Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1884-07-10
Fabrics From wild Plants.

In shop window in New York city
II displayed . variety Of hanks OF thread,
some coarse. some fine. some dark-col.
ored, some light, some vari.colored.
Some Of the silk thread has the softness
Of tho 6nest silk, some is rough and
rasping as hemp. Ii is curious assert
ment, and attracts the attention Of many
. passer-by. A visit to the inside Of the
shop is revelation Of coming revolu.
tion in certain agricultural products of
this country hitherto considered useless.
In q rear room about sixteen by twenty
feet were three or four heavy, but up
parently simple, machines, operated by
o small steam engine. The room was
half filled with many kinds Of weeds.
weed.stems and leaves. while in one
corner were seen barrels OF crude ashes.
tos. One machine is being fed by .
young man, who gave 10 Il bundle after
bundle Of the dry, brittle weeds, while
another was gresdily devsuring asbestos.
crushing Jumps weighing three or four
pounds and swallowing them with .
roan. The dry. trash-like stuff fed to
The frat machine was converted in .
short time into the coarse, brown thread
seen in the window. while the rough
asbestos quickly changed lite mineral
hardness and became 8 fiber - fine -
silk, ready to be spun and woven. The
common cotton stalk, which the planter
Of the South pulls up and burns after
the years picking, was made into .
coarse thread, equal In every respect to
the jute Of India, which the United
States buys to the extent of Sc. 900. 900
annually. Flax straw, which grows in
many Of the states Of the Union, which
Il cultivated by hundreds Of Thousands
Of acres for the seed alone. and is burn
cd, or left TO rot in the field, was con
verted into fiber which made an excel
lent coArse linen, and which, when mixed
with wool In the process Of manufacture,
made an elegant substitute fer cotton
Other plants Of which the greater NUM-
Der were discovered to be weeds of the
oommonest variety. were shown to con
tain valuable fiber. Among them were
bear grass, spanish bayonet. (needle)
ekra, nettle. rainie, pita, banrbor, wild
coffee, the cotton plant aud jute. Most
Of these plants grow wild. Little or no
attention has been paid to their culture.
From these various 6bers, many Of
which, BY actual experiment will dye
beautifully and perfectly and, without
injury, can be made bagging. mats.
mating sacks for grain, rope, cordage.
twine, packing thread, paper stock OF
the anest quality, costly fabrics for
wear, substantial fabrics for everyday
use, and material for uphoIstering pur-
poses From the Abrous mineral asbes-
tos can be made fre-proof curtains and
hangings for balls and theaters, fire
proof ropes, carpets and groundwork
tor oil-cloths, and many other articles Of
luxury and necessity. Ramie aud Sisal
hsmp hber may be mixed with elk in
manufacture, and common grasses are
turned into fiber fine and strong for wigs
snd false hair. Even the hard shell Of
the ooooanut is discovered to contain
. fiber which closely resembles hair.
Il will not s'pack," and is equal to
eurled hair for upholsters' use. Indeed,
there are few OF our native products
which do not contain some quality Of
hber, and recent experiments have dem.
oastratsd that the United States pays
annually for products which may be
made at home the large sum Of $l6, 900.
0OO.-N. Y. Tribune. Il