rown stalks sometimes reach 3
meters in height, but the average is 1 1/2 meters. In most places in
Samar only very coarse tikug is found and this is especially true in
the northern half of the island. The best material grows near the towns
of Basey and Sulat, a circumstance probably due to the fact that most
of these sedges are pulled up for weaving before they become old and
coarse, for it is in these two towns that the mat industry of Samar is
centered. All grades of tikug can be used in making mats; but as the
straw cannot be split into finer pieces, it is only from the narrower
material that the fine mats are made. The map on the distribution of
tikug shows the regions in Samar in which this sedge occurs. [27]

Bleaching.

In some parts of Samar rough mats are made from tikug dried in the
shade. In Basey and Sulat bleached straw is used. In the bleaching
process only the sun is used, the bundles being spread out where
there is neither grass nor shade. The straw must be kept perfectly
dry at all times, for if it becomes wet or damp it will mildew and
turn an unsightly black or brown. In the morning it must not be put
out until the ground is dry and in the evening it should be taken in
before dew is formed upon it. The best results are obtained by drying
the material in a place where there is no grass, as the turf generally
holds considerable moisture and retards the process. With proper care
clean white straw can be obtained in about one week under the most
favorable conditions. Sometimes, but not often, the above process
is preceded by boiling the straw for ten or twenty minutes in plain
water. Several bleaching experiments have already been made with tikug,
but as yet none has been entirely successful. In one experiment straw
was boiled in alum, but the resultant material was not so white as
that obtained by simply drying it in the sun. Boiling green tikug in
water containing acetic acid from the juice of limes and lemons was
unsatisfactory. The best straw obtained was that produced by simply
boiling the green stalk for a few minutes in water and rinsing it
well and then drying in the sunshine for several days.

The straws are of different lengths and diameters; after bleaching
they must be sorted. The seed clusters are removed and the bunches
are tied in a big bundle which is laid on the floor with root toward
the worker. The longer straws of small diameter are then pulled out
and placed in small bundles, t