Bauhinia rac emos , or Arr ; small tree. Found throughout Bengal, Mysore, and the mountains of the Concans. The hark stripped from the green branches is made into strong rope, used locally for various purposes; the fibre is not exported, and is low priced.
B. scandens climbing shrub, found in the Concans, Assam, and Travancore, and very common in Silliet. Its fibre is much used by the Ragas. A line made from it supported 168 lb. for 45 minutes, and stretched 6 in. in 3 ft. Major Jenkins reported, however, that, either from the nature of the material, or the mode of its preparation, it was so harsh and stubborn, and the fibres stuck so close together, as to cause the heckles to tear it to pieces, and injure its strength.
B. or climber. Found among the forests of the Sewaliks and the hot valleys of the Himalayas, from the deans of the N.-W., to the valley of Assam. The stems are cut in July-August. The outer bark is stripped off, and thrown away; the inner is used for making ropes and cordage. It is either soaked in water, and twisted while wet ; or it is boiled, and beaten with mallets, to render it soft and pliable. The cordage prepared from it is not very durable, and rots if kept constantly in water. It has, however, been used in making suspension bridges in the Himalayas. Though very abundant, the fibre is not collected for sale.
B. Hookeri, in S. Australia ; B. reticulata, B. rufescens, &e., in Senegal and Angola ; B. splendens, in Venezuela ; and B. coccinea, in Cochin China, are all turned to account for their fibre.
Beaumontia in India. Furnishes the best seed hairs yet known, though least utilized. The fibre is said to be not only the most lustrous and most purely white, of all the so-called "vegetable silica," but possesses besides a remarkable degree of strength. Moreover, the hairs are very easily separated from the seeds. The dimensions of the fibres are 1 .181-1'771 in. long, and in. in diameter.
Bcehmeria nivea [Urtica nivea, U. grass (FR., Ortie de Chine ; GER., Chinagra..9; ASSAM, Rheea ; MALAY, Ramie ; SumATRA, Caloec ; JAPAN, Tsjo, Karoo ; CHINA, Tchou ma, Chu).—Exogon ; shrub, 5-8 ft. The range of this plant is very wide, especially if we admit tiro identity of several locally-distinguished species or varieties. As a native, it occurs abundantly in China, Japan, the Philippines, Java, Sumatra, and the Eastern Archipelago generally ; in Siam, Burma, Singapore, and Penang ; as well as in Assam, Nepal, and in some parts of the Lower Provinces of Bengal, as Rungpore and Dinagepore. Its natural limits appear to be about 36° N.
lat., in Corea and Japan, and between 9° and 10° S. lat., in the Moluccas. Under cultivation, it has been proved to flourish in almost every part of India ; and it has been successfully introduced into many foreign countries. It thrives in Natal, where an indigenous variety attains a height of 24 ft. ; in Mauritius ; in Algeria, especially near Relizane, and in the plain of the Habra, in the pro vince of Oran, its cultivation has been attended with great success ; the island of Corsica offers similar prospects; S. France, especially the Departments of Vaueluse and Alpes Maritimes, is now producing large quantities of the plant ; in the Channel Islands, and even in Great Britain, it does not refuse to grow, though its culture probably could not be made profitable ; the alluvial and upland soils of the S.-W. States of America are well suited to the plant, and its culture is being successfully carried on in Louisiana and California ; it is grown in Martinique, Jamaica, and Trinidad ; it has been naturalized in Mexico ; finally, it is recommended for culture in the rich and warmest forest valleys of Victoria, where irrigation can be applied ; in the open ground, it suffers from the night frosts, which, however, do not prevent fresh shoots being sent up during the hot season. An allied variety, B. calophleba, recently discovered in Lord Howe's Island, deserves attention and investigation.
Cultivation of the Plant—The plant is generally propagated by roots, cuttings, or suckers ; it may be grown from cuttings as readily as the willow. It requires a great deal of moisture, and appears to thrive best under shade in the tropics. It differs from all allied textile plants by being perennial, and it is said that the quality of the first year's crop is improved upon in subsequent years. Analysis of the stems shows 4.14 per cent. of ash ; of this, the alkalies amount to per cent. (potash, 32.37), and the phosphoric acid to per cent. These figures suffice to show the very exhausting nature of the plant, and explain the importance attached by the Chinese to its careful manuring. At the same time, it must be remembered that the fibre itself contains only an infini tesimal proportion of ash; and if the refuse from the stems, after separation of the fibre, be burned and returned to the soil, the necessity for artificial manuring will be much reduced. The plant has long been cultivated in the countries where it is indigenous, and a knowledge of the methods adopted by the natives cannot fail to be of service to those who propose introducing it elsewhere.