234 THE FLORIST AND 
vessels, especially of American build, has been made of Manilla hemp, and 
the cordage of this material, when worn out, has the advantage of being 
convertible into an excellent kind of paper. 
The banana which yields the Manilla fibre is a native of the Philippine 
Islands, where it grows wild in natural groves which are considered as 
private property, and is also extensively cultivated. The outer layers of 
fibres contained in the stem are coarser in quality. The inner layers are 
of various degrees of fineness and are woven into cloth, which forms the 
universal wearing apparel of the country. Some of this cloth is so fine, 
that a garment made of it " may be enclosed in the hollow of the hand." 
Nearly all the other known species of plantain or banana also abound in 
fibre. In India the fibre of the common plantain [Musa sapientum) is 
separated and prepared by the natives of Dacca, and numerous experiments 
have been made both in the East and in the West Indies, with the view of 
preparing it of good quality and at a cheap rate. Various samples from 
different localities were sent to the Great Exhibition, and it was stated that, 
besides yielding the usual crop of fruit, the banana stems, hitherto allowed 
to rot on the ground, would yield upwards of six hundred pounds of fibre per 
imperial acre. It was added on the part of the exhibitors from Demarara, 
that if a remunerative price, some nine or ten pounds a ton, could be 
obtained for this fibre, a new branch of industry would be opened up to the 
colonists." With a view both to our home wants, therefore, and to our colo- 
nial prosperity, it is desirable that the preparation and use of these plantain 
fibres should be encouraged. In 1854, average qualities of Manilla hemp 
brought from ^44 to £50 a ton ; and in 1854, as much as <£70 to <£76. 
And although from other localities, and from other species or varieties of 
the plant, fibres of equal strength and value may not be obtained, yet there 
is a wide enough margin to allow of a considerable reduction in the price of 
that which may be made in our own colonies, and yet leave a remunerative 
return to the colonial grower. 
The lime, or linden tree, [Tilia Europea^) is known to us chiefly for its 
elegant appearance and its sweet-scented flowers, and is planted for orna- 
mental purposes. In the north of Europe, in Sweden, and especially in 
Russia, where it abounds in the natural forests, it is esteemed for its fibrous 
bark, and yields the raw material for an important manufacture. 
" When steeped in water this bark separates into thin layers, which are 
employed for making a coarse kind of rope, for making matted shoes, 
much worn by the Russian peasantry, and also for making the mats which 
are so largely exported from Russia, and which are so extensively used in 
