Encyclopaedia Britannica (11th ed.) article on fibres, covering the textile, papermaking, brush and stuffing fibres. It classifies animal fibres (silk, wool, mohair, hair) and vegetable fibres (cotton, flax, hemp, ramie, jute, manila, sisal and others) by structure and chemistry. It includes a table of botanical source, origin, ultimate fibre dimensions and uses, and notes on spinning and felting. It also covers methods of analysing and identifying fibres and ends with a bibliography. Two plates of micrographs illustrate fibre structure.