Abstract
IT is now over two years ago since attention was called in our pages to the importance of the purple Molinia (Molinia cærulea) as a material for making paper. Mr. Christie of Edinburgh sent a small quantity of it lo be operated on by Mr. T. Routledge of Sunderland, and the report on this was most favourable. In January, 1879, a notice appeared in the Times also calling attention to the subject, and referring to the above favourable report; it expressed the hope that some effort would be used to have this grass collected on an extensive scale. It would seem to be ripe for gathering in the early autumn, when some hands could be spared for such work, and as the ground on which it flourishes—wet or partially drained bogs—pays, at least in Ireland, little if any rent, the crop would cost little over the expense of reaping it. Since the first notice appeared in our columns, the Spanish and African Esparto grass has been getting more difficult to obtain, and the demand for it has been steadily on the increase. It is said that the greater part of what is gathered in Morocco finds its way to the Times paper-mills, and its value for paper-making is now known in America. Several analyses of specimens of the dried hay made from this grass are given in a paper by Dr. Cameron, “On the Composition of a Crop of Hay” (Proc. Roy. Dub. Soc., n.s., vol. ii. p. 101); we select one of these, which yielded as follows:—
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Irish Esparto Grass . Nature 23, 437 (1881). https://doi.org/10.1038/023437a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/023437a0