Daily national Democrat., 1861-06-30
nailp Natlonal lemotrat.
FIax as a Substitute for Cotton.


~, veoetable fibers which might be made
raIuabIe as those of the cotton plant, and
nv a" are in use in various parts of the world
iD@ .ucb as the vegetable silk or arOore dc palma
= south America resembling cotton wool,
w., not having roughness enough in the fibre
.o ~, rprmit its being woven; the pulu, or veg
etoble silk of Owyhee; the sunnee, of India.
{" brown hemp; the jetee, from Madras !;
.bo borassus fibre, from the palm tree coun-
.r;e.. the iute, from Bengal, now a rival of
fax and hemp, but limited in its use because
+ will not stand being wet; various kinds of
homn and flax fibers-those of Manila, the
aloe' coir pineapple, China grass. Para grass,
bast. ETC.
All those have their uses and their value,
Init the wooly covering of the seeds of the
1ossypium, or cotton plant, has supplanted
ali in quantity. quality and general adapta-
bility TO the wants anu cou'lorls VI 'ne "u-
man race. - =,
None Of the fibers of the other vegetable
srbstapces above mentioned, with the eXcep-
+;on of flax, have ever been turned so easily
and eheaply to use. This, which the hota-
ni.t: call inum usitatiSSimnDl, has been the
chief competitor of cotton; but it's prepara-
ton and manufacture are effected by pro-
cess SO tedious and operose that very great
efforts have been made to shorten and sim
pfy it.
As long ago as 1928, a patent was granted
by Act of Parliament to a Mr.. Lee, for a
method of separating the fibre in two or three
hours In 1852 3, Mr.. Scbenck inveated a
method for preparing the fibre in sixty hours
and the Chevaier Claussen introduced, still
later, process by which the fibre, soaked in
the solution of the carbonate of soda, and af-
terwards dipped in weak acid solution,
o.lf iYro oEpn mn init lis m al
ions, and in the form of flax cotton, and when
manufactured. proved to have stronger and
finer texture than the best cotton. For some
reason unknown, the discovery was not pro-
ceeded with cotton still remained king; but
we believe its downfall is at hand.
On our great Western prdires and in
large part of Western Canada. there is a spe
ces of wild fax, unknown to botanists for
merly, which is Indigenous, perennial, herba-
ceoue aad inexhaustible in quantity. 1t was
put to no use by early settlers. except to
make straw of it for litter. Recently the seed
has been considerably collected for the man
ufacture of oil. but still later its fibre has
been found to be very valuable, and now it
has assumed momentous Importance thro'
the means of very simple invention. The
stalks are placed in cylinder. and subjected
to an enormous pressure of high steam-250
pounds to the inch. In less than six minutes
the contents are blown out or exploded, and
tina flax comes forth with the fibre divided
up. and the husk or covering shattered into
intinitesimal parts. 1t then resembles codia
or tow 1t is next passed through cylinders
armed with teeth. which haeXle it aud smooth
cat the fibres. 1t is then washed with nitric
acid and comes out as white as snow. 1t is
then carded, drawn out into yarn, and is
spun into thread precisely like cotton, and is
ready for the loom. Thus the old, tedious,
and unhealthy process of water-rotting is
done away with, and so IS that OF bleaching
to perfect which chemistry has exhausted it
self and large fields Of lawn have beea lndis
pensable.
This article, when ready for spinning, can
be afforded at uniform price of six cents
per pound, and enough of it can be gathered
wild-though it will be much improved by
culture-from our own prairies, to clothe the
,rorid with fabric of the finest and most
durable quality The experiments already
made, and the mills already constructed to
manufacture it, have furnished the most con-
elusive evidence Of the truth Of this magniE-
cent discovery
Samples of the article, IN all its processes,
have been forwarded to Manchester, and par
ties are ready to furaish as many bates Of 1t,
as all the mills in England may demand.
Thus providence seems to step in at a crit
ical moment to destroy the value of the sta
pies on which secession has placed its great.
est reliance for its means of suppofC, and for
the attainment of foreign alliance. Let cot
ton be superseded by this better and cheaper
article, and the Confederate States which
grow this material, will lose wealth, power
and permaneEce, and he reduced to the great
est eXtremities And, even il they should
draw back from their present uniustiiable
position in all human probability their re
pentance will come too late.-NN. EUe Post.
PoRruGuEsE WOMEN position of wo-
men in Portuguese countries brings one near
er to that Oriental type, from which mod IN
society has been gradually diverging %o-
man is secluded so far each family can af-
ford, which is the key to the Oriental sys-
tenn Seclusion is aristoeracy, and If it can
not be made complete. the household must do
the best they can. Thus, in the lowest clas-
see, one daughteris often decreed " the pa
rents to be brought up like a lady, and for
this every sacrifice has to be made. Her ro-
bust sisters 90 barefooted to the wells for wa
ter. they go miles va protected inte the lonely
mountains no social ambition, no Sentee
helplessness for them. But Mariquinha is
taught to read, write and sew; she is as care
FULLY looked after as if the world wished tC
steal Aer, she wears Sn0eShnQ StOcKlnGS 'hnC
an embroidered kerclref and n hooded cloak
and she never steps outside the door alone
You meet her. pale and demure, ploddinl
along to mass with her mother The sister
will marry laborers and fishermen; Mari
qunha will marry small shepkeeper or tn,
mate of a vessel. or else Gle single i is no
very pleasant for the poor girl in the mean
time; she is neither healthy nor happy; hu
let us be gentee or die" ."-AHantic Komthly
KENTUCKY lNCIDENT.-The Cleveland Plain
dealer tells the following incident, which re.
Gently transpired in the Kentucky Legisla-
ture.
"A venerable ola farmer from a neighbor-
ing county, one of that kind for whom Ken
tuckyhae au instructive venerati0n, appeared
in the Legislative Hall, uncovered his snowy
locks and sat down. At the fret lull in the
debate. he rose slowly ard said he had a
word to say, but was aware it was out of or
der for him to speak before the Legislature
while in session. His dignifed and venera-
ble appearance arrested attention, and 4" &C
on J" from several voices, seemed to keep hin
on his feet. Again expressing his diflidencC
at speaking out of propriety, =" Hear hear !
resounded generally over the room. The
members curiosity, as well as respect for tn,
appearance and manner of the man was up
and silence followed the Hear hear'r wher
the old hero delivered the following eloquer
but laconic speech :-"Gentemen | am del
egated by my county to inform you, that i
yon hold Secret Session here as you threat
fn do pnf ann actn nf nit bal util