CHAPTER III

CLASSIFICATION OF FIBRES

Cordage fibres which are used at the present time are naturally of greater variety than those which were utilized for similar purposes in the early periods of history, for records of those used in such early periods appear to indicate only hemp and flax. As already stated, wool would not be used to any great extent, but, after methods had been evolved for spinning a continuous thread from fibres such as hemp and flax, it is highly probable that the cotton fibre would also be used in the making of cords and ropes.

Authentic records point to the fact that the cultivation of flax plants for fibre was practised in Egypt from 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, and hence it is quite possible that hemp plants would be grown under similar conditions and for suitable purposes; moreover, if the hemp fibre were proved to be suitable for cordage purposes, it is not difficult to believe that the cultivation of this important plant in suitable districts would become as universal as that of flax.

Another reason which suggests the early use of hemp as a cordage fibre is the universality of its presence in most eastern countries as a vegetable product. It is at present cultivated in most European countries, and especially in Russia, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Serbia, France and Germany. It is also found on the East and West coasts of Africa, in many of the States of America--particularly in Kentucky--as well as in India, China and Japan.

If the climate is comparatively moist, with a period of mild temperature and a suitable soil, the hemp plant can be successfully cultivated for fibre; it is cultivated in India and in most of the tropical countries for the production of a liquor which the natives consume in much the same way as intoxicating liquors are consumed in temperate countries.

True hemp is a plant which grows wild in Central Asia, but must be cultivated in practically all other areas. It is an annual, and requires a rich soil with a subsoil capable of retaining sufficient moisture to promote the growth during periods of dry weather. If otherwise, the growth of the plants would be checked during this dry period with a consequent deficient yield of fibre.

With the gradual development of trade, and the introduction of new kinds of fibre to be used for cordage, an extended meaning has been applied to the word hemp, but, unfortunately, the word has been applied rather loosely to many types of fibre which are used for rope-making. Thus, one frequently hears the following names in reference to different fibres--

Manila Hemp, Sisal Hemp, New Zealand Hemp, Mauritius Hemp, Bowstring Hemp, etc.;

whereas the real hemp is usually designated as--

Russian Hemp, Italian Hemp, Indian Hemp, Sunn Hemp, etc.

To differentiate between these different fibres, and so provide a better classification and conception of the terms, it should be clearly understood that the proper hemp fibres, _e.g._, Russian, Italian and Indian, are obtained from the plant _Cannabis Sativa_, and that the fibres are located in the bast layers of the plant stems as exemplified in Fig. 7. The fibres are extracted from these layers in the same way as the fibres of flax and jute are extracted from similar layers, that is, by a process technically termed “retting.” Such fibres are called soft fibres in contradistinction to hard fibres to which class Manila, Sisal, New Zealand, Mauritius and Bowstring fibres belong. The hard fibres are located in the leaves or in the leaf stalks of plants; typical examples of the general appearance of such plants and the internal characteristics are illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5.