Cotton and Mats

23. COTTON

The ki-pei tree resembles a small mulberry-tree, with a hibiscus-like flower furnishing a floss over 1/2 inch long. It is very much like goose-down, and containing some dozens of seeds.

In the south, the people remove the seed from the floss by means of iron chopsticks, upon which the floss is taken in the hand and spun without troubling about twisting together the thread. Of the cloth woven therefrom, there are several qualities.

1. The most durable and the strongest is called tou-lo-mien.
2. The second quality is called fan-pu or foreign cloth.
3. The next is called tree-cotton or mu-mien
4. Ki-pu

These are sometimes dyed in various colours and brightened with strange patterns. The resulting pieces measure 5-6 feet in width.

24. MATS

The mats called ye-sin-tien come from Tan-jung-wu-lo. The foreign traders carry them to Palembang Sumatra, Ling-ya-mon, and Java for trade.

They also come from the island of Mindanao in the Visayas.

They are made from a plant resembling the rattan in shape and more than 10 feet long with a longitudinally striped and smooth surface without knots, which is called ye-sin-tsau.

The women in those countries gather this vine, peel it, then weave them into mats.

They are sometimes dyed with red and black checkered patterns and are called “figured mats»” or hua-tien.

They are warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and are very convenient to carry about.

• The mats coming from Palembang Sumatra are the best.
• Those coming from the Visayas are of the poorest quality.