186 
fibre per day. The difference in these returns may be due to the 
different qualities of the leaves, a a is evident that, so far, neither of 
these machines working on a commercial scale is able to turn out more 
than 400 pounds of dry fibre per 
The conjectural figures given by Mr. Weicher require therefore to be 
received with due reserve until the performances of the machine have 
been fully tested. 
Summary.—I may add that I have seen most fibre os e 
have been brought forward and tested during the last 12 yea 
sh yet in a position to say that any machine has fulfilled all the 
onditions necessary in Sie ng Sisal Hemp fibre. The whole of the 
Mauritius hemp (from Furcraea gigantea) exported from that island is 
cleaned by the Gratte, locally made and naur about 307. [Kew 
Bulletin, 1890, p. 98]. This has to be fed with one or two leaves at a 
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very remunerative when prices are high. There is thet? little 
or no inducement, owing to cheap labour, to ehh duce improvements 
in fibre cleaning in Yucatan. In the Bahamas the circ prion are 
entirely different, and a satisfactory nokis. is indispensa e 
various machines that have hitherto sought to supplant me Gratie 
and Nador such as Bh s sans ee the “Barraclough 
ittle or no progress of ae Shite The Weicher machine 
possesses distinct merit, and it is more promising than any (so far as I 
have observed) with an automatic food table. It may be said against it 
that it is somewhat heavy and intricate, and its price Ae yet ea 
must be higher than either the Gratte or spador. lt 
serves, however, to be tried under suitable arturo and chon 
interested in the fibre industry of the Bahamas, for instance, cannot do 
better than carefully test it on the spot. The inventor would then have 
an opportunity of showing its capabilities in the presence of an 
unlimited supply of leaves. It is impossible to do more in this country 
than form an approximate idea of its merits. It may be added that it 
is aimo for the machine that it will clean the leaves of Bow-string 
hemp (Sansevieria), Banana (Musa mehi, and possibly also pine- 
apple and Ramie. None of these, unfortunately, were available at the 
recent 
D. M. 
LV.—THE PRIETO FIBRE EXTRACTING 
MACHINE 
[K. B., 1893, pp. 329--330.] 
In Captain Jerome Stuart's report on the fibre industry of Yucatan, 
already reproduced, mention was made of certain machines that 
were being tried for the feo) gee of extracting fibre from the leaves of 
