The fibre bundles, therefore, whether occurring as bast fibre or structural fibre, or whether in the form of simple cells, as surface fibre. may be regarded as the spinning units; aggregations of bundles purified and cleansed of all extraneous matter, and simply twisted together. The netting structure of the plant, by which means the fila ment is separated. The fibres of the leaves of en dogens, being parallel to each other, are easily obtained of sufficient length for economical pur poses; while the reticulated fibres of leaves of exogens, even if long enough, which is com paratively seldom the case, cannot be separated for use. The bast fibres of exogens. however, are often of sufficient length, and easily sepa rable. The separation is generally accomplished by steeping in water, or by frequent dampen ing with water so as to cause a partial rotting of the other parts of the bast, and of the bark which covers it. Since the fibres of endogens are in general discolored and injured by this damp process to a much greater degree than are those of exogens, mere mechanical means are usually preferred for their separa tion• such as heating. passing between rollers, and scraping. The fibres of many leaves are separated by scraping alone. The fibres of seeds, as cotton, exist in nature attached to the seed, like the wool or hair of animals, and require merely to be collected and cleaned.
There are two natural groups of fibres—the commercial species, and the vast group of the so-called native fibres. Among the uncivilized races many species of fibre-plants which civilized man cannot afford to employ commercially have become most, useful for utensils, cords, and cloth ing. \'chile 30 or 40 species of plants supply the world's deniand for commercial fibres. hundreds of fibrous plants could readily he enumerated. The list of commercial fibres may be increased from time to time. Of those now important there are six bast fibres, as follows: Flax ( Linum usitatissimum) ; China grass (Thrhmeria nit-ea); hemp (Cannabis saliva) : jute ( orchorus cap sularis and Gorehorus °Marius); Sunn hemp (Grotalaria juneea); and Cuba bast (Hibiscus tilinceus). There are two surface fibres: Cotton (Gossypium spp.) and raffia (Raphia poluneu luta). The list of structural fibres numbers 15, representing agaves, palms, and grasses as fol lows: Cordage fibres—Sisal hemp (..1gare rigida var.) ; Manila hemp (Musa textilis); Alauritius flax (Purer tea.giganteu); New Zealand flax ( l'hor mium tenax). Brush fibres—Tampieo or istle (Agave heteracantha); Bahia piassaba ttalea iunifera); Para piassaba (Leopollinia Piassaba); Mexican whisk, or broom-root (Epicumpes ma eroura) cabbage ( SU bu 1 palmetto). Upholstering and matting fibres—Grin vegetal (Chammrops humilis); Spanish moss (Tillandsia vscoides); saw palmetto (Sercnoa serrulata): cocoanut fibre (Cocos nurifera). Paper manu
facture—Esparto grass (Stipe tenacissinio), substitute for bath sponges; and vegetable sponge (Luffe .L'gyptiea).
The sources of supply of these fibres are as follows: Flax is produced chiefly in Belgium, Rus sia, Holland, Italy, Great Britain, and Ireland. the United States and Canada; China grass or ramie comes from China; hemp is obtained from Russia, United States, France, Belgium, Ger many, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and the Nether lands; jute from India and Cuba.: bast from the West Indies; cotton is chiefly produced in the United States, Egypt, and Peru; raffia comes from Africa ; sisal hemp is produced in Yucatan, Cuba, and the Bahamas; Manila hemp is a prod net of the Philippine Islands: Mauritius or aloe fibre comes from Africa; New Zealand flax from the country indicated by its name; Tampico or istle is a Mexican product; Bahia or Para pias sabas, or 'bass' fibres, are' collected from Brazilian palms, other species of bass from African palms; broom-root is a Mexican product: the two pal metto fibres are produced from species of Florida palms; crin vegetal is derived from an allied palm, growing in Algeria; vegetable hair from Spanish moss is prepared in South Carolina and the Gulf States; cocoanut fibre comes from the East Indies: esparto grass is produced in Algeria, Spain, and Portugal; vegetable sponge largely in .Japan. Other fibrous substances ap pear in the form of straw plait from Italy, Japan, and China chiefly. The Eastern floor mat tings and basketry are made from various fibres.
The highest use for which fibre may be em ployed is in the manufacture of cloth or woven fabric. The next higher uses are in the manufac ture of threads, twines, cords, and ropes known as cordage. A third use is in the manufacture of brushes and brooms, for which a different class of fibre than either the fabric or cordage fibres is employed. Fourth, fibres are used in the manu facture of many plaited or coarsely woven articles employed in domestic economy, some of which are of commercial importance. while the greater number are 'native' productions. A fifth form of utility is the employment of fibres or fibrous substances in mass as filling material, for stuffing pillows, cushions, mattresses, furni ture, etc., or as packing substances. A sixth and exceedingly important use is in the manufacture of paper. For further information, consult: Watt, Dictionary of Economic Products of India (Cal cutta. 1889) ; Morris. Commercial Fibres (Lon don, 1895) : "Vegetable. Fibres," Kew Royal Gar dens (London, 1898) ; Dodge, "Useful Fibre Plants of the World," United States Department of Agriculture, Fibre Investigations, Report No. IX. (Washington, 1897). Sec FLAX; JUTE; RAMIE.