460 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[January i, 1884. 



10 o S. lat., in the Molucca. Under cultivation it has been 

 proved to flourish in almost every part of India ; and it 

 has been successfully introduced into many foreign coun- 

 tries. It thrives in Katal, where an indigenous variety 

 attains a height of 24 ft., in Mauritius, in Algeria especially 

 near RcHzaiie, and in the plain of the Hahra, in the pro- 

 vince of Or;tn, its cultivation has been attended with great 

 success ; the island of Corsica offers similar prospects ; S. 

 France, esimcially the Departments of Vaucluse and Alpes 

 Maritimes, is now producing lai^ge quantities of the plant ; 

 iu the Chaiinel Islands, and even in Great Britain, it 

 does not refuse to grow, though its culture probably could 

 not be maiie profitable ; the allurial and upland soils of 

 the S. W. States of America are well suited to the plant, 

 and its cult lu-e is being successfully earned on in Louisiana 

 and Califoi-nia ; it is gi'own in Martinique. Jamaica, and 

 Tiinidad ; it lias been naturalized in Mexico ; finally it is 

 recommended for culture in the ricli and warmest forest 

 valleys of Yictorta, where imgation can be apphed; 

 in the open ground, it suffers from the night frosts, which, 

 however, do not prevent fresh shoots being sent up dur- 

 ing the hot season. An allied variety B. iiihphkta, re- 

 cently discovered m Lord Howe's Island, deserves" atten- 

 tion and investigation. 



The instructions to cultivators in the paper 

 Cjuoted above are very much" the same as those 

 already given, but clearly rheea grass is i-egarded 

 as an ■exhausting" crop, requiring careful manur- 

 ing. It differs from all allied textile plants by 

 being perennial and it is said to improve under 

 successive crops. If all the refuse after exhausting 

 the tibre were returned to the soil, the quantity of 

 manure would not need to be much. It grows from 

 cuttings or suckers as. readily as a willow, and. loving 

 a great deal of moisture, ought to suit Ceylon. 

 In Java, however, the first experiments failed because 

 the rice instead of the coffee land was chosen for the 

 culti vation. 



There are no data by which to estimate the cost 

 of cultivation in Ceylon, but no doubt the same 

 experience' apj)lies here as in India, and on the 

 opposite continent, where the one trouble was the cost of 

 extiaotion and preparation of the fibre. Now, if IVl. 

 Favier has solved this point, we trust he will, 

 •w; iving the further honour of France, have entered an 

 appearance at tlie special trials to be made in con- 

 m-ctiou with the Calcutta Kxhibition as notified in 

 the following official paper just published : — 

 KOTICE. 



It is intended to allow experimental trials in the extraction 

 of fibres of all kinds to be made at Calcutta dmiug the en- 

 suing rains iu coimcctiou with the luteniational Kxhibition 

 to be opened next December. 



2. Stems and other fibrous portions of fibre-bearing plants 

 or trees, and, as far as possible, motive power, will be pro- 

 vided by Government for the use of intending exhibitors. 



3. Machines or appliances should arrive in Calcutta about 

 the loth July or 1st August at latest. 



4. Persons desiring to perform experimental trials should 

 have their names registered at the Office of the Eevenue 

 and Agricultural Department of the Government of India 

 not later than the 30th June ne.xt, and should state on what 

 fibrous plants they wish to experiment, and to what 

 extent, in order that arrangements may be made for pro- 

 viding sufficient quantities of material to be oijerated on. 



5. A list of plants suggested for trial is appended. 



6. These experimental trials will be open to the public 

 and are likely to afford a favorable opportunity for inventors 

 who may wish to make known their machines or processes, 

 or to take out patents. 



7. Any inquiries or communicatiouS relating to the con- 

 templated trials should be adfkcssed to the E.xhibition 

 Branch, Kevenue and Agricultural Department, Government 

 of India. 



.- -- English Tf-rnncular 



^"^■'"^'^'"^'°''- ^"■°'^- "''™^»- Eemarka. 



Abelmoschus 



esculeiHU^ Okro BhiniH Found all over India. 



„ ficiilneiw Wild Ok.ro Biin Dlieura3 Bengal, SouUi India. 

 \, moschaiug Musk Mal- 

 low Musk Daua do do 



Abroniaaugustum ... Ulat ICambnl Bengal, South I 



Agave Americana Aloe Fibre Hatlii-chmg:\r All over India. 

 „ vivipara 



Auanasa saliva Pine-apple Ananas 



Auona reticulata Netied cus- 

 tard apple, 

 bulls-heart Kona 



Bengal, South India. 



Bcehmeria uivea 



and varietie.s Rhea 

 Bauhinia ratemosa 

 „ &canfleiis 

 ,, vshlii 

 Butea fiondosa 



,, superba 

 Calotropis gigan- 

 tea 



Poi 



Bakl 



Bakl mahwal 

 Maholi 

 Palas, Dhak 



Bengal, Burma, South 

 Lidi;L. 



Assam, Tarai, &c. 



>■ Forests all over India"' 



All over India. \ 



Himalayan forests. 



Cannabis indica 

 Careya arborea... 

 Cocos nucifera 

 Corehorus olito- 



rius '' 

 Crotolariajunceji Suini 



Mad^r 

 Hemp 

 Cocoani 

 Jute 



Madtir ak, 

 yercuni .. 

 Bhang 

 Kumbi 

 Niirikel „ 



Pilt 

 San 



Dhamiu .. 



Adia 

 Murorphali 



Palsnr 



.Tab:i 



Alsi 



Babal Jiik 

 Kalu 



All over ludia. 



Kumaon, Nortliern Bengal 



Forests. 



Bengal, Burma, South Ind- 

 ia. 



Bengal. 



>'orth- Western Province? 

 and Bengal. 



Himalaya.'^ and ^oiitb Ind- 

 ia forests. 



South India. 



Central India 



Grewia elastica 

 Hardwickia hi- 



nata 

 Helictres isova... 

 Hibicus cannabi- 



uis 

 Hibiscus Rosa-si- 



neasis 

 Liuum usitatissi- 

 mum ... Flax 



Marsdenia tena- 



clssiraa 

 Musajaradisiaca Planiam 

 Sanseviera zey- 



lauica ... Lily fibre Mand 



TJrtica hetero- 



phylla ... Xflgiriuet- 



tle 

 Yucca gloriosa... Yucca fi- 

 bre 



Keferring to the official list 

 is strange, to say the least, that 

 aloe, I'ourcroya gigautea, has been omitted from 

 the list, more particularly as a seiies of experiments 

 made very lately by iMr. H. G. Turner, acting 

 Collector of Vizagapatam (who called on iis en 

 route to Europe, to express liis interest iu the 

 Tropical AyriCnitarUt as a most valuable periodical 

 for India as well as Ceylitu) go to shi-w that tibre 

 from the green is far iietter than that from the as!i- 

 coloured aloe {Atjave americana). We quote as fol- 

 lows : — 



Read. -Tlie follotviug from H. Q. Turner, Esq., Acting 

 Collector of Tizagapatam, to the Secretary to the Board of 

 Kevenue, dated 22n.l December 188*2, No. 1331 : — Adverting 

 to Board's proceeding'.s No. 220G, dated 2ml September 1S82, 

 I have the houor tc forward herewith copy of a letter ad- 

 dressed by me to Mr. El.seworthy, the agent to Messrs. Ar- 

 buthnot k Co., at l^imlipatam : 



.. North-Western Provinces, 

 .. Bengal. 



,. North-Western Provinces 



and Oudh. 

 .. Central India, 

 .. Bengal, Burma and .South 



India. 

 ,.. Bengal, South India. 



South India. 



Ditto. 



given above, it 

 the green-leaved 



Cost of preparing 050 lb. of Agave Americana... 

 Bandy hire from Vavilivalsa to A'izianagi-um... 



Do f rom Vizianagrum to Chittivalsa ... 

 Cost of 100 lb. of FourcrOi/ii Giyantea 



Do cooly hire from yVnantaptir to Viza- 

 gapatani 

 Tizagapatam to Chittivalsa 



A. 



4 







12 







10 



Total ... 34 15 G 



Letter from H.Or. Tiu-ner. Esq., Acting Collector of Vizaga- 

 patam, to the agent to Messrs. Arbuthnot & Co.,BimHpatam, 

 dated Vizianagram, I4th December 18S2, 



With reference to your lettt-r, dated Bimlipatam, 7th Oct- 

 ober 18S2, 1 have the honour to forward herewith 950 lb. of 

 aloe fibre for a special report as to its market-value in Lon- 

 don, the cost of pressin.i,', packing, insurance freiglit, broker- 

 age and auy other ciuuges which it may be found necessary 

 to incur in connection with its transmission to London. 



2. This fibre is extracted from a plant which I take to 

 \>Gi\iei A (fa ve Americana^ an aloe with an ash-coloved leaf. 



3. riiis tibre is harsh, and prepared rouglily by a native 

 process which consists instecping, washing ou stones and dry- 



