The price of the fibre in London is about 35 per ton. A 

 plantation lasts for about 20 years after which fresh planting 

 becomes necessary. 



484. Machinery employed. Faure's machine, adapted 

 for rhea, sansiviera and agaves, has been already alluded 

 to. It costs Rs. 1,000 per set. Silburn's Agave-extract- 

 ing machine, costing Rs. 819, is worked with steam- 

 power. It is capable of keeping an 100 acre plantation 

 at full work, the produce per acre being 10 maunds of fibre 

 per annum. 90 per cent of the weight of leaves gets 

 rejected in the form of pulp. This is used mixed up with 

 farmyard manure in Mauritius for sugarcane plantations. In 

 Mauritius the machine employed is known as the Gratte 

 which consists of a drum 2 feet in diameter and i foot wide. 

 On the circumference of this are bolted 2 inch L-shaped blades 

 parallel to the axis. These blades are generally of iron, but 

 steel is preferred. They are firmly fixed to the drum by 

 means of bolts and nuts. The drum is mounted upon an 

 axle and made to revolve with great rapidity close to and 

 against the front or edge of a feed-table. The feed-table is 

 adjusted by means of screws so as to approach the revolving 

 drum within a distance of a quarter inch to an inch as required. 

 It consists of a stout brass plate or lip fitted firmly to 

 a piece of hard wood by means of a bolt. The plate and 

 wood are themselves fixed to two wooden bars 6 inches 

 X 6 inches which serve as guides in the movement of the feed- 

 table backwards and forwards. The most difficult task in 

 connection with the working of the gratte is the exact adjust- 

 ment of the feed-table inmediately before the machine is 

 started. Once adjusted properly it should be kept in the 

 position for 8 to 15 days when a re-adjustroent will be found 

 necessary. The machine is generally mounted in pairs on 

 the same axle and driven by steam or water-power. The cost 

 including driving pulley, bolts &c , is about Rs. 250 per 

 gratte or drum. The H. P. required to drive one gratte is 3. 



