The quantities (in cwts.) and values of imports of our raw cotton, in 1879, were: Atlantic Ports of U.S.A., 9,664,167: 25,945,1711. ; Egyptian ports, 1,412,786: 5,088,109/. ; Bombay and Scinde, 896,691: 2,210,883l.; Bengal and Brit. Burmah, 427,230: 993,704/. ; Madras, 292,712: 709,714/. ; Brazil, 152,185: 427,964/. ; New Granada, 84,622 : 255,166/. ; Peru, 70,473: 222,466/. ; France, 52,823: 140,521/. ; Denmark, 12,363 : 24,590/. ; Belgium, 11,623: 30,547/. ; Chili, 3924: 11,571/. ; Germany, 3834: 13,024/. ; Australia, 3626: 20,403/. ; Turkey and Cyprus, 3316: 9682/. ; British N. America, 3314: 9137/. ; Ceylon, 2542: 6332/. ; Pacific Ports of United States, 673: 4793/. ; other countries, 20,368: 56,408/. ; total, 13,119,272: 36,180,548/.
The quantities and values for the four preceding years were as follows :-1875, 13,324.564 cwt., 46,259,822l.; 1876, 13,284,454 cwt.,40,180,8801. ; 1877, 12,100,725 cwt., 35,420,8521.; 1878, 11,967,679 cwt., 33,519,5491.
Grewia Native of India, chiefly in the Him4layas. The inner bark is employed by the natives for making ropes and coarse cloth. A fairly good paper has also been made from it. G. occidentalis, in S. Africa, affords a so-called "Kaffir hemp," a white fibre of great strength extracted by retting, and much used by the Kaffirs.
Guazuma ; tree, ft. Introduced from the W. Indies, but now commonly cultivated in India. A fibre prepared from the young shoots was submitted to experiments by Dr. Roxburgh, and found to be of considerable strength, breaking at 100 lb. dry and 140 lb. wet.
Hardwickia tree, 100 ft. Found in India, on the banks of the Cauvery, In Salem cod Coimbatore, on the western slopes of the Neilgherries, in Mysore, in the Godavery forests, and in Bombay. It is recommended for culture in Victoria. It is easily raised from seed, readily pollarded, and flourishes up to an elevation of 3500 ft. in India. The bark yields without difficulty a valuable fibre for cordage purposes.
Helianthus Native of Peru, and selected for culture in Victoria. In these climates, the plant would repay culture for the fibre yielded by its stems. About 6 lb. of seed arc required for an acre ; the plant likes calcareous soil ; ands return is obtained in a few mouths.
H. to perfection in Brazil. The stem is rich in textile fibre. The plant can only be fully developed in a soil rich in potash.
Helicteres ; shrub, 12 ft. Native of India, growing at the foot of the Hirmi layas, and at the base of the hills in Travancore. It is a common plant. Its bark yields a fibre well
adapted to cordage purposes, and extracted by retting the stems in water, and then beating them. It is strong and white, and is used locally for making gunny bags, and for the curtain blinds of vemndahs of native houses.
Hemp.—.See Cannabis sativa.
Hibiscus cannabinue—Ambaree, Deckanee Hemp.—Exog,ren; ft. This plant is common in almost every part of India. It is usually cultivated in the cold season, but, with sufficient moisture, it will thrive throughout the year. It prefers a rich loose soil. The seed ie sown about as thick as hemp, but generally mixed with that of a grain crop ; the sowing must be thin, to prevent shading the latter too much. It occupies the ground for about three months, from the sowing to the harvesting. In some districts, it is sown alone. In the districts of Furrcedpore and Backergunge, it thrives well in marshes, and oven in waist•deep water, and contributes largely towards the deord jute of those localities. Rich soil has yielded over 3000 lb. clean fibre per acre. It is readily cultivated, and, with more attention, might compete with jute. The bark of the stem is full of strong fibre, which is extracted and prepared like the fibre of the jute plant (Corchorus), or that of the sunn (Crotalaria). A section of the stem is seen in Fig. 663 : a, bark ; I, lignose ; e, epidermis ; f, bast fibres, coloured distinctly yellow by test H ; mug. 100. The dimensions of the filaments are :—length max„ 0.236 in. ; min., 0.078 in. ; mean, 0.196 in. ; diameter : max., 0.00132 in, ; min., in.; mean, 0.00084 in. The length of the extracted fibre varies between 5 ft. and 10 ft. Tile fibre is somewhat stiff and brittle, and though used as a substitute for hemp and jute.
it is inferior to both. The breaking strain lies been variously stated at 115-190 lb. It is bright and glossy, but coarse and harsh. It is sold with and as jute, and is employed in Bengal for the purposes of jute, including fish ing-nets and paper. Samples of the fibre exposed for 2 hours to steam at 2 atmos., followed by boiling in water for 3 hours, and again steamed for 4 hours, lost only per cent. by weight, as against flax, 3 .50 ; Manilla hemp, 6.07 ; hemp, 6 .18-8.44 ; jute, 21.39. The average weight sustained by slips of sized paper weighing 39 gr., made from this fibre, was 71 lb., as compared with Bank of England note pulp, 47 lb. It worked satisfactorily, and took ink well.