94 Vegetable Fibres Available for 
known fibres to guide to practise in their treatment. A 
glance at the various improvements patented relating to 
fibres, will suffice to show that the proposed processes are 
structures built upon an unknown foundation—mere sur- 
face treatment of an unknown disease. Much precedent 
cannot, therefore, be appealed to in corroboration of any 
conclusions arrived at, which will be liable to be viewed as 
mere private experience, or opinions. 
The down, or seeds, as cotton, bombax, &c., need no 
consideration, as they are obtained prepared by Nature 
herself, for the manufacturer. It may, nevertheless, be 
asked of our colonial botanists whether it be not possible 
by culture, as has been done in the case of cotton, to 
increase the length of the down on the seeds of bombax, 
mudar, &c., which would then become valuable materials 
for several uses. 
It is on fibres forming the bark, and the spiral vessels of 
plants, that manufacturing skill is specially required. 
These, as found in commerce, consist of the filament, 
accompanied with much loose vegetable matter, inner 
bark, &c. These matters are varyingly easy to remove, 
when there remains the filament itself, of which state of 
fibre “ flax-cotton” has been about the only type. Yet, in 
this state, a large bulk of fibres must be used, if used at 
all, for textile fabrics, either because of their great rough- 
ness when uncleansed, or because of their non-adaptability, 
or want of strength, for spinning, if separated into indivi- 
dual cells. The cells of the filainent are agglutined 
together by mixed vegetable and mineral compounds, and 
most probably by inner skinny envelopes encircling each 
filament, composed of two or more cells. The downs, men- 
tioned as cotton, &c., are pure cellulin, except a minute 
portion of foreign substances, as a surface coating. Nearly 
such also is linen cloth after long wear, when the agglu- 
tining substances have become gradually removed, and the 
fibre has become easily separable into its cells. It is in this 
state of complete separation that many fibres exhibit their 
chief value. In this state only can ages develop on them 
their full tints, and from them in this state will the cloths 
of greatest beauty in the future be produced. Improve- 
ments must of necessity be chiefly in the direction of 
bringing the fibres into one or other of these states, and of 
adapting the processes of manufacture to the peculiarities 
they present. It is especially desirable that the characters _ 
and properties of all the known and easily obtainable fibres 
