^"'uiZ'Sis''^'}  Economic  Uses  of  the  Hibiscus  Family.  ill 
the  bleaching  process,  the  chloride  of  lime  in  sulphate  of  alumina,  which 
precipitates  the  resin  at  the  same  time.  The  following  is  a  proximate 
analysis  of  the  stem  of  the  plant : 
Water,         ........  13*82 
Gombin,  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 
Cellulos,      ........  60-75 
Kesin,     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  0-93 
Mineral  matters,      .  .  .  .  .  .  .4-75 
Loss,      ........  0-25 
This  proportion  of  cellulose  is  a  little  below  the  industrial  yield, 
which  is  about  sixty-six  per  cent.  We  pass  on  now  to  notice  a  few 
other  species  of  Hibiscus.  The  musk  seed  of  commerce  (yAhelmoschus 
moschatus)  is  the  "  Kala  Kustooree  "  of  the  Hindoos,  the  "  Hubbul 
mooshk "  of  the  Arabs,  a  celebrated  ingredient  used  in  their  coffee 
with  such  wonderful  improvement  of  its  flavor  as  to  have  led  to  its  in- 
troduction for  the  same  purpose  amongst  Europeans  even  in  India. 
The  sorrel  plant  {Hibiscus  Sahdariffa)  is  cultivated  in  most  gardens  in 
South  Africa  and  India,  because  its  calyces,  as  they  ripen,  become 
fleshy,  and  being  of  a  pleasant  acid  taste,  are  much  employed  for  mak- 
ing tarts  as  well  as  an  excellent  jelly,  A  decoction  of  them,  sweetened 
and  fermented,  is  commonly  called,  in  the  West  Indies,  sorrel-drink. 
The  leaves  are  used  in  salads,  and  the  root  is  said  to  be  a  purgative. 
The  stem  is  cut  when  in  flower,  and  a  fibre  got  from  the  bark,  which 
is  rather  fine  and  silky.  Excellent  tow  and  hemp  might  be  made  from 
several  species  of  Hibiscus,  the  staple  being  long,  fibres  uniform,  silky 
and  fine.  Cordage  of  greater  compactness  and  density  could,  there- 
fore, be  made  from  them  than  from  many  of  the  coarser  fibres.  All 
plants  of  this  kind  should  be  sown  thick,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
they  will  grow  tall  and  slender,  thus  giving  a  greater  length  of  straight 
fibre-yielding  stem.  No  plant  yielding  fibre  should  be  gathered  for 
more  than  one  or  two  days  before  prepared,  as  the  drying  up  of  the  sap 
stains  the  fibres,  and  the  sooner  the  fibre  is  cleaned,  the  stronger  and 
whiter  it  will  be  ;  newly-cleaned  fibres  must  not  be  exposed  to  the  sun, 
as  they  acquire  a  brown  tinge,  and  it  should  be  recollected  that  all 
plants  are  usually  in  greatest  vigor  when,  in  flower  or  fruit,  and  it  is  at 
that  time  they  yield  the  greatest  amount  of  fibre.  The  bark  of  the 
Deckanee  hemp  (Hibiscus  can?iabirius)^  is  full  of  strong  fibres,  which 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Malabar  coast  prepare  and  make  into  cordage 
