BAMIE CULTIVATION IN PERAK:. 105 



The mean yield of fibre is therefore a few pounds over half 

 a ton, and of ribbon -739 of a ton per acre; that is abont 

 14| hundredweights, or 12f pituls. 



Very little is to be found iu any of the accounts of ramie 

 of the cost of the cultivation. It is variously stated that one 

 coolie can keep in order two to three acres of laud. While no 

 information is available as to the cost of gathering, boiling, 

 stripping, drying and baling the ribbon. 



Taking the mean, that is one coolie to 2| acres of land, or 

 two coolies to 5 acres, and the wages at 39 per month, the cost 

 per annum is 1^43.20 per acre, and per ton of ungathered ribbon 



S 58.45. 



As I have already said there is nothing on which to base an 

 estimate of the cost of the harvesting and preparing the crop. 

 The process is as follows : — 



The stalks are cut near the ground, then stripped of leaves 

 and topped, they are then carried to the boiling tanks and boiled 

 for abovit a quarter of an hour ; the bark is then stripped off by 

 hand, carried to the works to dry, when quite dry it is sorted 

 into lengths, and baled ready for shipment. 



Considering that some 15 tons of stalks have to be treated 

 per ton of ribbon, I do not think that less than S20 could be 

 allowed per ton of ribbon. This would bring up the cost of the 

 ribbon to §78.45 per ton, or $57.98 per acre. 



There is then supervision, manure, rent, duty, and buildings. 

 The least that can be allowed for this is 3 10 per acre per year. 

 Taking a 500 acre estate this would be made up as follows : — 



S 

 Rent, at 50 cents per acre ... ... 250 



Supervision, at S300 per month ... 3,600 



Manure 500 



Upkeep of Buildings ... ... ... 250 



Duty on 369'5 tons at 2| per cent ,„ G23 



5,223 



The final cost of the ribbon would be §91.97 per ton, or 

 $67.98 per acre. 



The next part of the subject is (c) the selling price of the 

 ribbon. In the handbook of the Kliea Treatment Company it is 



