Februarv i, 1883,] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



66r 



to determine beforehand the class of raw material 

 which is to be treated, and the class of fibre to be 

 produced. 



" Paper-pulp requires beating and wasliing : ultimate 

 fibre requires tliorough washing ; filaments requii'e 

 washing, dryiug, scutching and hecliling. Again to 

 sub-divide paper-pulp making If it is intended to 

 make only ordinary pruitiug papers, small bands and 

 >VTappers, no arrangements for chlorine bleaching will 

 require to be made in the paper-mill; but to make 

 superior sorts of jiaper as well as inferior, then arrange- 

 ments must be made for bleaching by hypochlorite of 

 lime. It is not possible to give and idea of tlie cost 

 of gear and amount of room necessary to prepare a 

 certain quantity of raw material for the patent process 

 untill the kind of raw material is defined. 



'•flans and specifications for the erection of paper- 

 mills, or for an apparatus for the preparation of wood 

 or fibrous plants only, can be obtained by sending 

 to the Agents at any of the principal towns in India 

 the following information witli reference to paper- 

 manufacture : — 



" 1. — The kind of raw-material it is intended to use. 

 " 2. — The quantity of paper intended to be manufact- 

 ured per weeli or moutli, and the sort of paper ret|uired. 

 "3. — An exact plan of tlie locality where it is pro- 

 posed to erect the mill with sections. 



"As regards fibres for textile purposes — such as the 

 fibre got from hemp, rhea, Neilgherry nettle, Manilla 

 hemp and otlier numerous fibre plants whicli abound 

 in India — if a good fibre can be produced from any of 

 these by any process, better can be produced by 

 Ekmau's process and at less cost. If fair-sized samples 

 of raw materials are sent to Mr. Ekman in London, 

 an opinion will be given : — 



" 1. — As to whether tliey will prove useful at all. 

 " 2. — As to whether they are best suited for paper or 

 textiles. 



"The right to manufacture paper-pulp by Ekman 's 

 Patent Process can be arranged for suliject to tlie 

 payment of a royalty of £1 per ton of dry pulp produced. 

 " The royalty on the manufacture of filaments and 

 ultimate fibre will be somewhat higher and will be 

 specially arranged through the agents. — Hinde &Co., 

 Agents, Calicut, Malabar." 



Looking at the abundance and the cheapness of 

 white fir in Europe, and the low rate at wliich it 

 can be converted into paper, we do not suppose tliat 

 any one in India or Ceylon will tliink of meddling 

 with timber woods. Bamboo is in a diii'erent category, 

 and if the matured stems, instead of the young shoots 

 as desiderated by ,Mr. Routledge. could, by Ekman 's 

 process, he converted uito half-stuff, we should thiidi 

 the manufacture might in many localities, especially 

 on the banks of rivers, he profitably undertaken. It 

 is probable, however, that Government autliorities 

 would insist on sowing or planting operations suffici- 

 ent to prevent the extii-pation of bamljoo forests. 

 In the case of aloes, pineapples, plantains, &c., 

 the longer and finer fibres would probalily be pre- 

 prepared for textile purposes, and the shorter filjres 

 and waste would answer for paper, " Simple and in- 

 expensive " as Ekman's process is said to be, as «ell 

 as effectual, we suppose it is neitlier simple nor in- 

 expensive enough to meet the conditions laid down 

 by the Government of India, or the R30,000 prize 

 ofiered for tlic best machine for cleaning rhea fibre 

 would be claimed ? If we recollect aright perfect 

 portability was insisted on. Mr. A. Dixon will be 

 able to say if carbonate of magnesia could be easily 

 and cheaply separated from the dolomite limestone 

 whicli occurs in our mountain regions, and the value 

 of which for agricultural purposes is, we believe, de- 

 teriorated by the proportion of magnesia present in its 

 composition. Had sulpliate been the form of magnesia 

 leuuiied, there would have been no difficulty The 

 84 



salt manufacturers of India and Ceylon would gladly 

 see utilized a product which, from its bitter taste, 

 purgative properties and extreme tendency to deli- 

 quescence, is, to them one of tlie greatest possible 

 nuisances. Deposits of salts in ancient lal^es, *c.. ha\e 

 frequently been objected to, owing to tlie mistake of 

 first using the layer of magnesia sulphate which covered 

 tlie pure sodium chloride ; while in the JIayo salt 

 mines in India the grey mineral is composed of mag- 

 nesium sulphate to no less a proportion than jS per 

 cent. If cliemical science includes a cheap method of 

 converting sulphate of magnesia into carbonate (as 

 we believe is the case), abundance of the latter would 

 be available liere and in India, but there appears to 

 be an extensive formation (over 8 or 10 square miles) 

 of native cuibonate of magnesia (magnesite) in the 

 .Salem district of the Madras Presidency ; and it is 

 said also to occur in the districts of Tricliiuo(,oly, 

 Coimbatore and Mysore. Apart, therefore, from the 

 cheapness of this agent in Europe, no doubt stores can 

 be gathered or prepared in India, while some of tlie Indian 

 and Ceylon pyrites might yield the necessary suiphur ? 

 We cannot afford space for Mr. Ekman's detailed specifi- 

 cation in full, but we quote the paragi'aphs in which 

 the special merits of the process are described : — 



'' The peculiar character of the invention will be 

 better understood by considering the advantages poss- 

 essed by it over the usual method in which caustic 

 soda is employed. instead of using caustic soda, 

 chemicals are employed which have a far less damaging 

 efl'ect on the fibres, and which, especially when mag- 

 nesia is used, are much cheaper. In boiling with caustic 

 soda, the separation of the fibre from the incrusting 

 matter depends, as is well known, on such matter 

 being rendered soluble by oxidation, but it is im- 

 possible to prevent the fibres themselves from being 

 also oxidized to some extent, thereby weakening and 

 partially destroying them, and diminishing the quantity 

 of liulp yielded by the wood. On the other Hand, in 

 the preparation of pulp according to my invention, no 

 oxidation of the fibre can occur when the operation is 

 properly conducted, and the incrusting matter obtained 

 is in the form of a gummy matter of comniercial value, 

 instead of being converted, as by the old method, into 

 worthless products of the humus type. 



'■Another advantage is that the boiling can be done 

 at about half the pressure required by the usual 

 method, which is of great importance m practice, 

 besides that the fibre is less liable to be weakened 

 ill the process. A third advantage is, that by this 

 method fibre is less liable to be weakened in the 

 process. A third advantage is, that by this method 

 fibre can be prepared which without any further 

 chemical treatment is suflSciently white to be used for 

 ordinary kinds of papei , and is capable of supplying 

 a strong good paper without admixture of other fibre. 

 After -a subsequent treatment with bleacliiiig powder 

 it is made suitable for the manufacture of all the finer 

 kinds of paper. This fibre much resemljles linen in 

 its physical and chemical properties for paper-making, 

 and is therefore a very valuable material for this purpose. 



"A fourth advantage is that the solution which re- 

 mains after boiling contains a gum-like substance, 

 which at a small cost can be made to serve as a 

 substitute for dextrine for many purposes, and thereby 

 produce economy in the manufacture. ,Some portion 

 also of the chemicals used in the solution may be 

 recovered. A further advantage consists in avoiding 

 the injurious effect on vegetation and on animal life 

 produced, as is well known, by spent soda lye resulting 

 from the ordinary method or process. 



" And, lastly, cellulose of good quality can be pre- 

 pai-ed at a comparatively low cost by the process herein- 

 before described." 



Readers interested in the matter can now sec whether 

 Ekman's process is simple enough, and also cheap 



