560 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



furthermore this class of fibre is not amenable 

 to bleaching processes. 



For the production of pulp for purposes 

 other than paper this material appears both 

 cheap and admirable. As a substitute for wood- 

 pulp in the manufacture of various commodities 

 such as roofing and felting materials, in which 

 case a complete removal of the corky layers is 

 not necessary or advisable and where bleaching 

 is not required, the husks could be prepared 

 by mechanical means alone or by mechanical 

 means followed by a mild alkaline. 



At present little or nothing has been done 

 with coir fibre as a raw material for paper pulp, 

 and the general opinion is that such material 

 would be better for making boards rather than 

 paper. Those interested in the experimental 

 stage would have to ascertain in any case what 

 machinery, if any, has been designed or used 

 for making coir fibre into paper or boards, and 

 whether the first process involved in doing so 

 would require to be mechanical or chemical. 

 We are at present busy in experimenting with 

 megasse and bamboo for paper-making, but as 

 soon as we are quit of this work we shall be 

 pleased to collaborate with anyone who is 

 willing to carry out similar investigations in 

 connection with coir fibre or even coir dust, 

 and its suitability, as a raw material, for paper, 

 paper boards, felt, &c. 



