8 BULLETIN 404, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
situation arises. To be of substantial value the investigations should 
include not only a determination of the quality and quantity of pulp 
and paper which the material is capable of producing, but should 
embrace a consideration of such relevant factors as agricultural con- 
ditions, farm practice, assembling conditions, transportation, and 
probable future supply. 
Certain cultivated plants seem particularly promising, because in 
the harvesting of the regular crop that portion which might be utilized 
for paper manufacture necessarily is either wholly or partially as- 
sembled. To this class of plants belong corn, broom corn, sorghum, 
sugar cane, bagasse, flax, hemp, and the cereal straws. 1 
It is generally conceded that the employment of different raw 
materials would probably yield products of a somewhat different 
quality than those now prevailing in the markets, but the qualities of 
papers and the public demands are so diversified and numerous that 
this possible objection should not be serious. Ten years ago sul- 
phite manufacturers would not accept consignments of spruce logs 
if they contained over 5 per cent of fir, while to-day many manufac- 
turers tolerate 50 per cent. Rope papers are found to contain not 
only jute, but when this raw material is not plentiful, chemical pulp 
of various kinds. " Linen paper" is often no more than a trade term. 
Not long ago printing papers were made entirely from chemical wood 
pulp, but to-day if it is desired to secure paper which is free from 
ground wood the specifications must so stipulate. Writing papers, 
formerly made entirely from rags, now are likely to contain either 
chemical or even ground-wood pulp unless the specifications prohibit 
it. Without doubt, many paper manufacturers have maintained cer- 
tain papers up to a fixed standard for a long series of years, but it 
is equally true that competition has lowered the standard of a great 
many papers, some of which had acquired a distinctive recognition. 
The employment of plant fibers will not necessarily lower the present 
quality of papers, but if their employment does result in products 
whose qualities are somewhat different from our so-called standard 
papers it does not necessarily follow that such papers will not find 
a ready market. 
FACTORS JUSTIFYING AN INVESTIGATION OF HEMP HIJRDS. 
Hemp hurds form a crop waste, in that they necessarily are pro- 
duced in the raising and preparation of hemp fiber, and their present 
use and value are comparatively insignificant. 
The assembling of the hurds may be effected with economy, since 
the area in which hemp is handled with the use of machine brakes is 
restricted. Although it must be stated that the present annual 
1 For descriptions of investigations of some of these crops, see the list of publications at the end of this 
bulletin. 
