MACHINERY AND PLANT 73 



Treatment of the Husk. The separated 

 husks are soaked in water for fourteen days at 

 least, so that the fibres may loosen from each 

 other and the associated cellular matter. One 

 month's soaking is usually allowed, and a longer 

 time helps the processes. Large tanks, 20 feet 

 by 8 feet by about 6 feet deep, are constructed 

 of ferro-concrete or cemented brickwork, for the 

 purpose of soaking the husks, and provision 

 must be made at the edges of the tanks, which 

 may be, say, 30 inches above the ground, for 

 securing planks to hold the husks under the 

 water. The effect of the soaking will vary with 

 the size of the husk and the temperature and 

 quality of the water. 



Fibre Mill. The soaked husks are first 

 passed through husk-crushing mills, consisting 

 of a pair of coarse-fluted rolls, which bend and 

 flatten the husk as a preliminary treatment for 

 fibre separation. The husks are not allowed to 

 dry at any stage, and after crushing are delivered 

 to the workmen at the fibre extractors. A fibre- 

 extracting machine (Fig. 6) consists of a rotating 

 cylinder provided with teeth, which tear out the 

 soft matter and separate the fibres in the husk. 

 The machines are worked in pairs, one having 

 coarse teeth for breaking down and the other 

 fine teeth for finishing. The workman takes 

 hold of a piece of husk and places it between 

 the feed rolls of the machine, when the teeth of 

 the revolving drum comb out the fibres ; he then 



