498 VEGETABLE FIBRES AVAILABLE FOR TEXTILE FABRICS. 
siderable difficulty must exist in the spinning. Report gives it the 
character of producing a firm cloth. But its comparative coarseness 
and non-adaptability for long count yarns must hinder its bearing a 
high commercial value in such a state of preparation, whilst its magni- 
ficent length and strength, exceeding, with few exceptions, every other 
fibre, together with its peculiar beauties and qualities, adapt it for far 
more valuable employment than to enter into competition with coarse- 
stapled cottons, or, at least, to scarcely fill a place capable of being 
filled by fibres of half the cost. Towards its preparation for those more 
suitable and valuable uses, many attempts have been made with 
mediocre success. It appears generally to have baffled all efforts either 
to completely separate it into its cells, or to retain in these the length 
and strength which they naturally possess. 
Much attention has been given of late, both in Canada and in the 
United States, towards producing a cotton substitute for flax. The 
government of the United States,, with its usual fostering care, voted in 
1864, a subsidy of 10,000 dols., to defray the expense of a commission to 
ascertain whether it be practicable to prepare from flax such a substitute. 
The success appears to have been moderate ; and some interesting 
samples have been shown of flax so prepared, both from the United 
States and from Canada. Some grounds of hope of complete success 
appear to exist, as it is proposed, or decided to extend the commission 
for another year with a further grant of money. 
It is a consideration of much importance whether it has not been 
taken too much for granted that what may be termed " manufacturing 
properties," which specially belong to cotton, will be present in any or 
all fibres, when separated into their individual cells ; and, whether any of 
these fibres when so prepared will actually supply the peculiar place ot 
cotton. Most of their properties would seem rather to point to a totally 
new class of cloths ; doubtless also, to a modified mode of working the 
fibres. A want of adaptiveness for spinning, appears to exist in a greater 
or less degree in all. The peculiarities of many which possess a similar 
length to cotton, consist in being gradually tapered from the middle to 
the ends ; stiff throughout, almost cylindrical, little twisted, showing 
under the microscope great brilliance and smoothness of surface. Some 
exhibit polarity enough to adhere in a long string when placed end to 
end. Some possess the remarkable softness of the fibrine of chamois 
leather, but are very short and tender. But other fibres exist which 
possess great evenness of thickness long as mohair. One at least has all 
the length and fineness of coarse middle draft silk. Yet with all these 
varied materials lying buried under chemical difficulties of a very slight 
character, compared with many which are continually overcome, except 
the isolated instance of China grass, we use to day nothing which 
Nature has not almost " prepared " ready to our hands ! 
Much misapprehension appears to prevail concerning the strength and 
