CALOTROPIS 



GIGANTEA 



Madar Fibre 



Plant 

 Common. 



THE INDIAN MADAE PLANT 



Useful Crop for 

 Poor Soils. 



Method of 

 Tapping. 



Defect of the 

 Gutta. 



Bark Fibre. 



Betting 

 Impossible. 



also of Sind, in which this plant is not only the most prevalent but almost 

 the only form of vegetation met with. In many instances also it has been 

 observed to be the pioneer in the reclamation of sterile tracts (see Alkalis, 

 Reh, p. 53). If, therefore, a demand could be originated for any one or 

 all collectively of the products of this plant, much good might result to 

 India. Its production could be fostered and by selection and cultivation 

 the quality and quantity of the produce improved, until the plant assumed 

 the condition of a regular crop for poor soils. But unless some method 

 could be designed for extracting the milk from shoots cut on account of 

 their fibre, it is feared that it would not pay to tap the plant specially for 

 its gutta. The stems and twigs are too small and the yield from each too 

 little to justify the opinion that methodic tapping would prove remunera- 

 tive as an industry by itself. Moreover, it has been found by chemical 

 experiment that Calotropis gutta, being a fairly good conductor of 

 electricity, is not suited for electrical purposes and is thus very possibly 

 debarred from one of the most profitable markets for this class of product. 

 Heyne (Tracts, etc., Ind., 1814, 245) says that the milk instead of reddening 

 vegetable blue colours, changes them to green. \Cf. Kew Bull., 1886, 45.] 

 Bark Fibre. The bast fibre has attracted considerable attention and 

 been spoken of as one of the best of Indian fibres. The great difficulty 

 appears to consist in the inability to separate it rapidly and cheaply. 

 Unfortunately the fibre cannot be prepared by retting the stems since 

 it is reported to rot when so treated, and yet the cleaned fibre when made 

 into fishing lines and nets (as is the case in Karachi) seems quite durable 

 and very strong, especially when used in sea- water. Mr. Liotard, after 

 many experiments performed in Calcutta with fibre- extracting machinery 

 generally, arrived at the unfortunate conclusion that the hopes formerly 

 entertained by himself and others regarding this particular fibre were 

 never likely to be realised : (1) because of the small percentage of 

 fibre (1*56) to weight of stems, and (2) the shortness of the ultimate 

 fibre. But in recent experiments conducted at the Imperial Institute 

 with a sample procured from Madras, Dunstan found that the staple 

 measured fully 12 inches. [Cf. Agri. Ledg., 1899, No. 2, 7.] Dodge 

 (Useful Fibre Plants of the World, 1897, 104) observes that an acre of 

 ground planted 4 by 4 feet with this plant will yield 10 tons of green 

 stems and 582 Ib. of fibre : this would mean a yield of roughly 2'6 

 per cent. He then adds that the fibre possesses many of the qualities 

 of flax though somewhat finer. Its fineness, tenacity, lustre and softness, 

 in fact, fit it for many industrial purposes. Cross and Bevan found that 

 when nitrated it could hardly be distinguished from silk, and long years 

 ago Wight showed that a rope of this fibre broke with a weight of 

 407 Ib. when a similar rope of cotton gave way with 346 Ib., and coir 

 with 224 Ib. It is, however, quite incorrect to affirm, as has been done 

 by Wiesner (Die Rohst. des Pftanzenr., 1903, ii., 317), Dodge and others, 

 that this fibre is widely used in India. Although prepared to a small 

 extent for very special purposes, the greatest possible difficulty was 

 experienced in procuring the few pounds required. 



Mr. G. W. Strettell (New Source of Revenue to India) advocates the 



Paper Materials, value of this plant as a paper material. Routledge did not form a high 



opinion of its qualities. [Cf. Kew Rept., 1877, 37.] It may thus be fittingly 



concluded that were it found possible to utilise the gutta as an additional 



source of revenue, the fibre, either for textile purposes or paper-making, 



206 



Yield. 



Hardly 



distinguishable 

 from Silk. 

 Great Strength. 





