144 JUTE AND SIMILAR FIBRES 



23 per ton with medium qualities of jute at 22- 

 25 per ton. This fibre had been well cleaned, but 

 had probably been over-retted and was therefore weak. 



On the whole, the results obtained in Sierra Leone 

 were not very successful ; this was largely due to the 

 ignorance of the natives with regard to the methods 

 of cultivation, and partly to the fact that no manure 

 was applied. 



Southern Provinces, Nigeria. An experimental trial 

 wars carried out at Old Calabar in 1896 on a some- 

 what unsuitable, light, sandy soil. The seed was 

 sown rather late, and the dry season was well 

 advanced before the plants were fully grown. On 

 account of these unfavourable conditions, the crop 

 matured early and, in consequence, the fibre was of 

 short staple. In other respects, however, it was of 

 satisfactory quality. qft 



In 1907, a specimen of the fibre of Corchorus olitorius, 

 grown on the Onitsha Plantation, was examined at 

 the Imperial Institute, and was found to be of fair 

 colour and lustre, but weak and rather harsh, and 

 had probably been over-retted ; it was regarded as 

 worth 14 i os. per ton, when medium qualities of 

 Calcutta jute were quoted at 14-^16 per ton. 



Two samples of the product of C. capsularis, grown 

 in the Western Province, were also received at the 

 Imperial Institute in the same year. One of these 

 samples, grown from a green-stemmed variety, was 

 soft, lustrous, of good length and strength, and was 

 considered to be equal to " good medium " Bengal 

 jute and worth 15-^16 per ton, with " first marks " 

 Calcutta jute at 14 per ton ; this fibre would have 

 been more valuable if about 6 inches of the rough 

 root-end had been cut off as is done in Bengal. The 

 other sample, from a green-stemmed variety, was of 

 similar quality but darker colour, and was valued at 

 ji 3~^ J 4 P er t n and said to be saleable in any quantity. 



Northern Provinces, Nigeria. Two samples of jute, 

 grown in Northern Nigeria, one from imported seed 

 and the other from local native seed, were examined 

 at the Imperial Institute in 1907. The former 

 consisted of soft, fine, greyish, fairly lustrous fibre, 



