377 
breaking strain, elongation, bursting strain and greaseproof qualities. 
fee are contained in Table B [not reproduced]. 
“We draw attention to this fibre as we vee it may become of 
or unbleached. The fact that the paper in its natural mee, 
without the addition of any materials whatever, can be made to 
bee Ne la and self-sizing qualities is a point of commercial 
import 
Read. is Beadle and Stevens also inform us that they 
have dressed some of the fibre from the green stem, and the tensile 
strength tests indicate that it is almost exactly similar i MY poe 
to the best pure manila binder-twine. Samples both of the paper 
and the fibre have been presented to Kew and have been ieee in 
the Museum 
Owing to the very remarkable paper-making qualities of 
Hedychium and the ease with which the plant spreads under 
favourable conditions in the tropics, it seems likely that it may be 
in considerable demand in the near futur 
AMOMUM AND ALPINIA. 
As Hedychium has proved to be so valuable a plant for paper- 
making, stems of Amomum hemisphericum and Alpinia nutans have 
also been submitted to Messrs. Clayton Beadle and Stevens for 
examination as to their ag aera i qualities. 
In the accompanying report they mention that in neither case do 
these plants yield papers ma the self-sizing qualities to be 
chium and under certain conditions also with 
manila scat bagasse, and also with banana fibre. The Report is 
as follows 
“These plante were passed through sugar-crushing rollers for the 
to red to the condition of tow 
code. were then boiled under pressure, — with 20 per cent. of 
pr ressure and the Alpinia nutans for 6 es at 50 lbs. They w 
afterwards bleached, and the yield of unbleached and bleached ahve 
expressed on the original green weight of stem as received, as 
follows :— 
On green stem as received, Amomum, Alpinia. 
Yield—unbleached se 7447 5°93 7 
bleached is 6°36 4°95 
“Tf expressed upon the dry weight of stem the figures are as 
follows :— 
On dry stem. Amomum, —Alpinia. 
Yield—unbleached See 58°27 50°0 % 
bleached ae 49°6 415 
