ictorim ,tiome 
(mtllGR, 
while with those of Rattan there is no trouble at all. 
So popular have they become that they are to he had 
of all large florists ; and I am informed that last year 
a cargo was shipped to South America, as the begin¬ 
ning of a large trade with that quarter of the globe. 
But, to return to the history of the Rattan, let me 
not overlook one of its most common uses, namely the 
material known to the trade as “ Excelsior,” a materi¬ 
al very popular with upholsterers, for stuffing mat¬ 
tresses and furniture, and for packing fine goods.' This 
consists simply of the shavings of the Rattan, pro- 
and whalebones, and they are manufactured into chair 
seats, chairs, mats, baskets, sieves, hats, shoes, um¬ 
brella frames, and many other articles. The coarse 
matting used for covering offices, or public halls, is 
made from this same useful material. Then, when 
the glossy bark is removed by means of machinery, in¬ 
vented for the purpose, slender round canes are left, 
which are ready to be manufactured into the neatest 
kind of trellises, and frame work for verandas, or for 
house plants. Indeed, so extensive has this branch of 
the business become, that very large establishments 
THE USES OF RATTAN. 
The plant known as the Rattan is a species of Cala¬ 
mus of the Palm family, and is a native of various 
parts of the East Indies, especially in the forests of 
Sumatra and Borneo, it is produced in immense quan¬ 
tities. The article known to commerce is the long and 
slender leaf stalk of the plant which grows to the 
m/^m 
AKvl 
