224 
The plants can be grown with the greatest ease. But when the 
problem of treatm ent is “chives the supply of the raw material 
will be limited to warm countries. The cultivation of China 
grass in temperate regions will sia be able to compete success- 
fully with that of Ramie (or eames of China grass) in the 
tropics. It is known that when ribbons can be produced 
sufficiently cheaply, these can re misst and turned into 
filasse at a small cost. The whole question then still turns, as 
in 1888, on the production of ribbons. We are still waiting for 
a decorticator which will not merely turn out ribbons fit for 
further manufacturing — has been accomplished— 
but will turn out, say, half a ton a day at a small cost. Till 
this has been found, the planter canttok profitably deal with 
n on hand-cleaned fibre from China are paralysed for 
ant of a supply which will allow the finished product to 
pence im with other fibres. 
The ribbons must be enr rli of being delivered to the de- 
gumming factories at a cost not exceeding £7 to £9 per ton. 
'This would pay the planter if we T: ad a Hte ec which would 
enable him to prepare the ribbons at a cost which would leave a 
apai At present he cannot produce ribbons under £12 to £15 
Thon the degumming Procee should turn out filasse at a total 
cost of £36 to £40 per ton. At this price the demand would be 
considerable, and a large did prosperous industry would result. 
To put the position in other words, filasse must be put upon the 
market at about 47. a lb. To use the words of one of the ae 
in the diseussion at the Society of Arts, “unless it could b 
brought down to something like the QN of cotton or flax, it was 
impossible to make any profit out of it 
DCXXIIL—DECADES KEWENSES. 
PLANTARUM NOVARUM IN HERBARIO HORTI REGII CONSERVATARUM. 
DECADES XXXI.—XXXIII. 
301. Pellaealyx symphyodiscus, Stapf [ Rhizophorew] ; disco 
breviter tubuloso sublobato atque staminum serie epipetala in 
lobulorum apicibus altera inter lobos ad basin disci inserta 
insignis. 
Famuli fulvo-hirtelli. Folia obovato-oblonga, genta obtuseque 
acuminata, basi rotundata, 35—5 poll. longa, 2-2} poll. lata, minute 
glanduloso-denticulata, supra pilis minutis fugac cm solitariis vel 
paucis fasciculatis e tuberculis albidis ortis cons 
indumento ena laxo sed robustiore diutius persistente jpo omiin 
nervis admodum prorsus ductis utrinque circiter 6; petiolus 
pesticdyne oin 4—6 lin. longus, hirtellus, demum glabratus; stipulæ 
ovatæ, obtuse, dense fulvo-tomentellz. Flores solitarii vel pauci, 
brevissime fasciculati, 5-6-meri ; pedicelli fulvo-hirtelli, floribus 
squilongi. Calyx campanulato-tubulosus, lin 
fulvo-hirtellus ; lobi triangulares, tubo triplo vel ultra brevior es 
