Year: 1860

In the Agricultural Report of the Patent


Office, just printed, an article appears on


Vegetable Eb.r," (the Websterian spelling


of the word tibre being held to by the ofilce,)
The article, which is brief outline of what


might be filed out into large and valuable


book, contains much interesting information,


and supplies knowledge the want of which


has of late years been severely felt bymany


persons.


The demand for vegetable fibre as the raw


material for these two great classes of man


ufacture, of paper and of textile fabrics, has


in recent times kept ahead of the supply


and the supposed discovery of some new


source of material for paper-making or OF


some substitute for the great textile fabric,


cotton, has frequently attracted much popu-


lar attention and given rise to much com


mereial speculation.


1t is shown in the article above referred to


that paper has been made from a great varie-


ty of vegetable substance, even from such
plants as MOSES and seaweeds, and that it
can be made from almost any thing which
has fibrous structure no matter how short
the individual fibres. Wood, especially when
in the form of sawdust, is one of the most
available materials, and short description is
given Of the method of examination by
which the value of different kinds Of wood
as paper-making materials may be determin-
cd, method which is very interesting as an


instance of the combined application of
chemical and microscopical science After
a single microscopical examination chemical
agents are applied which give one color to
these vegetable cells which constitute the f.
brc available for papcrmaking and another
to the useless material which incrusts them,
so that piece of wood, almost too minute
to be disccrncd by the naked eye, is made to
appear under the microscope like a map on
which the valuable and the sterile portions
of territory are distinctly colored.


For the uses of the weaver and spinner
vegetable cells must be either very long
themselves, as in the case of cotton, v hose
fibre consists of single cell Of comparative
ly immense length, or they must be aggrcga-
ted into long bundles like those which form
the fibres of flax aud hemp. In either case,
however, it is not length alone which is re-
quisitc but a still more important property,
which is perceived upon examination with |
the microscope, determines, to large extent
the value of the material. The individual
cells, and also the bundles of cells which |
form fibrcs, are not simple cylinders, but, by
a spiral mode of growth, they acquire a
gcrewliko form, ly means Of Which they in
tcrock with other fibres, and thus hold firm
" together the fabric into whose composition
they enter.


As so much has been said about supplies
of cotton from Asia and Africa, where the
cotton plant grows readily and where labor
is cheap and abundant, it may be of interest
10 refer to an opinion understood TO have
been given several years ago by the learned
author of the article on fibre, DIR. G. c. Scho-
.ffer which has a close connection with this
natter of spiral structure. lie remarked
hat the peculiar excellence of the American
cotton did not proceed altogether from the
,oil. the mode of culture, or the character of
he plant, but was dependent mainly upon
popularity of climate, the concurrence of
ieat and moisture at the critical period of
maturing of the cotton being such that the
,cl grows rapidly and regularly, and the
piral thickening of its wall keeps pace with
is clongation, making the fibre microscop-
c screw of flat or ribbon-shaped form.


In other climates the spiral is irregular and
the ibrcs consequently hold to- !
,cthor less perfectly, and the thread is def
icnt in strength and durability.


American cotton goods, which arc made
from American materials, have,
" their reputation for durability, gained
ort of monopoly of certain markets, and the
ccesSity of competing against such goods
,ilI be the real bar TO the substitution by the
European manufacture Of African for Amer
Fan fibre.