38 USEFUL FIBER PLANTS OF THE WORLD. 



Abutilon molle. Lantern Flower. 



Native of Brazil. Introduced into Australia, where it is considered worthy of cul- 

 tivation. 



Bast Fiber. — " Very strong and suitable formatting, paper, etc.'' (Guilfoyle.) The 

 sample of fiber shown in the Victorian collection, Phil. Int. Exh., 1876, was poorly 

 prepared and lacked in strength. The sample was accompanied by liber from two 

 other Brazilian species introduced into Australia, A. venosum and A. oxycarpum. Of 

 the first Dr. Guilfoyle says: " Fiber of fine quality, suitable for fishing lines, textile 

 fabrics, etc." The fiber of the latter was well prepared, white, soft, and lustrous, 

 and was produced in Queensland. J. giganteum is another South American species, 

 noted for withstanding cold. Fiber has been extracted from the bark. 



^Specimen of A. molle, Mas. U. S. Dept. Ag. 



Abutilon periplocifolium. Maholtine. 



The species thrives in tropical America. 



Live plants, stalks, and fiber of this species were received from Trinidad through 

 T. J. St. Hill in 1890. The stalks reach a height of 12 feet. The plant grows wild, 

 but can be easily cultivated, and large crops assured. Seed was obtained and sent 

 to several points in Florida for experiment, but the Department was unable to secure 

 from the experimenters any reports of the results. 



Bast Fiber. — When the bark is green, it cau be peeled its entire length with no 

 other preparation than steeping the stalks in pools of water from five to eight days. 

 The color of the fiber is a creamy yellow, and some of the samples received measured 

 11 feet 10 inches in length. Samples of the fibers submitted to London brokers were 

 favorably reported upon and valued at £17 to £20 per ton. 



A true bast fiber of good quality. The stems strip well and readily and the bark 

 "rets" out, leaving a fine fiber of a type to compete with jute. A very large crop of 

 this fiber can be grown per acre, but as no regular cultivation exists only an approxi- 

 mate estimate can be given. It is estimated that as much as 10,000 pounds of stripped 

 bark can be obtained from an acre, and that from 25 to 40 per cent of cleaned fiber 

 could be obtained from this. It promises best of all the newer fibers. (J. H. Hart.) 



Mr. St. Hill states that it thrives magnificently in barren and rocky soil; the land 

 is prepared simply by burning, when the seeds are thrown broadcast over the plain, 

 about the beginning of the month of May. and the stalks are ready to be converted 

 into fiber one year after. No attention is required to be paid to the plants while 

 growing, and wild weeds, etc., do not affect them in the least. Plants growing very 

 near to each other will produce very tall stems, say from 10 to 12 feet hi^h and 

 straight, but those that happen to grow far apart will shoot out branches and make 

 bad growth, and the ribbons will be very irregular. 



* Specimens.— Mus. U. S. Dept. Ag. ; U. S. Nat. Mus. ; Field Col. Mus. 



Abutilon striatum. Streaked Lantern Flower. 



Native of Brazil. Widely distributed as a flowering plant in greenhouses and 

 gardens. Common in United States. Introduced into Victoria. 



Fiber. — It has only been produced experimentally in Victoria. "Its bark, which 

 peels readily, furnishes a fiber of fine texture." Is worthy of experiment in the United 

 States. 



* Specimen. — Mus. L T . S. Dept. Ag. 



Acacia leucophlcea. Panicled Acacia. 



Exogen. Leguminosce. A tree. 



NATIVE VfAMEB.—Safed-kikar (Hind.); Safed-oabul (Burm.\ and many others. 

 Wild in many districts of India. Ceylon, and Burma. Plains of Panjab to South 

 India. 



Bast Fiher. — "A coarse, tough liber is prepared from the bark, much valued 



