May 1, 1864.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



ON THE STRAW PLAIT TRADE. 459 



matting, and fancy work, is not of interest alone to ourselves. The 

 details and information connected therewith, hitherto of the most 

 meagre character, are of great importance to numbers in Europe and 

 America, as well as in Asia and our colonies. Some of their manu- 

 factures come occasionally into trade here, and several are of a most 

 expensive character, realising exceedingly high prices. Such, for 

 instance, as the fine Panama hats, so common an article of wear in 

 Central America, the Southern States, and the "West Indies. The sinnet 

 hats, plaited by seamen, are made from the fronds of a species of palm ; 

 the cabbage-tree hats of Australia are from another palm, so are those 

 made in Brazil, and the palmetto hats of the United States. In the 

 Philippines hats are made of a very fine kind of rush, and formed of 

 two hats, one within the other. At Ningpo, China, straw hats are made 

 to a large extent, for as many as 40,000 are sent annually to Shanghai 

 from thence. Indeed, every country has its peculiar light hats in use, 

 and most of them made of indigenous fibres. We may glance at the 

 particulars of some few of these, which are of interest by way of com- 

 parison with our own growing trade and manufacture in straw plait. 

 Florence long enjoyed a monopoly in straw work for hats and bonnets of 

 great fineness and remarkable beauty, insomuch that bonnets have been 

 made there that sold for as much as 70Z. The Swiss hats are made in 

 Venetian Lombardy, and, if less fine than those of Florence, are at least 

 cheaper. The straw plait industry is of great importance in Tuscany, 

 occupying about 35,000 workpeople. The attempts made in other 

 countries to produce the peculiar kind of straw used has hitherto entirely 

 failed. The seed from which the straw for plaiting is grown is a small 

 round grain of wheat, called Grano marzolano. It is an error to suppose 

 that hats are made from rye or any other grain in Tuscany. This mar- 

 zolano straw is cultivated for the sole purpose of being made into hats, 

 and is grown chiefly in the vicinity of Florence, and on the hills on both 

 sides of the valley of the Arno. Tuscan women have settled themselves 

 in various places, such as Vienna, St. Petersburg, &c , where they carry 

 on the manufacture with straw grown in Tuscany. Fine plait is not 

 accounted good unless much drawn together, for which end it is worked 

 very wet. After being soaked and pressed, the plait is made up into 

 hats by women who do nothing else ; it is put together by the edges, 

 not overlapped. On the operation of pressing a great deal depends. 

 From a consular return^ we find that in the five years, from 1851 to 

 1855 inclusive, the exportation of straw work from Tuscany had pro- 

 gressively increased, as follows : — 



1851 Liri. 9,832,292 



1852 11,628,490 



1853 16,772,314 



1854 13,213,756 



1855 23,186,820 



Total . . 75,633,672 



R R 2 



