Sarkhad, a Sind grass.
Sesbania aculeata, Persoon ; S. cannabina.
Sida acuta, Burns. ; S. populifolia ; S. tilinfolia. Spartina, sp.
Spartium, sp.
Sponia WightiL• Sterculia guttata, Rozb. • S. ornata S. ramosa ; S. urens, Roxb. ; andS. villosa, Roxb., hemp. Stipa, sp.
Thespesia populnea, Lam., portia tree.
Tillandsia, sp.
Triticum vulgare, Pillars, wheat.
Tylophora asthmatica, R. Typha elephantina, floe). TJrena lobata, Linn.
Urtica heterophylla, Neilgherry nettle.
Whale of Ratnagiri.
Wikstrcemia salicifolia and W. canescens.
Worang of Ratnagiri.
Yucca gloriosa, Linn. Zea mays, Linn., maize.
Of all these S.E. Asia plants, the more promising seem to be the bamboo, the musa, jute, sunn, lint, hemp, malachra, rice-straw, wheat-straw, and calotropis, but none of them come up to rags.
The inner bark of Corchorus (jute) yields a paper pulp, but of inferior quality, and is bleached with difficulty; and agave and banana or plantain are not only expensive, but it is difficult to bleach them. Flax straw can be utilized, but yields only 12 to 15 per cent. of pulp ; hemp produces 25 per cent. ; nettles, 5 per cent, of a very beautiful and easily bleached fibre.
Palm leaves contain 30 to 40 per cent. of fibre, but are not easily bleached. The Bromeliacem contain from 25 to 40 per cent. of fibre ; Bona partea juncoidea of Australia, 25 per cent. of the most beautiful vegetable fibre known, which could be used for paper pulp, and for all fabrics in which flax, cotton, silk, or wool are employed ; the plant needs no other preparation than cutting, drying, and compressing like hay. Ferns give
20 to 25 per cent. of a fibre not easily bleached ; Equisetum, 15 to 20 per cent. of inferior fibre, easily bleached.
Althea, and many of the Malvacem, produce 15 to 20 per cent. of paper pulp. Stalks of beans, peas, hops, buckwheat, potatoes, heather, broom, contain 10 to 20 per cent. of fibre.
The straws of cereals—rice, wheat, barley, oats, and rye—cannot be converted into white paper pulp after they have ripened •the grain ; the joints and knots in the stalks are then so hardened that they resist all bleaching agents.
Hibiscus escnlentus and H. cannabinus are used by the paper-makers of Dowlatabad, and Dr. Riddell suggested the roosa grass. Paper and envelopes for writing, printing, etc., are imported into India, chiefly from the United Kingdom, Austria, and France, of value nearly 50 lakhs of rupees; in 1880-81,47,65,976 rupees.—Tomlinson; Bombay Quarterly Review, p. 265, of 1855; Chinese Mat. Med. ; Sirr s China, ii. pp. 1-4 ; Rev. Joseph Hunter, Archmologia, xxxvii.; John Tinib's Cur. of Science ; Boyle, Memo. May3, 1854 ; Oliphant ; Mason • American Expedition to Japan, p. 64 ; Riddell" s Gardening; Dr. A. Hunter in Madras Ex. Jnr. Rep. ; Cat. Exhib. of 1862 ; 'Royle's Fibrous Plants, p. 311; O'Sh. pp. 279-557 ; B. Hodgson in Jour. Beng. As. Soc., 1832, i. p. 8 ; Gleanings in Science, i. p. 210 ; Boyle, Arts, etc., of India, p. 486 ; Hooker, Ilim. Jour. ; Morrison's Conzpen dious History; Fortune, A Res. among the Chinese ; Mr. Liotard ; Von Mueller; Strettell ; Eng. Cyc.