185 
four or five leaves. These may be any length up to about eight feet, 
and the quickness of the cleaning depends very much upon the activity 
and aptness of the operators. 
Serving the Machine.—For regular working a man and two boys are 
required. The man and one boy attend to the feeding and the changing 
of the leaves, while the other boy takes out the cleaned fibre and hangs 
it up to dry. 
The Trial.—The machine was worked recently at intervals for 
about an hour. It readily cleaned Agave leaves of various sizes, som 
There is an arrangement of levers to allow for yielding in case of very 
thick leaves, and the machine was not clogged or stopped during an 
is, however, is not an 
part of the cleaning. It may be adopted or not according to loc 
circumstances, 
Particulars of the Machine—The following particulars were 
obtained from Mr. Weicher, The total weight is 3,100 pounds (avoir- 
is 14) feet long by 2} feet wide. The power required is 10 horse- 
power, giving 500 revolutions per minute. The inventor has worked 
the machine in Yucatan for a period extending over nearly three months. 
tons of green leaves in a day of 10 hours. Allowing the leaves to yield 
3 per cent. of fibre (in a prepared dry condition), this would be at the 
lowest i i 
(at 4 per cent.) of 896 pounds per day. s could be judged from 
the recent trial these returns are not improbable. It is, however, 
Impossible to offer a definite opinion on the subject. e actual 
capacity of the machine can only be determined by continuous working 
on a Sisal Hemp plantation, and with operators who ave become 
thoroughly accustomed to it. Ina Report on the Sisal Hemp industry of 
Yucatan, prepared for the Government of the Bahamas by ptain 
E. Jerome Stuart [Kew Bulletin, 1892, p. 275], it is stated that the 
Weicher machine “ requires 12 horse-power engine and the services of 
“three men. Capacity, 2,500 Ibs. dry fibre per day of 10 hours. 
Mr. Weicher judiciously disclaims all responsibility for the capacity 
here given. He prefers to indicate : E n saying that the 
t f o 
For comparison from actual working it may be mentioned that the 
Yucatan Raspador (with two men) acting on leaves of Sisal Hemp will 
chine (also with tw actin ea re 
Aloe (Furcraea panto will turn out only about 214 pounds of dry 
