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ticultural Society. The thread so prepared cannot 

 be spun in the way of flax, wool, or cotton, from the 

 length of the staple, but must be joined and twisted 

 together in the same way as silk is treated, when 

 wound oiF from the cocoons. The thread, in its 

 coarsest state, might be made into a cloth, equal in 

 strength and durability to a fabric resembling Eussia 

 duck, and would make beautiful table linen ; when 

 prepared as fine as the specimens submitted by Miss 

 Davy, it would be equal to the finest cambric, and 

 make a lace resembling blond. 



Mr. Solly, in consequence of communications re- 

 ceived from India, made inquiries respecting the pro- 

 bable value of the fibrous matter abundantly contained 

 in the leaves of the ananas or pine apple, which, being 

 very plentiful in several parts of India, might be im- 

 ported from thence in large quantities, and at no very 

 great cost. The result of his inquiries amongst spin- 

 ners generally was, that they did not consider the 

 fibre as capable of being substituted for flax, in the 

 manufacture of linen and similar textures, because 

 the trials hitherto made with it had been unsuccess- 

 ful. Mr. Solly observed, that this was certainly no 

 proof that the fibre could not be spun, but merely 

 that the method at present employed in flax-spinning 

 was not suitable to the pine-apple fibre ; he had no 

 doubt that it could be employed advantageously either 

 alone or in combination with other fibrous materials. 



