24 



Estimate of cost, equal 2704 plants; which will yield 

 582 pounds of bond fide fibre under the present rude 

 system of preparing it ; or 727 pounds under a 

 more economical process, the waste in converting 

 the stalks into fibre being 25 per cent. That is to 

 say, this plant produces per acre nearly 6 cwt. more 

 fibre than cotton, the same amount as flax, and 

 only 47 Ibs. less than hemp, and this too on land 

 absolutely valueless for any other crop. The yield of 

 stalks per acre has been estimated at about 10 tons. 

 The cost of cultivating one acre is fixed at 2 9s. 8d. ; 

 but it must be borne in mind that when once this ex- 

 penditure has been incurred, no further outlay will be 

 requisite. The Collector of Shikarpore,* however, 

 when referring to the plant in its wild state, writes : 

 " There is enough growing wild to keep a dozen fac- 

 tories going ; the cultivation of the plant, therefore, 

 would perhaps be unnecessary. This officer further 

 gives it as his opinion that the plant is not ready for 

 cutting for two years if cultivated from seed ; but 

 says that if cut down close to the ground, it grows 

 again rapidly, and would give a second crop within 

 twelve months of the first cutting. Colonel Sir William 

 Merewether, however, differs from the Collector as to 

 the time seedlings take to reach maturity. " The 

 only point " he says, " I do not agree with Colonel 

 Wallace on, is the time of growth of the plant. I re- 

 member once on the Noorwah near Jacobabad, water 

 was for the first time for years let over a piece of 



* The Collectorate of Shikarpore merely embraces one of the five divi- 

 sions in the province of Sind; the Calotropis growing in even more 

 prolific abundance in the remaining four collectorates. 



