August i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



109 



B« the new machine these juices are at once washed 

 out "of the fibre by means of a thiu sheet or flattened jet 

 of water, the quantity and force used being regulated ac- 

 cording to the condition of the leaf or stem operated upon. 

 This jet or stream of water plays upon the fibres, and at 

 the same time holds them up to the action of the beaters, 

 forming a species of elastic cushion or backing of water 

 during the operation. In this way there is bttle or no 

 waste of fibre, and the whole of the juices, together with 

 the green bark and brokeu-up stalks of the stems of exo- 

 genous plants, and the pulpy and other adherent matters 

 of endogenous fibre-yielding leaves, are at once removed. 

 Their fibres are extracted in their natural state, and only 

 require to be dried and baled for exportation. 



These machines are already in use in India and other 

 countries. The fibres, from the first consignment of bales 

 delivered in London, presenting so beautifully white an ap- 

 pearance, were thought to have been subjected to some 

 bleaching process; the fact being that, for the first time, 

 the fibres were obtained in their natural Btate, aud in the 

 pure condition in which they exist in the plant. 



The pamphlet then goes on to state that one of the 

 important results of the use of this machine 

 is the introduction to commerce of the fibre 

 of Sanseviera Zeylanka, and it is indicated that 

 in the majority of cases fibre should be extracted 

 before the plants which contain them arrive at 

 maturity. The stalks should be operated on in as 

 fresh a state as possible. Full directions are given 

 for the setting and working of the machine, the 

 revolutions beiug from 500 to 700 per minute, ac- 

 cording to the nature of the plant dealt with. The 

 refuse can in some cases be used as manure, but 

 chiefly as fuel. Patent bullock-gear for the machines 

 as supplied by the Company is figured and described. 

 But what our readers will chiefly want to know is 

 what the outturn and cost of workiug are repre- 

 sented to be, and so we quote in full the portions 

 of the pamphlet which give these details : — 



The Out-turn op Cleaned Fibbe. — Each machine re- 

 quires two men to f eed it; one on -each side of the 

 feed-table; so that while one is changing the leaves and 

 stp'ks end for end, the other is cleaning his part, and 

 vice rersa. In this way the machine is fully occupied 

 and there is no waste of time ro water. Although the 

 operation is simple and easily learned, experience in work- 

 ing the machine has largely to do with the amount of clean 

 fibre produced. With practice, the same hands can often 

 turn out more than three times as much as they could 

 at first, and of course in all cases the out-turu will 

 also depend on the diligence as well as the quickness 

 of the individual workman. The out-turn likewise depends 

 to a very great extent ou the proportion of fibre existing in 

 the leaves or stalks of the plants operated ou. In a recent 

 experiment carried out at Calicut iu India with plantain 

 cut down, is as the custom after the fruit has been gathered 

 the actual quantity operated on amounted to 67 tons, and it 

 was cleaned by the machine, fed by two men, at the rate 

 of five tons per day of ten hours, but owing to the watery 

 nature of the material, the actual yield of fibre when 

 dried ready for baling only came to 98 tb. per day (or 

 about seven-eighths per cent ), whereas in another case, 

 about the same period, in South Africa, in which agave 

 leaves were used, the material was likewise operated on at 

 the rate of five tons per day, but as the proportion of 

 fibre existing in it was four per cent, the outturn would be 

 more than four-fold that from the plantain in the instance 

 above referred to. 



Experimental working with rheea in Algeria shews 



that two men can clean from 30,000 to 40,000 stalks, 



averaging 3-ft. 8-in. to 4-ft. iu length, and weighing about 



1101b. per 1,000, say from ljto 2 tons, which should produce 



of dried fibre, 



at 3 per cent from 100 to 135 ft.) 



„ 4 „ „ 135 to ISO „ > per day of ten hours 



„ 5 „ „ 170 to 2-J5 „ J for each single machine. 



These ascertained facts shew clearly the capacity of the 

 machine for dealing with a very considerable btilk of 

 material, as well as the dependence of the outturn upon the 

 percentage of fibre existing in the plants operated upon. 



An important result of the special action of the machine 

 is, that there is very little or ne waste of fibre, whereas 

 in some existing processes the loss of fibre is equivalent 

 to more than the whole cost of working this machine. 



The machine, when properly worked, thoroughly cleans 

 the fibre, which iu the growing plant is usually of a 

 pure natural white colour, and removes a large proportion 

 of the gum, which in the case of Rhea is reduced to 

 from 5 to 10 per cent, as against 25 to 30 per cent, 

 usually fouud in hand-prepared China Grass. No further 

 oporation whatever is necessary beyond carefull drying 

 and baling, the fibre being in the condition most suit, 

 able for transport and sale. 



Then come instructions for sorting and baling the 

 cleaned fibre, and last, though not least, the 



Cost of Working. — The cost per ton (dry weight) of 

 extracting and cleaning fibre by this machine will be 

 nianily determined by the rates paid for labour and fuel ; 

 the facilities, climatic and otherwise, of drying ; the per- 

 centage of fibre iu the material operated upon, and the 

 dexterity of the labourers employed ; all these conditions 

 may vary in diiferent localities aud with different plants. 



Where water-power is available, fuel will be saved ; 

 where steam engines are already in use for other pur- 

 poses, and not always employed — the power required for 

 these machines may be obtained at a comparatively small 

 cost. Semi-portable engines are supplied by this Com- 

 pany, specially constructed for the work, and to burn all 

 therefuse (not required for manure) iu conjunction with 

 wood, coal, or other fuel. 



The following estimate is based upon the best information 

 obtainable from sources where the Machines have been in 

 actual operation : — 



Approximate cost per week of working a plant of 20 

 Machines, passing 5 tons of green leaves through each 

 Machine per day, with an out-turn of 3 per cent, only 

 of dry Fibre. 



40 men working at Machines ... at 3s £6 



12 men and boys taking Fibre to dry „ 2s 14 



Cutting of leaves and carriage to Ma- 

 chines, 600 tons... ... ... „ Is 30 



Stoker and driver for engine ... 1 16 



Fuel ... ... ... ... 4 



Baling 112 bales, including hoop-iron, 



&c, &c. (7 bales per ton) ... „ 3s 16 16 



Interest and wear and tear, say 10 per 



cent, upon an outlay of about ] TOO 



£65 16 



£3,000 



The above will produce, say 16 to 18 tons of dry Fibre 

 per week, at a total cost of £65 16s., or £4 2s 3d. per ton, for 

 16 tons only : 

 Dividend as follows : — 



Cost of labour, serving the machine, about... £0 9 0~| ^, 



Oostof engine-driver, stoker, and fuel ... 7 3 I ° g 



Cost of cutting and carriage of green leaves 1 17 6 ^ § ;2 



Oostof baling dry fibre ... ... 1 1 f * ^ 



Cost of interest on cost of machinery and | fe ,§ 



depreciation... ... ... ... 7 6J ^ 



Intending purchasers, by adjusting prices to their own 

 local conditions of labour and fuel, may readily ascertain 

 the approximate cost of working in their locality; it is 

 evident that the cost per ton will be reduced by a larger 

 out-turn of cleaned fibre, which may amount to five or 

 more per cent, in some of the more fibrous aloes, &c. — 

 and in like manner the cost of cleaning will be proportionately 

 increased by a smaller out-turn. It will be found that 

 the out-put of the machines is largely increased after a 

 short period of practical working — instances have oceured 

 where the first week's working was only about one-third 

 the quantity subsequently obtained. 



A list of prices, measurements and weights of machines 

 follows. When paying results by means of the Com- 

 pany's machines have been obtained in Ceylon for 

 aloes, pineapples or other substances, we shall be glad 

 to be informed. 



