149 
source of food supply to the people it would be impossible to develop 
the industry to any very large pred without affecting that s supply. 
s regards the value of t bre in European markets it may be 
useful to to communicate to you a egy of a letter received from Messrs. 
of the prices recently obtained for the fibre. A small quantity of the 
fibre as received to-day is forwarded to your address in a separate 
reel. 
s fibre is ud BP not so good as the West African Bass ( Kew 
Bulletin, 1891, p. 1), and it is decidedly iaito i in length and flexibility 
to hia Piassava (Kew Bulletin, 1889, p. 237). Its chief use 
would probably be to adulterate these fibres and not z be I alone. 
The Director of Navy Contracts, Gim D. Morris. 
Admiralty, Whitehall, S.W. 

Extract from the Report of the DIRECTOR the ROYAL 
Boranic GARDENS, C&vrow, 1891, p. 
Palmyra Fibre.—The sheathing leaf-stalks of the alin. as of 
many other palms, contains a stiff thick fibre, and a new industry in 
the collection of this has sprung up, under the auspices of a Colombo 
These fib 
firm, in the nort x the island. se fibres or bristles are much Ike 
the “Piassaba” so largely exported from Brazil (the produce of the 
palms Attalea Anda and Leopoldinia Piassaba) for bru abeo Pd and 
are doubtless exported hence for the same purpose. Immense numbers 
of tke palmyra exist in the Jaffna peninsula and ‘the islands near, and 
it is in the latter ES a that the business of -R the leaf-stalks 
for sale has been carried on by the inhabitants. In Elavaitivu the 
easy method of money-getting , they have treated the trees so badly 
that it is reported that in that island alone 1,000 young almyras have 
ci e 
it became obviously necessary to put a stop to this reckless destruction, 
and I understand that steps have been taken to regulate the fibre 
pn er which, properly conducted, should become a valuable addition 
to the means of living for the inhabitants. 

Messrs. IDE AND CHRISTE to ROYAL GARDENS, Kew. 
72, Mark Lane, London, E. C4 
Str, June 7, 1892, 
We duly Kend your favour of the 2nd instant and have 
sare in oer ng you a sample of Palmyra fibre as offered on this 
pie bes is of average quality and valued to-day at 28/. per ton 
