45S 



THE TllOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[January i, 1884. 



Ui,'e of 53 kilo. (1231 lb.) The net iirodiice is reck- 

 oueJ thus : 12 stalks weigh 165 grammLS. They yield 33 

 gr. of fibre. It comes theu to ,1% say 23 per cent net. 



The expense of the manipulation he calculates as fol- 

 lows: — 



2 girls are required to out the heads and tails of 



the cane before introducing it, at 73 c. (7id)... l-50fr. 

 2 women foue to introduce the stalks ... 1-50.. 



r 



[ one to receive the fibre 



.. 1-50 „ 



Total 



..4-50,, 

 = 7s 7d 

 To this must be added about 2Jd per kilo, for general ex- 

 penses. The cost of the machine would be about 4,000 

 franca or £100. It might be considerably reduced and would 

 cost less, and agaiu it might be possible to increase the force 

 to three mouths. 



M. de Oourtois has been cultivating the grass success- 

 fully for 12 years near Aries. He notices that the white 

 grass is more hardy than the greeu variety and grows more 

 easily in thatcountry. The pUiutrequires a light soil and water- 

 ing. But M. Favier s.iys that, in spite of certain advantages 

 attaching to the white variety, he prefers the green, as it 

 yinlils more fibre and of a mucii finer quality. The manu- 

 facturers present at the trial meeting valued the fibre of 

 th* white kind at 2^d per kilo, less than the green kind. 



M. Itie of Plorensac, who had also cultivated both, said 

 that the white kind (uivea) grew certainly, at first, more 

 freely, but it soon stojiped. Tire green oil the other hand 

 attained afterwards a much greater development and was 

 of iiiucli superior quality. 



In ISSO there was a competition at Saharanpore, as the 

 Euglish Government had made mo'st brilliant offers to in- 

 v^entors of machines for cleaning China grass fibres. But 

 M. FaviL-r would not compete, as he wished to preserve for 

 France the bouefit of the monopoly as long as his patents 

 lasted. 



It will be observed that (hied stalks yield 25 per 

 cent of fibre. Hat surely freshly-cut stalks can be 

 operated on, and we should like to know the pro- 

 iwrtion of clean fibre to weight of moist stalk. 

 Greeu aloes yield only about 3^ per cent. 



As respjcts the local supply and growth of the 

 rheea, iir. Kay Shuttleworth, in private notes written 

 to us since his return, saj's : — 



About ramie (China grass) — I saw some specimens of 

 it growing freely at Peradeniya, the variety there being 

 Uiiica niveii, which I also .saw in cultivation in Italy. On 

 the Kamboda P.tss I saw another variety, which grows 

 here also, and which I am sending for classification to 

 Dr. Trinien. 



I want to compai-e the unbleached material of M. 

 d'Humierea' inaunfacture with the local and v::n/ general 

 " gambahe," a common shrub at every elevation from the 

 sea to Nuwara Eliya, in every ravine and also on rocks, &c. 

 " Uambiihc" is the Sinhalese name. It seems to be oftlio 

 same family and of the same hivbits, but the leaf is 

 long and narrow instead of oval , though also grey under- 

 iii^ath. A special point in the China gra-.s is that the 

 Ji;st cnip may be expected within 5 months at the out- 

 sifle from the time of plauthig the cuttings, and that the 

 fibre is 20 J' of the dry stalks. The leaves also are a 

 favorite fool for slioep (among coolies here), and an- su^*- 

 geslcd as fodder in the case of the Lhtica proper by the 

 growers in Italy. The manufacturers use the refuse for 

 fuel, but it Is also said to be suitable for paper— with also 

 the leaves. Is the gambahe identical with the Nilgiri 

 nettle ? Miusu seems to be of the same family. The 

 U,-tira iiiuen is growing freely at Peradeniya and liakgala : 

 at the latter ouly a fe.v cuttings, at the former it ia almost 

 a weed. 



The plant referred to as the "i.ambahe. " of which 

 some IJark and filne were enclosed, is supposed by 

 >Ir. W. Fergu-on to be the ■■ gas-dul " of the Sinhalese 

 (moiocarpus mulberry fruited. longifolia) an<l we may 

 as v,-ell quote what is said of the '■ Urticacea;" in the 



•■Laportu.. c.^ , ,. . ..uia stimulans 



Moon Cat, p. li'^. JUtussa, Sing. I mcutiou this plant sim- 



ply to attract attention to its fearfully virulent propel 

 ties ; Dr. Hooker in his Himalayan .Journals gives very 

 interesting facts connected with the effects of the stings 

 of this plant on himself and others. Two coffee estates in 

 Ceylon, at least, are named Mai^sakelly, after this plant. 



" Boehmeria malabarica." 'Wedd. •' Urtica aquatica," 

 Moon Cat. 62. Muhadii/a-dul, .S. A small tree, the bark 

 of which is used for fishing lines by the natives. 



" Morocarpus longitolius." Blume, 261. Urtica verrucosa , 

 Moon. Gans-dool, S., bark used like the above. 



The following paper of instructions respecting the 

 rheea was published some time ago by the Govern- 

 ment of India : — 



Instrnetions relative to ike cultivation and preparation of 

 tie Fibre of Chinese grass clot}!, (Boehmeria niveaj. 



1. — On the cultivation and preparation of Kheea Fibre, 

 or China Grass. Communicated by Dr. D. J. Macgowan 

 to Vol. vi. part iv., of the Journal of the Agri-Horticul- 

 tural Society of India. 



Flantiny the Seeds. — In China, this takes place in May. 

 Great care is first taken in the selection of seeds, and in 

 the preparation of the soil. The seed should be gathered 

 on the appearance of frost : those produced from a recent 

 root are the best. After being dried, they are stowed 

 away in a basket or jar mixed with sand or dry earth, 

 others say moist earth. The jar is then covered with 

 straw to protect the seeds from the 3old, as, if exposed 

 to its influence, they yield an imperfect plant. Before 

 planting, the seeds are tested by immersion in water, 

 those which float are to be rejected, those at the botto m 

 to be planted. A loose dry soil is to be selected, if 

 near a canal or rivulet it is preferable. The ground is 

 to be well ploughed or broken finely, manured and theu 

 divided into beds about eight yards long and one wide ; 

 the beds are to be raked and afterwards made compact 

 with a hoe. After this it is w.atered and left for a night; 

 on the following day I'.aking up and pressing down is re- 

 peated. Th(! beds being smooth, two or three table 

 spoonsful of seed are mixed with a bowl of earth and 

 sown broadcast over half-a-dozen beds, then they are 

 swept with a broom to cover the seeds. In some places, 

 the seeds are first made to sprout, and theu planted in 

 drills, which are carefully flUed up. .lust before the blades 

 appear, a framework is to be constructed over the beds, 

 on which mats should be spread to protect them 

 from the heat of June and July. The matting must 

 be kept moist by day, and removed at night that the 

 blades may receive the dew of heaven. The beds are 

 to be constantly weeded. When the plant is about two 

 inches high, the framework ami matting may be re- 

 moved. When three inches high, it should be trans- 

 planted, ha\ing been well watered the night before ; the 

 blades should be taken up separately ^vith a portion of 

 earth and planted in a tiehl, far removed from mulberry 

 trees, about four inches apart. It may fonn a border to 

 the cerealia ixnd vegetables, protecting them from the de- 

 predations of domestic animals, which all avoid the " ^//«." 

 In dry weathei', the field is to be watered every three 

 or four days until the second decade, when it may be 

 watered every tenth day. 



In ■November and December, manure it with horse or 

 birflialoe dung, earth, straw, or any rubbish, a foot or more 

 thick, to protect it from cold. In March, rake it away 

 and expose the plant, wateiing it in diy weather, and 

 using rubbish of any kind for m;mure. A caution is given 

 never to use swincs' dung, as it is " saltish " and hurtful 

 to the " w»r." In the third or fourth j-«ar, some say in 

 the second, the plant m,ay be cut-and used. 



Planti'Kj the Moots, — The roots ai'e to be cut in pieces of 

 thi-ce or four fingers' length, and are to be planted in 

 May, half a yard apart, and watered every three or four 

 days. On the appearance of the blades, use the hoe and 

 water them ; they will be mature for cutting in the second 

 year. In the course of ten years the roots become un- 

 fruitful, the shoots may then be cut off, and, if enveloped 

 in earth and covered with matting, can be ti'ansplanted in 

 places thirty or forty inches distant. The gi'oimd should 

 be well prepared with manure, and freely manured after- 

 wards, the manure being half water. Here, as before, 

 the pl.ants should be hoed from time to time. In many 

 cases, fresh earth, pulverized bricks, ashes. Sec, ane used 

 for inauuie. Some years the husbaudmau has his crop 



