19 



parent tree. These boughs are simply stuck in the 

 No caS l neSssary. or ground, and within twelve months they 

 become, without any further care or attention, well- 

 established, handsome young trees. In Burma, 

 many of the roads are avenued with this wide- 

 spreading tree, whose dense foliage renders it 

 peculiarly suited for the purpose. 



21. The three samples of paper made from the 



Paper manufactured fibre of these trees have been pro- 

 of Ficu-s fibres pro- 

 nounced excellent, nounced, by no less capable an au- 

 thority than Mr. Routledge, " excellent "; and, he 

 adds, that " if they bleach well and cheaply, retain- 

 ing their strength, they will find a good market." 

 After such a favourable opinion. from an experienced 

 paper-maker, I trust the authorities may think it 

 advisable to put the matter to the test of experiment, 

 and in the second part of this pamphlet I shall go 

 into the question of how this may most satisfactorily 

 be done. In the absence of trustworthy data, the 

 tS^ %^ll onl y apparent advantages that the 



compared with Ba:n- introduction of ^ paper-making 



material offers us compared with bamboo, are that 

 (1) it can be produced at a lower cost ; (2) it does 

 not require artificial irrigation ; and (3) its culti- 

 vation does not necessitate the appropriation of 

 land which could be turned to other account. The 

 valueless trees which abound in the forests of the 

 plains might, with great advantage, be made to 

 give room to different varieties of Ficus. 



22. I venture to suggest that when the value of 



