96 Vegetable Fibres Available for 
It is remarkable that in separating this fibre, the lustrous 
coat of each cell is so thick that when the outer portion of 
it (which is organic) is left intact with all its natural 
brilliancy, the cell is perceptibly thicker even to the naked 
eye, than it is, as usually treated, with this outer coat 
destroyed. It is attached with unusual facility, as is also 
the strength of the cell. Samples of combed grass at 
present found in commere, do not possess more than from 
one-third to two-thirds of their natural strength. But 
although the difficulty in preserving all these is considerable 
(which we will afterwards examine), yet the total difficulties 
to be surmounted in bringing the fibre into this state are 
not so great as in most of other fibres, and by the employ- 
ment of reasonable means, the cells may be obtained with 
close upon their natural length, strength, and brilliancy, 
accompanied with perfect separation. 
The relative actual value of China grass is high. Its 
present quoted price of 485 per ton may be calleda 
“fancy one.” The trade cannot give it, and will not do so 
long, when it is producible, with equal profit, at as lowa 
price as Bombay hemp itself. - It is a forcible example of 
the heavy ves zuertie which hangs over everything, not 
hackeneyed, in commerce, that so valuable a fibre, producble 
at so low a rate, and in illimitable qualities. should be so 
difficult to obtain, and at prices so fabulous :—For, the 
fibre even if simply cleansed (by means within the reach of 
everyone), for a strong rope or coarse cloth filament, would 
be a valuable adjunct to our fibrous materials, and in increas- 
ing demand at remunerative rates to the producer. 
2nd. Flax is the earliest mentioned of all vegetable 
fibres. From even the coarser varieties of it, the Egyptians 
appear to have produced some fine fabrics. It has always 
remained until a comparatively recent date, the great staple 
vegetable fibre. But when machinery began to develope 
and prove the possibility of advantageously concentrating 
the labour hitherto spread over every home, the fact of 
cotton being found ready without any tedious preparation, 
for the machinery, caused it to be used for purposes to 
which flax and other fibres in certain states of preparation 
ate better adapted: whilst advances have not been made 
in working flax necessary to enable it to sustain its 
legitimate position. It cannot be supposed that any 
alteration of state of fibre would cause its present state in 
use to be superseded; yet it may be a matter of question, 
(yet unanswered by the many proposals which, during the 
