oe ne ay Sit NN cine! Ue cme at en el Pe et Saar Nee Trg nS a a a o a 
67 
required three-quarter horse power to drive it, and two persons to feed 
and receive the ribbons. The ee is adapted to be worked by four 
persons, but at the trials, hei want of space, it was worked with 
: ; ig 
chemical process, also by the same inventor, into the finest filasse ready 
for weaving. In outward appearance the machine was a long narrow 
iron box furnished with numerous small cylindrical crushe 
number of mo 
prevented the escape of dust and débris. The feeding apparatus con- 
sisted of a long narrow trough, in which the stems were arranged in 
lots of four to six and fed to the machine at two apertures leading to 
the rollers. The first pair of rollers was furnished with fine corruga- 
tions to grasp the stems and pass them on to a somewhat complicated 
system of crushers and beaters. The ribbons passed continuously 
through the machine, and were ultimately delivered into the hands of a 
workman at the other end perfectly free from wood and pith. In the 
first series of trials md kilos. of Bes stems he loaves were passed 
through the machine, in 4} nutes. Once or twice some of the 
ribbons were onthe i in the Alir ad the akain had” to be stopped. 
The time occupied in the stoppages was not counted. The wet 
ribbons yielded by 10 kilos. of stems weighed 2° 820 kilos. This would 
tli (avoir.) of dry ribbons for the same period. In the second 
series stems, more or less with leaves, weighing 60°350 kilos. hehe 
passed through the machine in 18 minutes. They yielded 18:100 k 
of wet ribbons. This would be at the rate of 603 kilos. of wet ribbons 
per day i 10 hours; or 443 pounds (avoir.) of dry ribbons for the 
same peri 
The ribbone in both cases were well cleaned. There appeared to 
be no waste. a débris under the machine consisted almost entirely 
of wood and 
These results I regard on the whole as satisfactory. 
The somewhat intricate character of the various parts of this 
Ramie machines now available. It mi ht. however, be adapted for use 
in central factories or usines where skilled labour would be obtainable, 
nd for this and similar purposes the Favier machine may 
recommended. 
MICHOTTE pT 
The Michotte Machine, called “La aise,” at first glance re- 
sembled the Barbier and de Landtsheer caer machines. It wasdriven 
by steam-power, and consisted of a pair of large rollers, each furnished 
with helicoidal grooves running their whole length, The large rollers 
first crushed the green stems and then - them on to beaters with 
of piia Abbónik In both ies art ribbons were mixed with crush 
and mangled stems, full of wood and pith. The fibres were also cut 
transversely (probably by the helicoidal grooves) and rendered wnelent. 
8895 E2 
