COTTON SUBSTITUTE.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 March 1918, Page 8

COTTON SUBSTITUTE.

NEW RIFLE AMMUNITION. GERMAN SUCCESS WITH TYPHA i'IJiRE. That the Germans have really succeeded in producing an eil'ectiVe substitute for co iton lor propulsive auimuiutiuu is proved by the met mat, according tu estimate, at lca.it iii'Oo tons of nitrocellulose is being diHcuarged every uav iroiu Uenuau let, tne only genuine cotton now available for her is Irom Andana, in Turkey, tile supply of which is, of course, wiiouy inadequate ior audi a demand. Until ti'e .problem of cotton fibre or cellulose was solved in a thorough, scientific, and final manner, Germany was in grave peril over clothes and munitions lor her soldiers. It is not always realised by the public that propulsive ammunition —that is, the ammunition of the soldier's rifle and guns—consists mainly of nitro-cellulose manufactured rroiu cotton. Cotton, however, is noi essential; any woody fibre, or cellulose, can be nitrated, and of it smokeless powder or nitro-cellulose can be made. Woody fibre has some technical merits as well as some serious faults of sub-" stance. It has both explosive and propulsive force, but it burns too quickly, and it takes up too much space in the gun. Wood pulp and straw were also tried by the Hermans. they can be nitrated, and posses similar properties to gun-cotton: therefore, if such a substitute be used, the gun must be differently sighted. Or a- larger weight of the sub"stitute may be used; in this case the chamber of the gun, if originally designed for gun-cotton powder, will not lie large enough to contain it, and will require alteration. Tho question of relative bulk has great influence. But it is now evident that Germany lias found satisfactory substitutes for gun-cotton. She now produces two kinds oi iibre; one from the hairy willow; the other from the typha plant or reedmaee, a bulrush. They are of unequal merit. The former is a substitute for jute as well as cotton, but prolonged cultural improvement of the plant is necessary before good fibreproducing strains can be evolved. Typha fibre, on the other hand, is equal to the best coton. It is said that the materia! made from it will make Germany independent of the importation of raw cotton, jute and wool. The plant is cultivated on a vast scale, and production, backed by the Deutsche Rank, surpasses the supplies usually imported from America. This form of cotton is used for munitions, while fibre for bandages and clothing is made from the willow and from white moss.