Bcehmeria nivea.
Chlorogalum 8 ft. Frequent on the mountains of California, and recommended for culture in Victoria. Its heavy bulb is covered with many coatings of fibres, which are employed for stuffing cushions, mattresses, &e.
Chorisia in Brazil and the W. Indies. The seed-down is used for stuffing purposes, and has boon occasionally imported to this country, under the comprehensive term "silk cotton " or " vegetable silk." Cibotium ; 10-15 ft. Some uncertainty exists as to the species yielding Pulu fibre. It (or they) is a native of the Sandwich Islands and of the Indian Archipelago. It is found more or less on the five principal islands of the Sandwich group, but especially on Owyhee, in the districts of Hilo, Hamakua, and Puna. The plant grows on the high lands, commencing at an elevation of about 1000 ft., and extending upwards to about 4000 ft. The fibre, "vegetable silk" as it is called, is produced around the stalk, where the leaf or stem shoots nut from the stock. Each plant yields only about 2-3 oz. of fibre, which occupies about 4 years in production. The gathering is a very slow and tedious operation. When picked, the fibre is wet, and has to he laii:Pout on the rocks, or on mats, to dry. In favourable weather, this may be effected in a day or two ; but in the habitat of the plant, rains prevail, so that the fibre is often brought in a wet state to market, even after several weeks' "drying." It is shipped closely packed in wool bales, principally to San Francisco, and, in a minor degree, to Australia and Vancouver's Island. The supplies are being exhausted. The application of the fibre is as a substitute for feathers and horsehair, for stuffing purposes. The exports from Honolulu in 1878 were 212,740 lb., of which, Australia and New Zealand took 181,070 lb., and the Pacific ports of the United States, 31,670 lb.
Cocos fibre, Coir (FR., Cocoticr ; CEa., Cocosnuss, Kair).—Endogen ; tree, 60-90 ft. This palm is very widely distributed throughout the intertropical regions of both hemispheres, where the mean temperature is about 22° (72° F.). It is abundantly cultivated on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts of India, in Ceylon, and in all the islands of the E. Archipelago ; also on the coasts of tropical E. and W. Africa ; and in the W. Indies. It thrives best in low, sandy situations, within the influence of the sea-bri oze, and never attains the same perfection when grown inland. This partiality for the sandy sea-shores, where no other plant will flourish, gives the tree an additional value.
Its cultivation is a very simple matter, the tree being prolific, and requiring little taro or atten tion. The soil is cleared from weeds and undergrowth, and the thoroughly ripe nuts are placed in boles, and carelessly covered with earth. In 3-4 months, the nuts begin to germinate ; if planted just beforellie rains, and not transplanted, the young plants will require no watering during the hot season. But after the first year, moisture must be supplied twice daily until the 4th-5th year, and the roots must be carefully protected from exposure to the air. According to the soil and situation,
the trees begin to bear fruit at 5-8 years, and continue to the age of 70-80 years, being most pro ductive between 25 and 30. The yield of nuts will very from 30-50 to 80-100 per annum. The W. Indian plantations have recently been devastated by the attacks of a small beetle (Passalus tridens). A similar evil is reported from Zanzibar, in the shape of Oryctes nzonoceros, two other species of which are equally destructive in Bourbon and Penang. Trees may be saved by cutting out the larva, when the chewed leaf seen on the outside of the shoot shows that the plant has been attacked.
Besides other useful products, to be noticed under Nuts, and Oils, the tree affords a fibre known as " eoir." This consists of a coarse fibrous rind which envelopes the nuts. The quality of this is much impaired by waiting for the nuts to arrive at maturity, consequently, for fibrous purposes, the latter are usually cut at about the 10th mouth. If cut earlier than this, the fibre is weak ; if later, it becomes coarse and hard, requires a longer soaking, and is more difficult to manufacture. The removal of the fibre from the shells is effected by forcing the nut upon a pointed implement stuck into the ground ; in this way, a man can clear about 1000 nuts a day. The fibrous husks are next submitted to a soaking, which is variously conducted. In some places, they are placed in pits of salt or brackish water, for 6-18 months; in other places, fresh water is used, but it becomes foul, and injures the colour of the fibre. The chief point to be considered is the duration of the soaking; if it be continued too long, the fibre will be weakened, if it be curtailed, the subsequent extraction and cleansing of the fibre will be rendered more difficult. The most approved plan of conducting the soaking is in tanks of stone, brick, iron, or wood ; steam is admitted, to warm the water. By this means, the operation is rendered very much shorter, and the fibre is softened and improved. The further separation of the fibre from the husks is largely effected by hand, by the natives of the E. Archipelago. After thorough soaking, the husks are beaten with heavy wooden mallets, and then rubbed between the hands. Where our colonists have taken up the industry, machinery has been adopted in place of hand labour. The husks are crushed in a mill, consisting of two adjustable fluted iron rollers. The pressure here exerted flattens them, and prepares them for the " breaking down," or extraction of the fibre, performed in an " extractor," composed essentially of a drum or cylinder, whose periphery is coated with steel teeth that catch in the fibre, and tear it from the husk. The machine is covered in by a wooden case, to prevent the fibre being scattered. The last operation is " willowing," or the removal of all short or hard fibres, as well as dirt, from the good fibre. It is effected by the "dust-willow," a basket of galvanized iron wire. The pro portion of clean fibre obtained from the nuts varies much ; it may probably average 140-160 lb. fibre from every 1000 nuts.