J. W. Ferguson, Esq.—Dear Sir: By some mischance I had mislaid your letter accompanying the textile plant you sent at my request, and while hunting for it the Los Angeles Fair came on, so I sent the samples of prepared fiber, as well as a part of the plant itself to Mr. L. M. Holt, the Secretary, for exhibition, crediting you therewith in the name of your paper, albeit without your own name, but requesting Mr. H. to hand the samples over to you after the Fair. Having at last recovered your letter, I now report to you the result of my examination.

The name of the plant is "Eremocarpus;" it is a relation of the nettle on one hand, of the castor-bean on the other. I have heard it called "nettleweed," and it is a good name to give it. It grows about here, and in Sonoma, but is very much smaller in habit. I find that about one-half of the total weight of the dried plant is lost in stripping off the leaves and minor branches. This, as well as the subsequent operations in obtaining and cleaning the fiber, is rendered very unpleasant by the flying off of stinging hairs with which the whole plant is clothed, and which irritate the throat, nostrils and eves in a very disagreeable manner. This trouble may possibly be obviated by longer water-rotting than I allowed my sample. It is slow to cure; even after ten days the stems did not separate quite readily from the fiber after drying, but as you will see, the fiber is very strong and very abundant, amounting to five per cent, of the total weight of the dried plant. Not having been sufficiently rotted, the present sample cannot fairly show what might be done by hackling and swinging in rendering it finer and more lustrous, but in view of the great strength and abundance of the fiber, and the ease with which the material may be obtained, the plant certainly deserves attention. The form of it which grows hereabouts is so dwarfed that it would be useless to attempt to work it for fiber; but someone in your region who is acquainted with the working of flax ought to give it a fair trial, or if you will send me a somewhat larger quantity in its season, I will work it over once more by the light of the experience acquired.