Palmyra, Borassus fiabellifer also sold as "piassava,* is a similar palm fibre from Ceylon, a little finer, redder in color, and about two feet long. It is obtained from the base of the petioles or leafstalks. It is also found in India and tropical West Africa; used as a brush material; first came into notice in 1891. Trade name, Cassine.
Kittool, a similar fibre, derived from the jaggery palm, Caryota urens. Structural fibre; brownish black, the filaments straight, smooth and glossy, showing considerable tenacity, and capable of twisting as the fibre is elastic. Com mon in India and Ceylon. We have imported as high as $16,000 worth of kittool in a single year for the manufacture of brushes for brewers' use. The fibre is taken from the bases of the leafstalks. For further information con cerning this and other fibres briefly mentioned consult 'A Descriptive Catalogue of Useful Fibre Plants of the World,' and 'Dictionary of the Economic Products of India.' Palmetto fibre. Two species of the Florida palmetto supply commercial brush fibre. The fibre from the saw palmetto, Serrenoa serrulata, is derived from the macerated stems of the leaves, which are sometimes five feet long. It is a harsh, brittle fibre, white in color when well prepared, and makes a very cheap substitute for bristle brushes. Also used as a substitute for cow's hair in plaster, while the shredded leaves have been employed as mattress filling. The cabbage palmetto, Sabal palmetto, yields fibre reddish in color, somewhat resembling cocoa fibre. It is derived from the °boots* or spathes of the leaf-stems which surround the bud or "cabbage,* and in securing the bud the tree is killed. After a process of steaming and crush ing the boots, the mass is combed and the softer, tangled fibre extracted, leaving the stiff, straight, coarse brush material, which repre sents about 25 per cent of the original fibrous substance of a boot. This product goes into cheap brushes for household use.
Crin vegetal, or African fibre, Chamizrops humilis, is derived from an Algerian species of palm similar to the Florida palmetto. The com mercial product is produced by shredding the leaves, and as imported resembles twisted ropes of hay. It comes in two colors, a pale greenish (called white) and in black. The twisting
crinkles the fibre so that when again opened it retains the "curl,* and in this form is employed as a substitute for curled hair in the filling of mattresses. As the fibre is quite elastic it is a valuable upholstery material.
Spanish moss, Tillandsia usenoides. This is a native filling fibre. The plant is parasitic on trees and is seen hanging in dense gray masses in many portions of tropical and sub tropical America. The fibre is the entire plant in mass, after the gray epidermis has been re moved. It is black in color, and resembles curled horse hair, for which it is a tolerable substitute. Manufactured chiefly in Charles ton, S. C., and in New Orleans, La.
Pulu, a Hawaiian surface fibre, useful for stuffing pillows, etc., is simply the hairs which grow at the bases of the leafstalks of several species of Cibotium, a genus of tree ferns. It is .regularly exported from Honolulu to San Francisco. The substance is yellowish. in color and resembles wool. The golden moss of the Chinese is a similar fibre.
Raffia, Raphia rupia, is a palm fibre, im ported from Madagascar. The commercial product comes in the form of narrow ribbons of fibrous material, derived from the cuticle of the leaves of an African palm, taken before they are fully expanded, by peeling the leaf on both sides. Imported as a tie material for nurserymen; used also for the manufacture and trimming of ladies' hats; has recently conic into extensive use in connection with splints of rattan, for hand-made fancy baskets, the art now being taught in all of our larger cities. Takes dye readily, and can be purchased in several colors.
Another millinery trimming fibre is the Cuba bast, Hibiscus elatus, which comes in the form of thin ribbons of bast, which are the separated layers of the inner bark of a large tree. These ribbons or strips are plaited into ladies' hats, either in the flat, or twisted forms, the white color and satiny sheen making the product peculiarly adaptable to the purpose. In this connection may be mentioned the poplar and willow shavings, or thin strips of wood known as 'chip," and imported from Germany for the same purposes.