March 1, 1864.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



SUITED FOR THE PAPER-MAKER. 383 



not easily distinguishable from that made from rags ; 90 grains made one 

 sheet of paper of the size of foolscap ; 12 sheets made with it weighed 

 2 oz. 2 drs. ; 1 ream, 100 ounces. Again, 100 lbs. of the raw material, 

 made four reams of paper ; weight of one sheet of paper, 70 grains. 

 8 lbs. 6 oz. of pulp are required to make one ream. 1 lb. of fresh material 

 yields j lb. of paper pulp. 



Mr. Ondaatje also describes the old Kandian mode of making paper, 

 as follows : — The paper thus made was not employed for writing on — 

 palm leaves serving for this purpose — but was used for making cartridge 

 cases. From the tender branches of a species of Ficus, found every- 

 where in great abundance in the island, the whole of the bark was 

 stripped, and afterwards the fibre, whi ch is of great tenacity, was sepa- 

 rated from the outer skin with the hand, put into an earthen pot, and 

 boiled with wood ashes until it became soft, when it was removed and 

 beaten with a wooden mallet on a stone till it assumed the consistency of 

 dough. It was next put into water and churned with the hand, which 

 process soon converted it to a fine homogenous emulsion. This was 

 poured into a frame having a cloth floating in water. It was again agi- 

 tated with the hand until the whole became uniformly spread over the 

 cloth, on which it settled down smoothly. The frame being then with- 

 drawn from the water, and allowed to drain gradually, was next put to 

 dry in the sun. The paper thus formed was easily removed from the 

 cloth bottom, and soon became fit for use. It was very tough and re- 

 markable for its tenacity, and does not appear to be liable to the ravages 

 of insects — specimens made about sixty years ago being still in excellent 

 preservation, although no very great care seems to have been taken of 

 them. 



India abounds with grass jungles, which are, in the autumn of every 

 year, burnt down, in order that the young blades may spring up and 

 afford pasturage for cattle. Dr. Boyle gave it as his opinion to the 

 Board of Trade, that there are many situations where a sufficiency might 

 be cut down before it has become perfectly dried up, and converted into 

 half-stuff for paper-makers. 



The plants of the arrowroot and ginger tribes all have annual stents- 

 and leaves, which are the refuse of the present culture, and might yield 

 an abundant supply of half-stuff. 



Some of these hints and practical details may not be without interest 

 to the paper-maker. Very often the scientific inquirer opens up a profit- 

 able field for the manufacturer, by directing attention to some promising 

 material which had been overlooked or not thoroughly tested. It has 

 been only possible to skim lightly over the field of inquiry of Indian 

 fibres ; but a cursory glance of this kind in different quarters of the 

 world may, perhaps, prove beneficial to the trade. 



