Esparto, or Spanish Grass, a tall grass native to the Mediterranean countries. It flourishes especially in the sandy, semi-arid sea slopes of Spain and Algeria, where it forms plots from ten to thirty feet in diameter. It is a leafy, hairy plant, from three to five feet high, closely related to the American feather grass, black oats, and porcupine grass. The fiber, in the leaves in particular, is exceedingly tough. Cables of the Spanish navy are made of this material. They are light and float on the water. Large quantities of esparto are collected in Spain and Algeria for cordage and paper material. It forms one of the principal exports of Algeria. The supply of the material is limited. It is seldom seen in the United States. Esparto grows wild in the district inland from Tripoli. It is brought to the coast on camels. "During one day in April, 1909," says Consul William Coffin, "1,800 camels loaded with esparto came into market at Tripoli." The grass is sold to exporters, who clean it and pack it in bales of about 600 pounds each. Tunis and Algiers are also shipping points for esparto. The best article is obtained from Spain. The process of making esparto pulp does not differ greatly from that employed in making paper pulps. The grass is boiled in caustic soda, washed, and bleached with chlorine solution. A bale yields about fifty-six per cent of its weight in fiber. England is a heavy buyer of esparto. About 460,000,000 pounds were imported in 1908. It is one of the principal materials employed in making English writing and printing paper. It is worth from eight to thirteen dollars a ton on board ship in the Mediterranean. See SISAL; MANILA; HEMP.