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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[ifXNUABT I, 1884. 



The Corchonts, or jute fibre, is used principally for coarse 

 bags, aud such purposes where the streugth aud colom- of 

 the fibre is not important. It can be jjroduced at a very 

 cheap cost; the cultivation of au acre of jute is estimatid 

 at KIO for the laboiu-, aud about half-a-ton of fibre is the 

 usual crop; while by the retting process, one man can pre- 

 pare for marlset about two cwt. of fil)re iu the day. The 

 cultivation of jute lias been taken up largely by the natives 

 in India. The e.\port stated by Dr. Forbes AVatson iu his 

 tables, in IStiO, at 8S,(X)0,CIOO lb., had amounted iu 1S74 

 to 560,000,000, or seven-fold iu the fourteen years. For the 

 more valuable fibres this retting process is not available; 

 a mau can prepare only 5 lb. to 12 lb. of rhea or Manilla 

 hemp fibre in a day by hand-scraping, while the waste is 

 enormous. 



The necessity for some mechanical treatment has been 

 long recognised. In 1872, the Government of India offered 

 a reward of £5,000 for any machine that could separate 

 rhea fibre in a green state, at a cost not exceeding £15 

 per ton. The conditions were not fulfilled, but a reward 

 of £1,500 was given to Messrs. Greig, for relatively good 

 results. The reward has since been withdrawn. The cultiv- 

 ation of rhea has now been successfully introduced into 

 the South of France, Algeria, aud the Southern States of 

 America; and the attention of scientific men to some chemical 

 or mecliauical treatment has been contiuued. 



There are now two machines and two processes that 

 claim to treat green fibre successfully. This being accom- 

 plished, the golden hopes of Dr. Forbes Royle and of 

 Dr. Forbes AN'atson. as to the futm-e of Indian fibre, may 

 be realised. 



As the soil and climate of the hill districts of Southern 

 India and Ceylon, vnth which I have been connected for 

 the past twenty-five years, seem to me to be specially 

 adapted to the cultivation of fibre plants; and as the in- 

 troduction of any new industry is at the present time 

 urgently wanted by the European planters settled in those 

 portions of our Eastern Empire, I have ventured to bring 

 the subject forward again, for the purpose of m-gmg the 

 adaptabiUty of this cultivation to the circumstauces of the 

 hill planters; and the fact that lately invented chemical 

 aud mechanical processes have supplied the economical and 

 commercial prospects of success which have so long been 

 desired. 



The follott-ing fibre plants are suitable for cultivation in 

 the hiU districts of Southern India:— Ehea (Crtjca vtilis), 

 Neilgherry nettle {Vrtica heterojjht/lla)— these are dicotyl- 

 edons, or exogenous plants, the fibres residmg in their bark 

 or bast^plnntam (Musa jmradhiaca), wild plantain, Manilla 

 hemp {.Vusa textilia), aloe (At/are Americana), pine-apple 

 (Bromelia ananas), wild pine-apple {Bromdia st/lxestrh, 

 mooga, or bow-string hemp {Sanfevitra :eijlanica),rm\Aa.T (or 

 CalaU-opis rfiyanten)— which are monocotyleilons, or endo- 

 genous plants, the fibres being embedded in the pulp of 

 their roots, stems, and leaves. These, and other kindred 

 plants are indigenous to India, and can be cultivated with- 

 out difficulty. 



Khea {Uitica utit-is), Bochmeria nivea !'n»jia— China grass 

 — is a perennial plant. In China, fields of rhea are said 

 to last, with care and manm-e for SO to 100 yc'.irs. It giows 

 in Sikkim and Nepaul at an altitude of y,6oo feet. It has 

 been cultivated successfully on many coffee estates in India 

 and Ceylon; but it requires rich unexhausted soil. It grows 

 Avith the greatest vigour in damp warm climates. In the 

 islands of the Indian Archipelago it is cultivated under 

 shade. It requires a light but fertile .soil, but it must 

 be well drained. It is propagated from the separated roots, 

 from layers, slips, or cutting.s; iu this way five cuttings 

 of grown stems can be expected iu the year" after plantmg; 

 from seed, no crop can be expected before the third year. 

 M. Favier describes the plant as giving out several stems, 

 of which the number increases in proportion to the develop- 

 ment of the root, which forms a kind of tuft or bush. 

 The stems are woody, and have the appearance of thick 

 strong rods, the height varying' from 5 to 12 feet. The 

 roots, slips, or layers should be planted 18 inches apart, 

 aud after the first crop the alternate rows should be tran.s- 

 planted into new fields, leaving the remainder, about 3,.500 

 plants per acre, to spread and cover the gi-ound. The yield 

 in Java is said to be 44 stems per year from each stool, 

 taken in four cuttings. Each stem iu its green state weighs 

 about 1 lb; lOU lb. weight of greea stems yields 5 lb, of a raw 



fibre or filament, which, by Muspratt's analysis, as quoted 

 by M. Favier, centaius 6ti per ceut of pm-e cellulose. In 

 the official reports to the Imha Office, with native hand 

 treatment, the crop is said to be 1,000 lb. of raw fibre per 

 acre, taken in four cuttings. M. Favier states that, iu 

 Algeria, 1,4001b. of fibrous thongs was the crop per acre, 

 as calculated by Mr. Hardy, ex-Duector of the Botanical 

 Gardens there, while in the South of France as much as ' 

 I,COO lb. of filament have been obtained to the acre. 



Mr. P. L. Simmonds, in his article in 1873 (Jounia!, vol. 

 xxi., i>. 762), stated that the crop gathered m Jamaica) ' 

 amounted to 300 lb. per acre at each cutting, and that there 

 had been five cuttings in the year, making the yield tlu-ee- 

 fourths of a ton per acre per year. "While Mr. Bainbridge, 

 in the discussion on Mr. L. Wray's paper, in 1869, stated 

 that the residt of his own experience in Assam was 750 lb. 

 green nettles, which gave 45 lb. weight of fibre in each of 

 thiee cuttings, making only 135 lb. per acre per year (Journal, 

 vol. xix., p. 4.^i3). The yield appears to depend on soil, 

 climate, and treatment. The properties of the rhea fibre 

 place it in the fii-st position among vegetable fibres ; it is 

 second to none iu strength, while the fineness or attenuation 

 of the fibre places it before flax, and it is equalled only 

 by the pine-apple fibre. It can be used for any textile 

 purpose, having been mixed with cotton, wool, and silk, 

 to advantage; it is in special demand for sailcloth, table 

 napery, ciu-tains, and tapestry ; but from the very limited 

 supply as yet available, the applications of this beautiful 

 fibre are yet iu their infancy. 



Jseiigherrj ncitle {Urtica heiei'oplii/lla) is an annual, aud 

 can be readily grown from seed, giving its crop in about 

 seven months. It gives a strong white glos.sy fibre, and 

 a sample, hand cleaned, was valued at £125 i)er ton. The 

 cultivation has uot been tried on a commercial scale; the 

 diiiiculty will be in the cultivation and collection of the 

 crop, as the leaves aud stem are ai-med with a most poisonous 

 sting. It has occupied the attention of planters on the 

 hills for many years past, but no means of treatment was 

 known. 



Plantain (Miisa paradisiaca) is generally cultivated for its 

 fruit ; it should be planted about six feet apart, aud each 

 stem vvill give about 4 lb. of raw fibre, and 50 lb. of fruit 

 per year. The fibre is fine, white, and silky; long, light, 

 and strong. The quality depends on the mode of ciUtiv- 

 ation aud treatment ; but it is not so valuable as Manilla 

 hemp. The Government of ludia have constantly urged 

 the value of this material for paper making; but no use 

 has ever been made of the miUions of trees grown in 

 India for their fruit. The stems are cut down and left 

 after the fruit is moved. 



Manilla hemp {Jfiisa si/lvestris) has been successfully grown 

 in AYynaad and other hiH districts, since 1^64 ; but hitherto 

 to no commercial value, from iuability to treat the fibre. 

 It is gi'ovvu extensively in Manilla, where 250,000 acres 

 are planted with this staple; it has hitherto been treated 

 only by hand, the natives preparing about 12 lb. weight 

 of fibre i)er daj-, and receiving one-half its value for the 

 work, the waste being so great that only about 1 lb. of 

 fibre is obtained from each tree. Yet notwithstanding 

 this, the exports have amounted to 35,0CK) tons annually. 

 Manilla hemp is imported into Europe aud America for 

 rope-maldng only, and is worth £20 to £60 per ton, ac- 

 cording to quaUty; the crop may be taken at from 10 

 cwt. to 2 tons per acre, according to suceessfid treatment. 

 Aloe {Afjai'c Americana') will thrive on any sterile waste 

 land, and is now common throughout India. The cultiv- 

 ation is being extensively carried on in Mexico, where 5.(X)0 

 plants may be found in an acre. It comes to fidl growth 

 in three years, and can easily be propagated from suckers. 

 The fibre is principally used for mixture with Manilla 

 hemp iu the m.anufacture of conlage. and is worth about 

 £10 per ton less than Manilla hemp. 



Pine-apple ( hromvfia ananas) and {Bronnha s^ilvtslris) 

 produce a very valual)le fibre. The former is cultivated 

 for its fruit in all coffee estates, Rm\ the latter is found 

 iu large quantities iu all the jungle swamps iu the hill dis- 

 tricts. The fibre is valued at £45 to £55 per ton. 



Bow-.«;tring hemp {tSan-siriera zeifhinica'' can be propag- 

 ated on almost any soil, from the slips which issue in 

 great abundance from the roots ; it is perennial : the wild 

 leaves are from 12 to 16 inc-hes long, but under cultivation 

 attain 3 to 4 feet. Dr, Boxbmgh estimated tluit ft» aero 



