Glimpses of the animate world; or, Science and literature of natural history, for school and home . ts, baskets, and boxes were woven of itsstalk, and of its bark were made sails, cordage, mats, cloth,and sandals, for the priests ; it was applied as medicinefor the cure of ulcers ; it furnished materials for torches and candles, and itsroots were used for fueland manufactured intoutensils and But it was in themanufacture of paperthat it was put to itsmost important mode of manufac-ture was as follows: Theinner skin of the stalkwas divided by meansof a sharp needle intoas m
Glimpses of the animate world; or, Science and literature of natural history, for school and home . ts, baskets, and boxes were woven of itsstalk, and of its bark were made sails, cordage, mats, cloth,and sandals, for the priests ; it was applied as medicinefor the cure of ulcers ; it furnished materials for torches and candles, and itsroots were used for fueland manufactured intoutensils and But it was in themanufacture of paperthat it was put to itsmost important mode of manufac-ture was as follows: Theinner skin of the stalkwas divided by meansof a sharp needle intoas many thin plates asthe size would were placed ona table, and kept con-tinually moistened byNile water. Over theseslips a transverse layerwas placed, after whichthe whole was subject-ed to pressure, till theplates adhered closelytogether in a sheets were then dried in the sun, beaten smooth andfirm with a mallet, and polished witli a piece of ivory orshell. The breadth of the sheet was limited by the lengthof the papyrus slips, but its leugth could be extended STRANGE PLANTS AND THEIR WAYS. 35 7. When finished, the papyrus sheets were rolled on awooden cylinder, the ends of which, projecting beyond thepapyrus roll, were beautifully decorated by painting andcarving. Such was the material on which the most impor-tant results of ancient thought were inscribed. 8. Papyrus was used for writing purposes at a very re-mote period in Egypt, and during the time of Herodotus itwas an important article of commerce, which it continuedto be for seven or eight centuries. The Romans, it is said,imported all their papyrus from Egypt, but improved themanufacture of it. It was believed that nowhere else thanin Egypt did the plant grow in its full perfection and fine-ness of fiber. During the early days of the Roman empirea papyrus famine gave great alarm to learned men, and thesenate was obliged to regulate its distribution by edict. World of Wonders. A MIGRATO
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