Rhea Fiber

The claim is put forth by the London Times that the Gomess process for treatiug the rhea fiber is conipletely successful in rendering that plaut a most valuable sonrce of textile material. This process adopts zincate of soda for the elimination of the resins and effects it without the slightest injury to the fiber. After the "ribbons" or strips of bark have been freed from dirt they are placed in weak acid baths for a riight. Next morning they are passed through a mild alkaline bath and theu boiled iu weak solutions of causfcic soda to wbioh ziuc has been added. When wasned and cïried by the usual mechanical means, the fibers emerge as a long silky flosa, entirely free from the cuticle and resinous gums iu which they were imbedded, being aleo clean, white and ready for the comb of the spinner. They likewise take the most attractive dyes and can be worked into every variety of fabric, from the finest quality of velvets to cheap drills and delicate laces. The combined lightness and toughness of the fiber render it peculiarly suitable for tents and ship canvas, and three-fifths more cloth of equal strength can be produced from rhea than from the same weight of linen - that is, 1,000 yards of rhea canvas weighs only as much as 600 yards of linen, its durability and resisting power to etraiu being also much greater.