November, 1909,] 



4U 



Fibres. 



of testing after its arrival in the paper 

 mil] is necessary. Jt will readily be 

 understood that the presence of 2 or 3 

 per cent, of excess moisture constitutes 

 a serious ground for complaint, as this 

 means that the consumer would be 

 paying for water at the same rate as for 

 a costly raw material. 



During the last ten years repeated 

 efforts have been made by the Paper 

 Makers' Association of Great Britain, 

 by the British Wood Pulp Association, 

 and by the Scandinavian pulp manu- 

 facturers ' associations to put the sampl- 

 ing and testing of wood pulp on a 

 scientific basis, but the task has proved 

 to be an extremely difficult one. The 

 variable nature of the material and the 

 influence of atmospheric conditions 

 during transit and storage render the 

 task of sampling and testing the pulp 

 supplies a somewhat delicate process, 

 which can only be satisfactorily under- 

 taken by chemists possessing an intimate 

 knowledge of this branch of analytical 

 work. Elaborate rules for the guidance 

 of those concerned have been formulated 

 by the associations mentioned above, 

 and in conclusion it may be observed 

 that the necessity for establishing exact 

 control over his raw materials has in 

 some measure convinced the British 

 paoer-maker of the advantages to be 

 derived from the application of exact 

 chemical science to the operations of an 

 important industry. 



A FIBRE PLANT. 



(Prom the Agricultural Gazette of Neiv 

 South Wales, Vol. XX,, Part 9, Sep- 

 tember, 1909.) 



The fibre plant, Uganda hemp (Ascle- 

 pias sctnilunata), has been tested at the 

 Experiment Farms. 



At the Hawkesbury Agricultural Col- 

 lege Farm, seed was sown 28th Septem- 

 ber, 1908, and germinated extremely 

 well. The plants proved to be very 

 drought-resistant, and during the dry 

 summer experienced a growth of 5 feet 

 was attained. 



Where the plants grew thickly, the 

 growth was tall and straight, with 

 scarcely any branches ; but where the 

 plants stood far apart, a large number 

 of branches were formed. 



Seed pods formed in February, and 

 ripe seed was available in April. 



At Wollongbar Experiment Farm the 

 crop was irregular, and the growth was 

 only 3 to 4 feet at the end of six months. 



At Grafton Experiment Farm, the 

 plants from seed, sown broadcast, 7th 



52 



September, 1908, grew very slowly, and 

 by 2nd March, 1909, when seed was avail- 

 able, had reached a height of barely 

 4 feet. 



The Manager of the farm says that in 

 comparison with other fibre plants, such 

 as Ramie, this hemp does not compare 

 favourably, and he is of opinion that it 

 is not of much commercial value. 



At Moree Farm, the Manager formed 

 the opinion that irrigation was essential 

 for a profitable crop. Without irriga- 

 tion the plants attained a height of from 

 2 to 3 feet only ; but where irrigated 

 they made a growth 5 feet 4 inches in 

 six months. From its free seeding 

 habits it might become a pest in loamy 

 soils in moist climates. 



At the Wagga Experiment Farm 

 the hemp made fairly good growth. 

 Mr. McKeown considers that this plant 

 is very similar to that which, in the 

 neighbourhood of Sydney, we used to 

 know as Wild Cotton. 



Preparation of Fibre. 

 Concerning the preparation of the fibre 

 of Uganda hemp, Mr. R. G. May, Act- 

 ing-Experimentalist, Hawkesbury Agri- 

 cultural College, reports :— The stems 

 were dried for ten days, this long 

 period being necessary owing to the 

 prevalence of damp weather and fogs. 

 When dry, the stems were retted for 

 eight days, when they were again well 

 dried. Difficulty was experienced in 

 removing the bark from the wood, both 

 adhering closely one to the other. The 

 bark was ultimately removed by being 

 stripped off with a knife — a slow, labo- 

 rious, and uncommercial method. 



In separating the fibre from the vege- 

 table matter difficulty was again ex- 

 perienced, The approved method of 

 pounding the bark was unworkable, a 

 sample of the product of such a method 

 being seen in sample No. 2. Resort 

 was made to pulling out single fibres 

 and stripping off any vegetable matter 

 that adhered to them, so as to 

 secure a general sample of the fibre as 

 should be obtained if it lent itself to 

 approved commercial methods; such as is 

 to be seen in sample No, 1. The fibre 

 is glossy, and will probably lend itself 

 readily to dyeing processes. It is tender 

 and will not stand much tension. Twist- 

 ed into a thread, it breaks easily and does 

 not compare with cotton for strength. 

 An attempt was made to secure a sample 

 by treating the fibre with acid and caustic 

 solutions. The process seems to have 

 rendered it much weaker, though it 

 produces material that would probably 

 pass thiough the commercial opeartions 

 necessary in manufacture, 



