294 USEFUL FIBER PLANTS OF THE WORLD. 



horsehair this gummy mass is allowed to dry, as it adds to the elasticity of the 

 fiber. There are several combinations in which the production of tannin and fiber 

 can be advantageously operated. Tanneries situated in the vicinity of paper mills 

 can grind the palmetto in the same manner as bark; the residue, after bleaching, is 

 in the proper shape for the paper mill. In this way palmetto can be profitably 

 shipped and used at long distances. Showing the cheapness of the supply of raw 

 material, it is stated that the cost of cutting and gathering the palmetto will no 

 exceed $2 per ton ; hauling and baling will cost about $1 per ton, and if 50 cents be 

 paid for stumpage to the landowner it is claimed that palmetto ought to be delivered 

 at the cars from $3 to $4 per ton, f. o. b. 



C. B. Warrand, who established a palmetto tannery at Savannah, Ga., stated that 

 palmetto liber, not chemically treated, sold at wholesale at $80 per ton and retailed 

 at 8 cents per pound; $70 per ton for a better article ought to be readily obtained at 

 the works. In this process there is less loss than in spinning fiber, and 650 pounds 

 of bedding fiber and 150 pounds of plastering fiber to the ton of palmetto can be 

 safely relied on. 



The leaves of the saw palmetto are a favorite thatch material with the new ''home- 

 steader/' whose first house is a palmetto hut, and very comfortable and picturesque 

 dwellings they make. The Indians also know the value of the plant as a thatch 

 material. 



"Specimens, in complete series, are preserved in U. S. Nat. Mus., Field Col. Mus., 

 and Mus. U. S. Dept. Ag., all prepared by the writer. 



Sesbania aculeata. Dhunchee. 



Exogen. Leguminosce. An annual shrub. 



Native names. — Dhunchee, DhanicJia (Beng.); Jayanti (Ceyl. and Hind.); Ran- 

 she-wra (Bomb.). 



The plants of this genus are slender, shrubby annuals, found in the warmer parts 

 of both hemispheres. S. aculeata is an erect, slightly branched species that is culti- 

 vated on the plains of India, from the western Himalayas to Ceylon and Siain, and 

 has a cosmopolitan distribution in the Tropics. 



Bast Fiber. — This is the well-known Dunchee of India, which is highly esteemed 

 for the manufacture of ropes and cordage, and is regarded as a coarse substitute for 

 hemp. The plant is a native of the Malabar coast, and also grows in China. The 

 plant grows to a height of 6 to 10 feet : the fiber is long, but much coarser and harsher 

 than hemp. Bengalese fishermen make the drag ropes of their nets of this sub- 

 stance on account of its strength and durability. It is generally grown in wet soil, 

 requiring little preparation, as the plant is hardy and of rapid growth. It is sown 

 at the rate of 30 pounds of seed to the acre. In northwest India, during the rainy 

 season, it springs up in rice fields and other wet, cultivated lands. A peculiarity of 

 the fiber is its remarkable contractability, as from contraction alone ropes made of 

 it are said to be able 1o carry away the mainmast of a ship. 



A biga of land— which is one-third of an acre in Bengal— will produce 173 pounds 

 of fiber and 92 pounds of seed. A woman will dress 4 pounds a day. Royle states 

 that the product of an acre is 100 to 1,000 pounds of ill-cleaned fiber. At the Int. 

 Exh., 1851, the fiber was valued at £30 to £35 per ton. It is prepared in the same 

 manner as sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea, which see for further information regarding 

 the extraction and cleaning of the fiber. 



S. agyptiaca is another Indian species, the fiber of which has been used for cord- 

 age. S. grandiflora, the agast, agusta, agasti, and agati of southern and eastern India 

 and Burmah, is a soft- wooded tree 20 to 30 feet, "the inner bark of which appears 

 likely to yield a good liber.'' (Dr. Watt.) It produces, also, a gum, medicine, food, 

 and fodder for cattle. 



Sesbania macrocarpa. Colorado Kiver Hemp. 



Sesbania is the only genus in the family Leguminom- that has attracted attention 



