Plaiting straw, used in the manufacture of hats and bonnets, is grown extensively in northern Italy and in Belgium. For this product spring wheat is very thickly sown in a soil rich in lime. The thick sowing produces a long, slender stalk; the lime gives it whiteness and strength. Plaiting straw is also exported from China and Japan. British merchants handle most of the product.
Cuba bast, a fibre readily bleached to whiteness, is exported to the various establishments in which women's hats are made.
Esparto grass, also called alfa, grows in Spain and the northern part of Africa. It was formerly much used in the manufacture of the cheaper grades of paper, but it has been largely supplanted by wood-pulp for this purpose. The decline of the esparto grass industry led to no little unrest among some of the native tribes of northern Africa.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
What fibres were used in cloth-making in Europe before cotton was employed?
What textiles are of necessity made of cotton?
What is a spinning jenny?—a Jacquard loom?
What are the specific differences between cotswold and merino wool?
Why were most of the cloth-making mills of the United States built at first in the New England States?
How is the silk-making industry encouraged in the United States?