Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/749

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JUTE 729 a " Letter to Diognetus " on the characteristics of the Christian worship compared with pa- ganism and with Judaism. His feast is cele- brated by both the Latin and Greek churches. The principal editions of his works are those of Robert Stephens (Paris, 1551, completed by Henry Stephens, 1592 and 1595); Friedrich Sylburg, with a Latin translation (Basel, 1565) ; and Prudent Maran (Paris, 1742). The best modern collection of all his works, with the acts of his martyrdom, is found in the first five volumes of Otto's Corpus Apologetarum Christianorum Sceculi Secundi (Jena, 1842 ; 2d ed., 1847-'50). His apologies were transla- ted into English by 'William Reeves ("The Apologies of the Christian Fathers," London, 1709), and they are also included in a collec- tion of translations published at Cambridge (2d ed., 1851); his "Dialogue with Trypho " by Henry Brown (London, 1755 ; new ed., Cambridge, 1846). See Jwtin der Miirtyrer, by Karl Semisch (2 vols., Breslau, 1840-'42 ; translated into English by J. E. Ryland, Ed- inburgh, 1843) ; " Some Account of the Life and Writings of Justin Martyr," by Bishop Kaye (London, 1836) ; and St. Jitstin, phi- losophe et martyr, by L. Aube (Paris, 1861). Jl'TE, the fibre of corchorus capmlaris and other species ; the name is also applied to the plant which furnishes the fibre. The genus corchorus belongs to the order tiliacea, of which the linden or basswood is a familiar rep- resentative ; the species furnishing the fibre are annuals, natives of Asia, and grow about 10 or 12 ft. high. G. capsularis has straight stems about as large as the little finger, branch- ing only near the summit ; the lanceolate leaves Jute (Corchorua capsularis). are about 6 in. long, nearly 2 in. broad at the base, sharply serrate on the margin, with the lower serrature on each side prolonged into a thread-like point ; the yellow flowers have five sepals and petals, numerous stamens, and a single pistil which becomes a globular, flat- topped capsule. Another species, C. olitorivs, has a general resemblance to the preceding, but differs in its fruit, which is cylindrical, and about 2 in. long ; its specific name has reference to the use of the young shoots as a pot herb, for which purpose the plant is cultivated in Egypt and Syria, and has thus become natural- ized in most parts of the East as far as the Mediterranean. It is known as the Jews' mal- low, and yields a portion of the jute fibre. The fibre is contained in the hark of the stems, which are cut when the plant begins to blos- som, as it is then of finer quality than when the plant is older ; the stems are macerated in water until the fibre readily separates ; the latter is from 8 to 12 ft. long, appearing like hemp, but much more soft and silky ; it is capable of minute subdivisions, and when used with silk in the manufacture of cheap fabrics it readily escapes detection. Jute does not stand exposure to the weather, and hence is not suited for the manufacture of cordage ; yet it is said to be sometimes mixed with hemp for this use, and can only be regarded as an adul- teration. Coarse cloth, like burlaps, matting, and cheap carpeting, are made of the fibre ; and when large chignons were in vogue, no incon- siderable quantity of jute was consumed in the manufacture of " switches." The great use for the fibre, however, is in the manufacture of the coarse bagging known as gunny ; bags made of this are largely used in packing rice, coffee, and other eastern merchandise for ship- ment, and they are scarcely less in demand in this country for the transportation of our agricultural products. Cotton is largely baled in gunny cloth, and as it requires seven yards to the bale, the consumption for this product alone is very great. In India the spinning of the fibre to form gnnny twist is done by men, women, and children, the material being kept at hand, to occupy the spare moments of the household ; and boatmen and others who are likely to have intervals of leisure engage in the occupation. Jute butts, which are the thick ends of the stems, about 9 in. long, are used for paper making, and are also worked into a coarse fabric; the refuse fibre as well as old gunny bags furnish stock for the manufacture of coarse paper. The value of jute and its va- rious products imported into the United States in 1873 was nearly $4,500,000. The experi- ments in jute culture that have been made in some of the southern states show that fibre of a fine quality can be produced there, and there can be little doubt that when proper re- lations are established between producer and manufacturer, this will become an important item in our agriculture. In California, where the demand for bags to transport the immense grain crops is large, the experiments in rais- ing jute have been encouraging. In India, the stems after stripping are utilized for making enclosures to gardens, for coarse basket work, and even for producing a fine charcoal for gunpowder and fireworks.