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BCEHMERIA 



WILD K1IKA OF ASSAM VILLEBRUNBA 



INTEORIFOLIA 



wild i-li.-a oi SiUUim !..../.<. mid tin- \\il.l rhoa of Assam tlie present specie* Cultivation 

 plants that am as remote from rln a pn.por and from each other as 

 ild well IK. They are all nettles it is true, but tlu-ro the resemblance 

 'id ends. They are different botanically, chemically, industrially and 

 iculturally. To continue to think of tln-m as wild forum of rhea is th.- 

 dfold acceptance of a name at the probable expense of a future trade. To 

 this wonderful fibre wild-rhea of Assam on the markets of Europe as 

 11, il in price, merit and industrial application with the wild rln -a of I'.urma, 

 would in all probability bo to condemn it to complete neglect. It lias merits 

 and properties of its own as different from rhea itself and from all other wild- 

 as from flux. It would, therefore, be of great advantage were some en- 

 mct name accepted and recognised in Europe as the commercial name 

 this lil>re. such, for example, as that which I have ventured to assign to it 

 ve, namely its Naga name RISA. 



Conditions of Cultivation. According to the opinion hitherto published, it 

 may ho propagated by root-cuttings, by slips, or by seed, and its cultivation 

 omducted on the same lines as with the willow in Europe. It is said to be grown 

 largely by the hill tribes on the north-west of Yunnan, and by the Singphos and 

 Dhoanneas of the Assam north-east frontier to a small extent only (Hannay). 

 The tree when loft unmolested attains a girth of about 2 feet and a height of 

 from 30 to 40 feet. It is abundant within the valleys bordering on the Khasia 

 Garo hills. It is only found in mixed evergreen forests, and is not gre- 

 >us. It thrives principally in shady damp places on the sides of streams, Shade 

 it does not grow at all on the plains or in places exposed to the sun. The Necessary, 

 tree flowers in March, and the seeds ripen in April (Lloyd). I collected the plant 

 repeatedly on the plains of Assam proper, for example on the embankment of 

 the Rajghur in Sibsagar, and at Nahor Rani in Tezpur. It is very plentiful at 

 Tingali, at the foot of the Jabaka Naga hills, growing on loose soil with plenty 

 " water. It could be grown on the sloping banks of most of the depressions or 

 within tea estates lands which at present are not only waste, but often 

 source of positive danger to the tea plant. 



Collection and Separation of Fibre. The trees are pollarded during the Fibre. 

 nt hs of November to February, and the young shoots become available hi 

 e and through the rains. The fibre is extracted from the branches in exactly 

 same manner as from Kn-innrriti nirrn, only the fibre is longer. One 

 preparing risa can get as much fibre in the same time as three men pre- 

 ing the cultivated rhea fibre (Lloyd). The young shoots begin to appear 

 May, and these alone are used for fibre. The Naga way of preparing the 

 bons is quite different from the Assamese. The cuttings are best made 

 'in May to October, during the rainy season. The shoots are carried to the 

 lages, where the outside green skin or bark and a little slimy matter are scraped 

 Then the ribbons of partly cleaned fibre are stripped from the shoots, 

 e inside of these ribbons is next scraped with a knife so placed in the hand as 

 allow the edge to rest against the forefinger. The strips are drawn through 

 tedly in order to remove the slimy and gummy substances from the inner 

 After being cleaned in this way, the ribbons are left to dry in the shade. 

 ien fully dried they are next steeped in water and wood-ashes for about 

 enty-four hours, and then boiled in rice water for four hours. The fibre will 

 then found to be quite free from gum, and may be separated into fine 

 This is, however, a tedious process and is mostly carried on by the 

 d people of the villages. The Assamese, on the other hand, take off the 

 ribbons when the shoots are hi a half-dry state and do not first scrape off 

 the outer bark and gum. They also leave the inner face coated with the 

 slimy substance. They purify it in a coarse way by washing in lime and then 

 twist it into twine, or simply divide up the ribbons and without any prepara- 

 tion twist these into twine. This is employed in making the nets used to catch 

 deer (Severin). 



YU-ia and Utilisation. Col. L. A. M. Lumsden, C.B. (of Lumsden's 

 Horse) was good enough to supply the thongs of bark that were furnished for 

 --amination and report. These were stripped from wild plants that had not 

 m cultivated nor pollarded to produce special fibre-yielding shoots. The 

 signment was, therefore, very mixed and an allowance has to be made for this 

 umstance. The following facts are instructive. The green branches stripped 

 ie to 36 maunds 32 seers ; the green ribbons of bark obtained from these Yield of 

 weighed 3 maunds 30 seers ; and the dry ribbons, without any preparation other 



165 



Season of 

 Pollarding. 

 Extraction of 

 Fibre. 



The Naga 

 Method. 



Shoots 

 Scraped. 



Dried. 



Boiled in 

 Bice- water. 



Assam Method. 



Lime-water. 



