly 
  probable, 
  however, 
  that 
  artificial 
  tanning 
  

   substances 
  will 
  at 
  no 
  distant 
  day 
  replace 
  the 
  crude 
  matters 
  now 
  

   employed. 
  

  

  VII. 
  Resins, 
  Etc. 
  

  

  Resins, 
  oils, 
  gums 
  and 
  medicines 
  from 
  the 
  vegetable 
  king- 
  

   dom 
  would 
  next 
  engage 
  our 
  attention 
  if 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  

   rather 
  too 
  technical 
  for 
  this 
  occasion, 
  and 
  to 
  possess 
  an 
  interest 
  

   on 
  the 
  whole 
  somewhat 
  too 
  limited. 
  But 
  an 
  allied 
  substance 
  

   may 
  serve 
  to 
  represent 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  products 
  and 
  indicate 
  the 
  

   drift 
  of 
  present 
  research. 
  

  

  