The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous ... - Cd3wd.com

FIBRES, OR SILKEN MATERIAL OF THE PIXE APPLE. 187
Mr. Frederick Burt Zincke obtained a patent in England,
bearing date December 9, 1836, for the following mode of pre-
paring the filaments of this plant, the " BromeUa miancisP
We give the patentee's own description (with sliglit emenda-
tions), as received from the patent office, London, and which is
as follows.
" I (the said Frederick Burt Zincke) do hereby declare that
the nature of my said invention consists—Firstly, in preparing
or manufacturing the leaf of the plant, commonly called the
pine-apple, by bruising, beating, wasliing, and drying the same,
in such manner as to separate the long fibrous parts from the
cuticle pabulum, and other matter comprising the said leaf.
Secondly, in the application of the fibrous substance, so prepa-
red to various manufactures and purposes, for which silk, flax,
cotton, hemp, wool, and other fibrous materials arc now lised.
And further, I describe the manner in which my said invention
is to be performed by the following statement ; For the purpose
of preparing the fibre, I cut the leaves from the pine-apple plant,
at any period from the time of their obtaining their full growth,
till the ripening of the fruit, for I find that if the leaves are
taken before they are full grown, the fibre is less strong, and if
suflTered to remain on the plant, after the ripening of the fruit,
the fibre becomes harsh, and is more difficult to divest of the
extraneous matter. The small thorns having been trimmed
from the edge of the leaves, with a sharp knife, the leaves
should be crushed, so as to disengage the fibre from the other
matter composing the leaf, for which purpose the employment
of a mallet upon a block of wood, will fully answer the intend-
ed purpose. This process of crushing is to be continued until
the fibre appears in an assemblage of long silky filaments,
with more or less of the pulpy and other matter of the leaf ad-
hering to them ; to cleanse them from which they are to be
•well rinsed in soft water, immediately after having- been
crushed or beaten, and then the water should forthwith be
squeezed out of them, by drawing them between the edges of
two pieces of wood, placed parallel to each other, so as to admit
of the fibres being drawn out rather Hghtly l)etween them, for
if the green matter is allowed to dry on the fil)re. it of course