FIBRES 551 



Black River district in the dry season of 1913 gave the 

 following results : 



Factory i. Percentage of dry fibre = 2*64 



2 - = 2 '53 



3- >> ,, =2-38 



Careful laboratory tests made by Mr. Boname (then 

 Director of the Station Agronomique of Mauritius) in 

 1902 gave the following figures : 



TABLE I. 



Aloes Malgache Creole aloes 



from 1,000 ft. from 600 ft. 



Weight of leaves, kilos. ... ... ... 65 . . 47 



green fibre obtained, kilos. ... 4'95o 



dry ,, ,, ... 0-930 



Dry fibre, percentage of green fibre ... i8'8 



Green fibre, percentage of leaves ... ... 7-61 



Dry fibre, ,, ,, ... ... 1-43 



TABLE II. 



4-900 

 i -170 

 23-9 

 10-42 

 2-49 



Weight of leaves, kilos. ... ... ... 57-5 .. 27-5 



,, green fibre obtained, kilos. ... 4-700 .. 2-870 



dry ,, ,, ... 0-955 ' 6 2 



Dry fibre, percentage of green fibre ... 20-3 .. 21 -o 



Green fibre, percentage of leaves ... ... 8*2 .. 10-4 



Dry fibre, ,, ,, ... ... i'66 .. 2-19 



Aloes Malgache Creole aloes Creole aloes 

 from 1,000 ft. from 1,000 ft. from6coft. 



1375 

 I '650 



0-365 

 22'I 

 12-0 



2-6 5 



From Table II the difference between the percentage 

 of dry fibre in leaves from altitudes of 1,000 ft. and of 

 600 ft. is clearly shown. On the littoral, yields of 2*3 to 

 2*5 per cent, of dry fibre have been obtained in some 

 factories, while individual yields from selected leaves 

 have exceeded 2*5 per cent, in dry seasons. 



In the Colony it is customary to express the yield of 

 dry fibre obtained as a percentage on the weight of wet 

 fibre; yields varying between 16 and 18 per cent, are 

 generally obtained. This form of calculation has arisen 

 from the fact that labourers at the hand machines are 

 paid on the quantity of green fibre produced per day. 

 The weight of the leaves coming into the factory is not 

 known, but the weights of green fibre obtained by the 

 different employes are carefully checked. The weights 

 of dry fibre are known when baled, and therefore an 



