BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 
89 
" QUERIES, 
" 1. Can a quantity be had in an indigenous state ? 
" 2. Will it be an advantage to cultivate ? 
" 3. What will it cost to gather, cultivate, &c. ? 
" Yours, &c., 
" (Signed) J. McMICKING. 
Gore Paper Mills, April 2, 1860." 
With this note Mr. McMicking sent a specimen of the fibre, which had been 
bleached for three minutes, and a specimen of Manilla fibre, the substance gener- 
ally employed in the manufacture of paper, which had been bleached for twenty- 
four hours. The fibre of the Asclepias was whiter and of a brighter color than that 
of the Manilla, notwithstanding the length of time the latter had been subjected to 
the action of the chemical substances used in bleaching. It is important to notice 
this, as the ease with which it may be bleached increases its value, both as a material 
for making paper, and as a material for making cloth. 
Mr. McMicking stated to me lately, that while it is not worth more than five 
cents per pound for making paper, he considers it worth ten cents per pound for 
other purposes, and that there could be no doubt as to its utility and value as a 
fibre. The only doubt he felt was as to the possibility of cultivating it successfully 
and profitably. 
The application of the fibre to the manufacture of coarse cloth is not new ; but 
I am not aware that its capability of making fine cloth has been tested, or that any 
attempt has been made to ascertain whether or not it can be cultivated successfully 
and profitably. I have sent some seed, in the hope that some of the members of 
the Botanical Society will give it a trial. The seed might be sown in any good, 
moist garden soil, and the plants be transplanted in the following spring to the 
place where it is intended they shall remain, and set out at distances not less than 
eighteen inches apart each way. By measuring the ground and weighing the fibre, 
an estimate might be formed as to the probability of its cultivation proving 
profitable. 
An interesting series of specimens,, including stalks of the plant, and samples 
of the fibre in various stages of preparation, were exhibited to the meeting, in 
illustration of Judge Logie's remarks. 
w 
