3. Japanese and Chinese.—The natural varnish of Japan and China ia derived from several species of Rims, whose fruits afford the Japan wax of commerce (see Wax). The stems of the trees are incised at the age of 4-5 years, and the productiveness only lasts for 3 years. The implement uacd is a sort of double hook called kaki gama ; with it, a horizontal gash is first made in the bark, then an inciaion in the centre of the gash. The exudation is collected on an iron spatula, and poured into a vessel suspended from the collector's waist. The incisions are continued upwards till the whole tree haa been wounded ; it is then cut down, the branches are lopped off, soaked in water for 10-20 daya, and abundantly incised. The product is most extensively employed in Japanese and Chinese lacquer-work.
Wood-apple (GER., Feroniagwinmi).—An arabic-like gum of some industrial importance is afforded by the wood-apple tree (Feronia elephantum), an Indian tree, found in Coromandel, the W. coast, Guzerat, and probably Travancore and Burma. The gum is used by dyers, and by painters In miniature and on chintz; it is also employed in making Ink and some varnishes, and in preparing line whitewash. It affords with water a brownish tasteleai mucilaga, not less adhesive than that of gum arsine. For preparing water-colours, it has a reputation beyond all other gums. It is much cheaper than gum &rabic, while apparently equal to it for all purposes.
Xanthorrhcea, Botany Bay, or Akaroid resin, or names have been applied at various times to the resins afforded by tha Xanthorrhouts, of which over half a dozen species hava bean identified, all indigenous to Australia. In W. Australia, these plants form a principal faature in the vegetation. In Gippsland and the Western Port district of Victoria, X. australes abounds on morassy and sandy heaths. All species oontain larga quantity of resin, which exudes naturally in such a degree as to cover the base of tha leaves and tha subterranean portions of the plant, while by crushing the woody stems and sift ing or washing away the chips, soma 50-60 lb. of the resin may be got from a single specimen. It is usual to distinguish the resins as " red " and "yellow." The former is ascribed by Wiesner exclusively to X. australis, and the latter to X. httstelis; while X. arborea is accredited with the pro ductiou of both kinds of resin, the fa& probably being that it gives a yellow resin becoming supar ficially red by age. On this point, thera is much difference of opinion. All kinds are completely soluble in alcohol, and have a pleasant benzoin-like odour. They huve been employed in the manu
facture of spirit- and other varnishes, especially for application to metals. Their lime and soda soaps aro used in sizing papar. They may also be availed of for the manufacture of picric acid, and an illuminating-gas much oheaper (locally) than coal-gas. The yallow kind is used for staining wood in imitation of cedar. It is said that it can be produced at a cost not exeeeding 6/. a ton, while possessing a valua of 30/. a ton in Melbourne for varnish-making purposes.
ROPE (Fa. Cordage ; GER., Tautrerk).
Of the industries dealing with fibrous rnaterials, rope and twine manufacturing has been the latest to come under the influence of tho mechanical inventor. Its comparative insignificance for a long time WM its chief protection. Whilst the textile industries offered larger fields and greater rowards to the ingenuity of the schemer, this department was ignored. Rope and twine manu facturing as au industry was scattered all over this country in the towns and villages. but flourished mostly at or in close proximity to our sea-ports, where, for the supply of shipping, there existed the greatest demand for its products. As in every other handicraft, the processes until within a com paratively recent period, were of rude and primitive character, having been transmitted from one generation to another through centuries, most probably without important modification. With the rise of the modern system of manufacturing, the growth of population, and the enormous development of commerce, our requirements were so largely increased that these primitive methods no longer sufficed to satisfy them. The inventor's aid was therefore called into requisition, and the result has been that, within the past 15-20 years, the ancient methods of manufacture have been quite revolutionized.
The raw materials employed in the manufacture of ropes, cords, and twine, are very various, and include hemp, flax, cotton, jute, manilla-hemp, coir, horse-hair, wool, camel-hair, and other animal fibres. In addition to these, iron, copper and brass-wire are sometimes employed, the first mentioned metal having come into extensive use. In remote times in this country, the native rushes or junci were employed for making ropes, whence the word "junk," worn-out rope. To the preceding, the econornical proclivities of the times have added the tows of the various fibres, soutching-waste, jute-cuttings, old ropes, refuse fibres, gunuy-bags, sacking, and almost every description of waste from fibrous materials that can be combined by the twisting process into a yarn.