Vol. IX. No. 202. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



31 



FIBRE PLANTS IN INDIA. 



The following are extracts from an important 

 •report which appears in the A</riciiltaral Journal of 

 India, Vol. IV, Part 4. It was drawn up by a Com- 

 mittee, for the information of the Board of Agriculture, 

 in 1908, criticized by the Board, and then slightly 

 amplified by the Committee on the basis of information 

 obtained by the Inspector General of Agriculture from 

 the Directors of Agriculture of the various provinces: — 



The Uommittee limited consideration to particular crops: 



(1) Ryots' (peasant's) crops — jute, HUmcua rannaf/inus, 

 ■Crotataria jiiiicea, and cocoa-nut. 



(2) Capitalists' crops— rhea, Agave, pirje-apple, Sanse- 

 -vieria and Hax. 



(3) Fibres worth experimental attention, e.g., plantain, 

 ^lalachra and Sida. 



.)UTE. — At present, the cultivation of jute is practically 

 confined to Bengal and Eastern Bengal and Assam. In both 

 of these provinces, it is one of the most important crops, and 

 its cultivation increased rapidly, owing to high prices, until 

 1907. During the last two years, however, there has been 

 n diminution of between .30 and 40 per cent, in the area 

 under jute, caused, partly by low prices, due to bad trade 

 and to overproduction, and partly, by the great rise in the 

 price of rice produced by famine conditions in Bengal and in 

 other parts of India. 



HIBISCUS CANNABINUS. — This plant is cultivated in 

 many parts of India as a mixed crop, but rarely as a pure 

 -crop, except on the east coast of Madras, and, to some 

 extent, in the jutegrowing districts of Bengal. It grows 

 excellently on well-drained land in a wet climate, such as 

 may be found in the jute districts; but is capable also of 

 thriving under conditions which would not suit jute without 

 irrigation. In the last fact lies the importance of the plant. 



CEOTALAUIA .JUNCEA.- The fibre of this crop does not 

 •compete with jute as does that of J/ihiscnx ranna/>inus: but in 

 market value it is superior to both. Sunn hemp can best be 

 grown in districts of moderate rainfall, and therefore does not 

 compete with rice. It is, in some parts of India, frequently 

 grown as a green manure crop before rice, and in others as 

 a second crop in the same year after early rice, for fibre. This 

 rotation is advantageous, because sunn is a leguminous crop. 

 It is chiefly grown as a /7«!*(>' (rainy season) crop for fibre, 

 but also to a considerable extent as a green manure crop. 



COCOA-NUT FIBRE. — The cocoa-nut palm is grown in all 

 the coast districts of India, but to the largest extent in the 

 southern portion of the Bombay Presidency and in Madras. 

 In the Malabar Coast ilistricts, the coir industry is a very 

 large one, amounting to many lakhs of rupees per annum. 

 In Bengal it is plentiful in the lower (iangetic basin; but it 

 exists practically only in garden cultivation: there are no 

 large plantations. The cocoa-nut palm is grown on a large 

 scale in Bakarganj and Noakhali in Eastern Bengal and 

 Assam, but the fibre is never extracted. 



PLANT \iN FIBRE. — There are possibilities of a useful 

 industry in plantain fibre. In many parts of India, the 

 plantain is common in every garden; and in Bengal, A.ssam, 

 the Bombay and Malabar Coasts, the Delta tracts of Madras 

 and in parts of Burma, whole groves of plantains are (juite 

 common. The fibre of the plant which produces good fruit 

 in India is usually, however, far inferior to that of JJiisa 

 textilia — also a plantain — which is the source of Manila 

 hemp. Moreover, the amount of fibre obtainable from 

 a plantain in India is very small. It remains to be proved 

 that a plantain fibre industry in India is a commercial 

 j)ossibility. 



siDA. — Species of Sida are quite common jungle plants 

 in most parts of India; but in order to attain the length 

 necessary for a fibre plant, the crop must be grown on well- 

 drained land, either in a moist climate or under irrigation. 

 Experiments under these conditions have been giving promis- 

 ing results. It is, however, necessary to overcome certain 

 difficulties before recommending the crop for general cultiva- 

 tion. 



AGAVE AND RHEA.— For the purpose of this note. Agave 

 and rhea (ramie) may be taken together. The conditions of 

 soil and climate suitable for these crops are now fairly 

 definitely known. It used to be thought that Agave would 

 grow and thrive on any soil and under any conditions of 

 rlimate. Jt has, indeed, been stated that the poorer the 

 land, the better Agave will thrive: but experience indicates 

 that both Agave and rhea require good land for rapid 

 growth. For the latter, also, a fairly heavy rainfall is 

 required. Although it is possible to extract both Agave 

 and rhea fibre by hand, the products obtained are usually 

 inferior to those procured by machinery. Therefore, possi- 

 bly, the cultivation of these plants should for some time, 

 be continued by capitalists who can afford to pay for expen- 

 sive fibre extractors. Rhea has been extensively cultivated 

 on the estates of indigo planters in Behar, but has not proved 

 a profitable crop. Both Agave and rhea require some years' 

 growth before they give any considerable yield of fibre — 

 a fact which discourages the ordinary ryot from attempting 

 their cultivation. 



FIBRE FitoM PINE Ai'i-LE ANi» SANsEViERiA.— The extrac- 

 tion of fibre from pine-apple is not likely to become an exten- 

 sive enterprise in any part of India. Sansevieria has been 

 repeatedly tried by planters in Assam, but without paying 

 results. It is possilile that fibre can be profitably obtained 

 from the pine-apple in Southern India. 



FLAX. — Flax as a fibre crop is not yet produced ou 

 a commercial scale in India: but extensive experiments were 

 begun in Bengal about four years ago, and are still in 

 progress. They will, when complete, probably indicate that 

 fibre of good quality can be profitably produced from this 

 crop in several parts of India. 



MALAciiRA lAPiTATA. — The Bengal Agricultural Depart- 

 ment tried Malnchra oiidtnta ('monkey bush', in parts of the 

 West Indies) at Cuttack, but gave it up as hopeless after 

 two years' trial. Similarly, experiments conducted at the 

 Rajshahi Experiment Station in Eastern Bengal and Assam 

 indicated that its cultivation is not likely to be profitable. 



Rice in British Guiana. 



The last fortnightly report of Messrs. Sandbach, 

 Parker & Co., of Georgetown, on the rice industry of 

 British Guiana, dated January 7, 1910, gives informa- 

 tion as follows : — 



The weather during the fortnight has been somewhat 

 showery, and not too favourable for the drying of the cereals 

 by the small farmers under their primitive methods. 



Deliveries to town have not been as large as might have 

 been expected, but this can be chiefly attributed to the 

 holidays. 



Shipments to the islands during the fortnight amount 

 to 1,800 bags, being deliveries on account of existing con 

 tracts. Additional export sales have been made, and the 

 demand appears good. 



We quote to-day, f.o.b. Demerara, for good expont 

 [quality : — 



Nominally 16s. 6(Z. to I7s. ^d. per bag of 180 lb. gross. 

 15s. 6d to 16s. M. „ „ „ 164 lb. ^ 



