238 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[October i, 1883. 



hood are greatly increasing, tloubtless attracted to Swatow 

 by the certainty of a market, which results in what would 

 be sent away in junks being to a certain extent transferred 

 and exported in foreign steamers. A considerable quan- 

 tity of sugar is still sent to Houg Kong in junks, the 

 lowness of the duty when shipped by them (about half the 

 foreign duty is charged) more than making up for the 

 comparatively cheaper freight by foreign steamers. The 

 quality of the sugar grown in the neighbourhood is very fair, 

 compai-uig favourably with that of Manilla in price. Only 

 a very small proportion of the crop is unclayed sugar, the 

 mauufactiue and packing of clayed sugar being better under- 

 stood and more largely engaged in than in any other port 

 in China. There are some six Europeans and 100 Ohiiiese 

 engaged in the refinery. 



The bean-cake manufactory is entirely a Chmese venture, 

 and is situated among the foreign hongs at Swatow. It 

 ■was fii'st started some three years since. At its commence- 

 ment it turned out only 200 cakes a day, in the second 

 year of its existence 300 cakes a day, and last year 400 

 cakes a day. One thousand catties of Beans make nineteen 

 bean-cakes, each weighing 47 j catties; besides which beau-oil 

 to the amount of 112 catties is also extracted. The cakes 

 are in the form of the Chefoo beau-cakes, and their cost 

 is about the same as those imported from that port and 

 Newchwaug. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



THE DWABF PALM TREE. 

 Its Industrial Impoetanxe. 



The increasing emplojnment of paper, stuffs, yarn, for 

 several sorts of carpets, has given rise to a iierservcring 

 search after materials to replace straw, rags, etc. 



The Ramah especially advanced by M. Favier, an old en- 

 gineering officer, is now so brought into notice, that its use 

 is constantly increasing, notwithstanding the difficulties ex- 

 perienced in the beginning, and which are not yet entirely 

 overcome. 



The Alfa is also already exported and worked ; the EngUsh 

 derive it from Algeria, and after working it into various 

 staffs sell it to France. But in that same Algeria, which 

 fiu'uishes the Kamah and the Alfa, there is another plant 

 not less abundant and equally rich in its fibrous quahty, 

 this is the Uwarf-Pabn, a plant that grows wild and is a 

 kind of dog-grass to the countr}' and a plague to the farmer. 



For ever so long, the Arabians have been acquainted with 

 the fibrous nature of this shrub, but they have never utlized 

 more than the leafy tops ; in short, the dwarf-palni has ever 

 been regai-dcd as a parasite and more as a nuisance 

 than as a tree that could yield any advantage. 



M. Reynaud, a Frenchman, has discovered a means to turn 

 all the parts of the plant to a profitable use, be.sides using 

 the roots for fuel. From the stem to the topmost leaves 

 every part is converted into fibre of the very best quality. 



The plants areputintoa basket, whichissetinalargecopper, 

 fiUed with a particvdar kind of lye, and exposed for a time 

 to a certain degree of warmth. The stuff thus obtained has 

 now become soaked and soft enough to detach .the fibre 

 easily. By some contrivance or other, the stuff is removed 

 from the bath into a reservoir to be drained ; the moisture 

 strained is collected to do service a second time. It is then 

 passed through roUers and hatcheiled. "While collecting the 

 fibre it must be well Hushed with cold water. According 

 as a particular degree of fineness is to be given to the fibre, 

 it is passed from one machine to another, still combing and 

 rincing, to come at last into a reservoir of clean water, where 

 it is separated, wrmig dry and either made up for sale, or 

 else spun by machinery. 



In this operation, not only the leaves, but also the stalk 

 on which they grow, are utlized, and even the stem, which 

 in the dwarf-palm rises inimeiliately above the root. It is 

 tlit^refore sufficient to cut off the dwarf-ijahn immediately 

 below the stem, or else to i>ull it up, roots and all, and and 

 cut these off af terwar- 1 s. for so one has the whole plant, which 

 can be worked with the branches, leaves and all, even when 

 they have lam by for years. 



A land of vegetable h..vt>e-hair (crin vegetal) more or less 

 stripped of the coarser fibre, is also procurable, and is much 

 finer and stronger than any of the hitherto known fibre, 

 and it seems it will be able to supercede all others. It wasues 

 Jike wool, and can be used for mattrasses. 



Before lUscoloiuiug it, which can be easily done in water 



charged with chlorate, this hair, wound into skeins, will 

 easily take any colour desired; by a combined process to 

 IJreyent its losing what tannin it contains, it is preserved 

 against rottmg, and is besides a preservative on account of 

 the shght aromatic scent it retains ; moreover water will not 

 penetrate it, but rolls oft' the surface, while the tissue is 

 uncommonly tough and strong. For the cordage of ships 

 it is better suited than what is now used, and it is sti-onger 

 and impervious, for the tannin it contains. 



'^^^leu the fibre comes from the waterbath, it is carried to 

 the spinning-machine, where the threads are spun to the 

 desired thickness, to make rope, cables, carpets, pantaloons, 

 shh-ts or sewing-thr-n.d ; in short for all the uses to which 

 flax ,and hemp are otherwise applied. 



From a view to poUtical economy this important article 

 gives the following results: 



To make white woven goods, it can be bleached before 

 or after the manufacture this also the case with the pulp 

 for papermaking, which is of an exeeUeut quahty. 



The expenses for erectmg a factory where 3,fX)0 kilos of 

 hatcheiled flax can be produced daily, are: 

 Groimds, including sheds ... ... fr. 20,000 



Steam-engine and machinery ... ... „ 50,000 



A combing machine ... ... ... „ 5,000 



Horses, h.arness, carts, ... . „. ... „ 10,000 



Eventual expenses ... ... .... ,. 10,000 



Total... ... ... ... fr. 



Expenses, wages, etc. are per work-day as follows : 

 The conveyance of 0,000 kilogr. of 



raw dwarf-palm to the factory at 



2 fr. per 100 kilo. ... ... ... Ir. 



Chemicals ... ... ... ... „ 



W.ages ... ... ... ... „ 



Fuel ... ... ... ... „ 



Freight for 3,000 kilogr. of hatcheiled flax to 



France a 40 fr. per ton ... ... „ 



Office exijenses, house-rent at Paris ... „ 



Stay in Algeria, salaries, interest on capital, 



v.Hlued at 2.50,000 fr... ... ... „ 



Unforeseen expenses ... ... ... „ 



95,(KD0 



120,00 



120,00 



50,00 



2>,00 



120,00 

 70,00 



45,00 

 30,50 



Total ... ... ... fr. 578,00 



These are the expenses for furnishing 3,000 kilogr. of hat- 

 cheiled flax, sold at the moderate stated price of SO fr. per 

 100 kilos, gives ... ... ... frs. 2,400,00 



Deduct expenses ... ... ... 578.00 



Remains net jirofit per day ... ... „ 1,822,00 



So more than twice the working capital. — India Mirciay. 



ANOTHER AVORD ABOUT COFFEE IN THE 



PARCHMENT. 



From a circular of the firm Cliabot and iVndres at 

 Rotterdam we extract the following: — 



According to the accompanying statistics the importation 

 of coffee in the parchment from July 1883 to mid-April 

 1883 has been : 



For Rotterdam - - 101,752 bags 

 For Amsterdam - - 86,253 bags. 



188.095 bags 

 against about 150,000 bags in 1S81-S2. 



So it appears from this, too, that the conviction is 

 gaining ground more and more, that sendmg in the parch- 

 ment is in the interest of the proprietors. The results 

 obtained in this season leave no more doubt about it, 

 and we are persuaded this manner of supply will increase 

 from year to year as we i)rophesied in our confidential pamjjhlet 

 of June 1882. Not to fall into repetition we will merely 

 refer what we said then about the advantages of iwel- 

 ing in Netherlaud. 



With respect to the recent crop, our impressionis, that the 

 <|uahty on the whole is not so good as the former years. 

 On account of the rains, the curing and especially the 

 drving had to be hm'ried in many cases, by which the coffee 

 has suffered. 



The artificial tU-ying seems not as yet in all respect to 

 have been very successful, perhaps partly in consequenc 

 of precipitation, and it is om" conviction that unless th 



