BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 119 



["We heartily wish more of our Colonial Governors were willing to 

 send us as interesting an account of the vegetable products of the 

 countries under their sway as that with which this gentleman has 

 favoured us. We have received, through Governor Kobinson, a Cata- 

 logue of a really rich collection of plants in the garden of Mr. Davis, 

 of St. Kitt's, a collection that would do credit to any European gar- 

 den. — Ed.] 



Mr. Burke's Fibre-cleaning Machine. 



[In our preceding article mention is made by Governor Robinson, of 

 St. Kitt's, of the successful invention of what has been so long a desi- 

 deratum, a Fibre-cleaning Machine. We have just been favoured by a 

 correspondent in Antigua with the following account of this. The 

 machine has already been tested in London, and now in the West 

 Indies. — Ed.] 



" The importance of some invention for rendering available for ma- 

 nufactures the numerous fibrous productions of the tropics has long 

 engaged the attention of practical men in all parts of the world. Thou- 

 sands of pounds have been expended on experiments of various kinds, 

 chemical and mechanical, for the attainment of this desirable object ; 

 but failure attended them all. 



" It unfortunately happened that the parties who devoted most time 

 and money to the pursuit of the design were comparatively ignorant of 

 the plants they intended to operate upon, and judged of them and their 

 structure by their knowledge of the flax and hemp of Europe. The 

 greater part, if not the whole, of the mechanical contrivances for clean- 

 ing Plantain, Aloe, and other tropical fibrous plants, were designed on 

 the principle of crushing and combing out the pulp," and leaving the 

 fibre in a condition similar to that of flax, when taken from the scutch- 

 mill and ready for the hackle; but the principle being unsuited to these 

 plants, the inventions, one and all, failed, to the ruin of many inge- 

 nious and clever men. The Hon. Francis Burke, of Montserrat, has 

 long had his attention drawn to the importance of turning to account 

 the fibres of these islands, especially the beautiful material to be pro- 

 cured from the Plantain, which is extensively cultivated in many of 

 these colonies on account of its healthy and nutritious farinaceous fruit, 

 which is used in many places, as in Deraerara, as the principal article 



