PAPER MATERIALS. 129 



which he was so well satisfied that ' he was prepared to buy 

 1,000 tons if any one would supply him.' " 



Secale cereale, RYE STRAW, was proposed in 1879, Mr. 

 Routledge's report being that "it is very largely used in the 

 States, also on the Continent. It will make a harder and 

 firmer paper than any other cereal straw, except perhaps 

 maize." 



Musa, spp. The utilisation of Plantain and Banana 

 stems for paper-making was brought forward in the Kew 

 Report for 1881. It is there pointed out that there can be 

 no question as to the suitability of the fibre for the purpose, 

 but that the practical difficulty has been in dealing with 

 the 90 per cent, of water which the stems contain. By me- 

 chanical treatment, however, the fibre of a plantain stem 

 can be dried off within a period of eight hours, and as the 

 plants are very abundant in India and Burma, it might be 

 worth while to systematically extract the fibre for paper- 

 making. Dr. King, of Calcutta, reporting on this subject, 

 says : " In my opinion this proposed plantain industry 

 has a good deal of promise about it, and I think it might be 

 well worth while for Government to spend a little money in 

 sending a sufficiently large shipment to the London market, 

 and to allow it to be sold for what it will fetch in small lots, 

 so that the new material may become generally known to 

 the paper-making interest. If the fibre answers for paper, 

 Government need do no more ; the matter will, no doubt, be 

 taken up by private enterprise. 



" The Bengal Government will be prepared to give all 

 reasonable assistance to any mercantile firm or individual 

 wishing to try experiments, and will arrange for future 

 supplies at reasonable rates. It will also give such other 

 assistance as may be deemed necessary and proper." 



Commenting on this, Sir Joseph Hooker says: "What- 

 ever the success of the enterprise in India, I think the 

 matter is well worth attention in the West Indies. The 



