And college, pusa, for 1914-15. 39 



the account of this work published in 1911 (Mem. Deft, of 

 Agr. in India, Botanical Series, Vol. IV, No. 2), mention 

 was made of a possible method of keeping cultures of this 

 type pure by removing heterozygotes in the seedling stage. 

 If this could be done in practice, the difficulties with regard 

 to vicinism in the case of a crop in which a good deal of 

 natural crossing takes place, would be surmounted. Since 

 that time, Type 3 has been grown from unprotected seed 

 and every year the plot has been rogued in the seedling 

 stage and again before flowering commenced. In this way, 

 all heterozygotes have been removed and the kind has been 

 kept pure, notwithstanding the many opportunities of 

 crossing which occurred with the other types grown in the 

 Botanical area. A pure seed supply having been obtained 

 and the method of production having stood the test of time, 

 steps were taken to work out the best way of retting and 

 to obtain expert opinion on the produce as compared with 

 the fibre produced locally. By cutting the plant at the 

 proper time and retting it in clean river water, a very fine 

 sample of fibfe was produced which was submitted for 

 opinion and valuation to Messrs. Wiggiesworth & Co., 

 82, Fenchurch Street, London, E.C., who valued it at £18 

 per ton compared with £8 from the locally produced fibre. 

 Messrs. Wiggiesworth stated that the sample of Type 3 

 was " of excellent growth, being 10 to 12 feet long, excep- 

 tionally light-coloured, correctly retted and thoroughly 

 cleaned. Judging by the individual stalks, I should 

 conclude that the yield of fibre must have been of quite 

 exceptional weight. The fibre is pure from end to end and 

 is free from root. It is also of good tensile strength and 

 I have no hesitation in pronouncing it the best specimen 

 of fibre from the Hibiscus cannabinus plant which has ever 

 been submitted to me. This class of fibre could be sold in 

 almost unlimited quantities." 



Great stress was laid by Messrs. Wiggiesworth in their 

 report on correct and thorough retting and on the import- 

 ance of this in connection with manufacture. Their 

 valuation will serve to draw attention once more to the 



