79 
[ Rep. m. 564. ] 
sMfemtidn attending tlid p’ropa'gation of fibrous^leaVed plants in the poor¬ 
est soils, will be found in the fact, that, ^ whether the staple desired be 
fibtbtis foliage for domestic manufactures, or foliaceous fibres for foreign 
exjidrts, at least three-fourths of all the requisite labor can be accomplish¬ 
ed much more cheaply by horse power than by human power. More- 
overyas these perennial plants combine the merits of yielding the great¬ 
est pqsMble produce with the least possible labor, in the poorest possible 
sbils, their introduetion will be an equivalent to the direct addition of abso¬ 
lute fertility to our hitherto most steril districts, and of positive wealth to 
our hitherto poorest population. 
Hence proceed my convictions that foliaceous fibres may be more profit¬ 
ably produced in the refuse lands of Carolina and Georgia, than cortical or 
capsular fibres in the richest sections of Ohio and of Louisiana 5 that hence, 
even the ruined fields of the Southern States will yield greater prosperity in the 
pfoduction of foliaceous fibres alone, than was ever obtained from their virgin 
loams by the cultivation of capsular fibres, notwithstanding cotton at pres¬ 
ent constitutes a great proportion of the wliole exports of the United States. 
Hence, also, my belief that, as the narcolic leaves of one native plant - 
of Yucatan (which take its name from the then dependent province 
of Tabasco) do actually afford an anriual exportation of many millions in 
one staple of the South, so the fibrous leaves of another native plant of 
Yucatan, (which may take its name from the actual exporting port of 
SlSal,) more probably afford an annual exportation of ten times as 
mhiiy millions of dollars in another staple of the South; and that this new 
staple will be still more important than all her old staples combined, not 
merely for the amount, value, , and profit of the product itself, but also for 
the character of the lands, of the labor, and of the population it will em- 
ploy: 
Hence, also, my opinions that the propagation of fibrous-leaved plants 
in the actually worthless sands and swamps of the Southern States, will 
form a still more distinguished era in their agricultural prosperity than the 
ihyention of the cOtton-gin ; that the production of fibrous foliage and fo- 
liaCeous fibres will create still more beneficial revolutions in the commerce 
and manufactures of all civilized nations than has yet been effected by the 
cultivation of the capsular fibres called cotton ; and that, therefore, their 
introduction to the intelligent industry of our free institutions should be 
effectually favored by the statesmen of our nation, and by the philanthro¬ 
pists of the world. 
I have the honor to be, gentlemen, very respectfully, your obedient ser¬ 
vant, 
HENRY PERRTNE. 
EXPLANATORY OBSERVATIONS. 
Common Flax and common Hemp are obtained from the bark of the 
stems of their respective plants of the same name ; hence the generic title 
of Corticalfibres. The substitutes for common flax and hemp, called Grass 
hemp. Grass flax, &c., are got from the leaves of their respective plants of 
different names ; hence the generic phrase of foliaceous fibres. As cotton 
is obtained from a pod or capsule, the generic term Capsular fibres em¬ 
braces it. 
The fine cortical fibres called Common Flax, and the coarse cortical 
