Since the annexation of the Philippines, re search has been made throughout the islands with the special object of discovering valuable fibre plants. A large number has been found, tested and classified. The groups of plants which have yielded commercial fibres include the ferns, pandans, grasses, bamboos, sedges and rushes, palms, agaves, pineapples, cottons (including Kapok) and basts of several shrubs and trees.
Both climbing and non-climbing ferns are used, the fibres being made into hats, ropes and baskets. The pandas fibres are of both fine and coarse grades, and are wrought into hats, sleeping mats, baskets, wall-pockets, picture frames and slippers.
The fibres of grasses make hats, slippers, ropes and brooms. Of the bamboo fibres are made hats, baskets and furniture. Sedges are used entire for mattings and the fluff of the cat tail spikes forms a stuffing for upholstery. From certain of the palm leaves are obtained the fibrous strips which are made into Buntal, Calasiao and Bangkok hats. Pineapple cloths are woven of the fibre of the leaves from the finest gauze to a coarse net. There are three varieties of jute growing wild over immense areas and dozens of trees and shrubby plants yielding basts.
The processes of preparing the fibres for commerce are of two general types: in one fer mentation is first resorted to in order to dis integrate binding substances, as witli jute and ramie. This is followed by beating and scrap ing and hackling. With the fibres of fleshy plants like the agaves, sisal and New Zealand hemp, the leaves or stalks are simply run through a crushing machine and the soft pulp then removed by scraping. Washing and dry
ing complete the preparation.
The imports of raw commercial fibres for the year ending 31 Dec. 1917 were valued at over $95,000,000, though this sum should not be taken as alone representing the consumption of fibre manufactures in the United States, for we import vast quantities in the manufactured form. As an illustration, the importation of flax manufactures in a single year has been seven times greater than the imports of raw and hacked flax for the same period. The principal items with their values imported in the calendar year 1917 were as follows : flax, 7,331 tons, $5,276,777; hemp, 9,745 tons, $2,829, 518; istle, 29,156 tons, $2,539,146; jute, 87,682 tons, $8,315,121; kapoc, 7,565 tons, $1,855,673; manila, 92,112 tons, $27,321,018; New Zealand flax, 9,019 tons, $2,286,922; sisal, 143,871 tons, $43,053,717. In addition to this raw material, there were imported 486,161,880 pounds of bur laps and plain woven jute fabrics, valued at $53,472,680, and 34,473,234 pounds of jute bags, valued at $2,850,323. Binding twine and coir yarn, gunny cloth for cotton bales, etc., totaled a value of over $14,000,000. The increases in importation have been phenomenal since the war began, the 1917 figures being nearly double those of 1914). (See COIR ; CORDAGE; CORDAGE INDUSTRIES; COTTON; FLAX; HEMP; ISTLE ;