Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-22

nese drama-all fuss and fury, signifying moth
ing.-.SdR Francisco Bulletin.
MAKING RICE PAPER-The rice paper plant
grows naturally in China and Japan, where the
inhabitants carefully cultivate it upon the hills
and hlgh-lyng ground. In the autumn of each
year. before the leaves fall, the Japanese cut off
the young shoots and cut them into slips, which
are tied up in bundles and boiled in large cop
per kettles or cauldrOnS closely shut down. The
boiling is continued until the bark has peeled
of the wood, when the former is carefully dried
and stored away Tor future use. When it Is re-
CURED for paper making il is thoroughly soaked
in water for three or four hours, after which the
brown skin is seraped off. At the same time
the bark which covered the younger shoots is
separated from the older and tougher sorts,
from which an inferior kind of paper is made.
Bark which has been kept for some years is only
ut TO make the commoneSt packing paper, and
is manufactured with less care. When the bark
is well cleaned and arranged in order according
to its quality, ii is again boiled until the matter
separates into a hlameutous substance. The
boiling is succeeded by another operation called
washing. which is of great Importance in the
manufacture of the paper II It IS not contin-
ued long enough the paper will be OF coarse
quality; and il, on the other hand, the substance
does not receive enough boiling, the paper will
be very white but too soft and greasy to write
upon. The pulp is placed in basket which will
admit the water on all Sides and this is plunged
into a river and stirred about with violence
for some time. Then the substance is
placed upon smooth table and beaten with
wooden rollers. After the beating, an infusion
of rice is poured on it, and the mixture is suf-
iered to stand until dry, when the substance is
raised leaf by leaf in the form of paper. These
leaves are placed between boards, and the re-
naming moisture gradually pressed out. Ac-
cording to another account the stem is cut into
lengths of ten or twelve inches, and the pith
forced out and placed in hollow bamboos
where it swes out to Its natural bulk, and dries
into compact mass. This pith is cleverly cut
by workman, who holds sharp knife against
the side of the cylinder, which is then turned
round, so that the pith is cut into a broad STRIP
about four feet long. This is cut up into small
squares, and sold in packets for different pur-
poses. 1t is supposed that the paper made from
the pith is the rice paper which is imported into
this country. 1t cannot be made until the tree
has attained considerable bulk, and is too old TO
produce many shoots, such as are usei in the
first process. The tree from which this paper
is made is particularly abundant in the island
of Formosa, 1t is at first small shrub, but
after Towering il throws ont several branches,
and grows to Il hight of about twenty-five feet
1t is generally cut down before it attains its full
maturity, because the pith and bark degenerate
in the Older part. Several large palmate leaves
crown the stem. 1t has been supposed by many
botanStS that there are two or three different
species of plants from which the Chinese make
their paper, ard there are, apparently, several
ways of manufacturing it.-ReynOldS NelCS
paper.