Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1856-05-10
Paper Making from the Bark OF Cotton Plants
IAN Important Discovery.

-hu Ahooitoht bincoNoiys
Specimens Of the bark stripped from cotton
stalks have been exhibited TO paper manuiae
turen at the North, which is found 10 be Of q
fibrous character, and is considered TO be wei
adapted for the manufacture OF good paper
The best period for preparing this cotton hemp
will be as soon us practicable after the picking
Of cotton has been finished. The plants should
then be pulled up aud dew.ro;ted like hemp oI
flax, and afterwards broken up and the bark
separated from the wood OF the stalk. The
specimens Of cleaned bark exhibited TO expefi'
enced paper makers, was considered equal 10
good rags worth cents per ID. or about Sl20
per ton, and was pronounced the best substi'
taie for rags Of any raw vegetable ma,erins
!nown TO the trade,
The practice with the planters, hitherto, has
been after the cotton is gathered to collect the
plants into heaps before preparing the ground
for another CROP and burn them, 50 tina, the
hemp which may hereafter be obtained from
them will be clear gain, and add so much
additional TO the yield Of their cotton FIELDS.
The importance Of an abundant and cheap
material us substitute for rags from which
good and cheap paper can be made, may be
judged Of from the fact that the United States
consume us much as France and England
combined There is no element in the pro-
grrSS of civilization more important than cheap
paper. With n plentiful supply Of cheap pa.
per, boolts can be supplied at cheaper rates;
newspapers published at lower prices, and cor:
respondence conducted at less cost. For some
years the consumption Of paper has been gain
ing on the supply OF rags, and fears have been
felt that the advance in their cost would uli.
iiiately be seriously felt in every department Of
literature, so that, sh oud the discovery Of cot.
ton hemp realize the anticpations of paper
makers, it will not only prove valuable 10 the
South, but also to the civilized world.
The magnitude of the paper business may
be conceived wheh we take into co!isideratien
that there are 750 paper mills in the Uniltd
States, employing 5000 engines, and which
produce annually at 10 cents per lb. $27,00O,.
900 worth Of paper. To manufacture this
amount of paper requires 405, 100000 lbs. of
rags ! Ia lbs. Of rags being necessary to pro:
duce lb. of paper. The value of the rdgs at
the average Of cents per ID. amounts 10
$4,000, 900, to which, if the cost of making
them into paper, including 3.4 cents to each
10. of paper IN labor, with wastage, chemicals
&C., be added would swell the cost to S73,.
625,00o to produce S27,0Oo,00O of paper
leaving nett profits on the total manufacture of
S3,375,O00. For the year ending the Both
June, 1855, we imported 40,0l3,5I6 lbs. of
foreign rags from 26 different countries. or
this amount Tuscany, in Italy; supplied, 14,-
100000 lbs. Two Sclys 100000, Austria
100000, Egypt 2,46692S, Turkey 1906.
92s, England 2,59l.l7s. The total value of
the 4o,0l3,5l6 ba. imported was 81 225, l50.
The manufacture of paper has outstriFpcd the
supply of materials. and rope cuttings, hemp
waste and other articles have been resored to,
but the supplies of all have been insufficient
to meet the demand, and prices have been
ste adily on the advance. 1t is possible
that the cotton fields of the South may supply
an almost inexhaustable supply Of hemp, so as
hereafter we will reach the great disderatum
in modern civilization, an abundant and cheap
supply of paper.-N. Y. Day Book.