b'^:>\\io \n\n\n\n\'"^"^^ NOTES \n\nSB 241 \n\n.S16 \n\nCopy 1 IN REGARD TO \n\n\n\n\nTEXTILE PLANTS OF BRAZIL, \n\nAT \n\nTHE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION \nAT PHILADELPHIA IN 1876, \n\nBY \n\nJOSfi DE SALDANHA DA GAMA, PH. D. \n\nMember of the Brazilian Commission and Professor \n\nof Botany in the Polytechnical School \n\nof Rio de Janeiro. \n\n\n\nNEW YORK: \n\n" O Novo MuNDO " Printing Office, 39 Park Row, \n\n"Times " Building. \n\n1876. \n\n\n\n\xe2\x80\xa2 J \n\n\n\nTHE TEXTILE PLANTS OF BRAZIL \n\nAT THE \n\nUNIVERSAL EXHIBITION IN PHILADELPHIA. \n\n\n\nIt is to be lamented that Brazil did not send a \ncomplete selection of her textile plants, it is proper \nhowever to remark, that a good number of the most \nimportant species are well represented in the Agri- \ncultural Hall, and are held in high esteem by com- \npetent judges. But the beautiful filaments of the \nMiisas or Banana trees, and those of Ananassa sativa, \nwhich was included by us in the great Expositions of \nVienna and Paris, are unfortunately wanting here. \nWe have now, however, quantities of other textile \nmaterial, which we will immediately proceed to \nnotice : \n\nHemp \xe2\x80\x94 {CanaMs sativa.) \xe2\x80\x94 A European plant which \nhas been acclimated in Brazil, where it is used for \n\n\n\n1st experiment, \n2ii(l \'\' \n\n3rd " \n\n4tli " \n\n5th " \n\nAverasre, \n\n\n\n10 \n\n\ngrammes. \n\n\n15 \n\n\n\n\n14 \n\n\n\n\n18 \n\n\n\n\n19 \n\n\n\n\n15 \n\n\n\n\n\nn \n\n\n\nThe Piiiclayba {Xylopia sericea)^ which, in the lan- \nguage of the native Indians, means the kook-wood, \ncontains, in its cortical layers, ribbon-like strips, sim- \nilar to those of the Embria (X. frutescens), both of \nwhich are used by the natives to tie their fences, or \nat best, for coarse ropes to tie their cattle. \n\nAll of these varieties of the textile elements con- \ntrast with the dark color of the false parasite, known \namong us by the name of Barba de velho or Tilland- \nsia iisneoides in botanical phrq^seology. From the \nbranches of this tree fall flexible twigs of this ejnj)- \nliyta, which the country people gather up to fill \nmattresses, pillows, cushions, and to pack porcelain \nand glass. \n\nThey are principally adapted to the mattress- \nmaker\'s purj)ose, and these white downs, as well as \nsome other yellow ones, extracted from the fruit of \nBomhaceaSj are remarkably light, and excellent mate- \nrials for winter mattresses and pillows. We have \nproducts of this nature from the Cliorisia speciosa of \nEio de Janeiro and from the celebrated Samahuma \nof the Amazon, or Eriodendron, which botanist con- \nsider the largest tree in the world. \n\nTo complete this epitomized report, we will point \nto the three novelties in textile substances, each of \nwhich is very interesting. In the first place, the \n\n\n\n\xe2\x80\x94 7 \xe2\x80\x94 \n\nu,iural paper from the tree Lasiandra papyrus from \n3lie Serra Dom-ada, in tlie province of Goyaz, due \nperhaps to successive exfoliations of the epidermis ; \nin the second place, the seeds of an IchiteSj from the \nprovince of Parana, adorned with flocks of vegetable \nsilk, similar to the Tafetone of Africa, intended for \nfelt for hats; finally, the vegetable wool from the \nin^ovince of Alagoas, or felt taken from the interior \nof a small fruit {Malvacca f ), of weak consistency, \nbut of a quite original apx)earance, from one to two \ncentimetres in length. (*) \n\nIn the Main Building visitors will observe the long \nspatlias of the palm Manicaria sacoifera^ transformed \ninto beautiful hats, and the filaments of the Mosnor- \ndica operculataj into baskets, hats, and other articles \nof delicate handiwork. \n\n\n\nPhiladelphia, May ISth, 1876. \n\n\n\nDk. JOSfi DE SALDANHA DA GAMA. \n\n\n\n* (*) My investigations of the beautifnl fibres of Mr. Severino da Costa \nLeite are mentioned in the report published by my fellow-member, Dr. \nNicoUo Moreira. \n\n\n\n\nLIBRPRY OF CONGRESS \n\n\n\n000 931 497 \n\n\n\nLIBRARY OF CONGRESS \n\n\n\n\xe2\x80\xa2 \n\n\n\n\nDODD\'=33m^7D \n\n\n\n'