11 



favourable conditions of climate and soil, there is no 

 plant which will give so heavy a crop of available fibre 

 to the acre, no plant which requires so little care for its 

 cultivation and continuous production." 



This statement the author supports by referring to 

 the rapidity of growth of the bamboo, and its wide 

 geographical distribution ; and he then proceeds to 

 figures. 



8. To prevent any misunderstanding, and to 

 schem^eSSd. shew what appears to me the weakest 

 point in Mr. Koutledge's scheme, it is only due to him 

 that I should reproduce his estimates before proceed- 

 ing to analyze them. The authorities will thus be 

 able to contrast the respective merits of our proposi- 

 tions with the least possible trouble. 



9. At page 8, Mr. Routledge writes : " Allowing 

 M LWSSSiS?' 208 feet square to represent one acre ; 

 divided into twelve beds, each 96 x 26 feet with twelve 

 paths 96' x 8' 8 wide, and one intersecting road 

 208 x 16 feet wide, leaves a space for planting equal to 

 2496 feet, or 29,952 feet in the twelve beds; allowing 

 the stems to be 2 feet apart, and say only 12 feet high, 

 we have 7488 stems, which at 12 Ibs. each equal 40 

 tons per acre." 



10. Anyone who has had practical experience in 

 Thel Sboo f the bamboo culture, and is familiar with the 

 habits of the plant in its natural home, must feel that 

 the surest and cheapest method of reproducing it is 

 by division of its roots, a system that not only re- 

 commends itself on grounds of economy, but on the 

 score of preservation of species, with the smallest 



