bales of 175 kilograms weight. The machine used is of mexican 

 origin and made in America and is known as the Estrella, it costs 

 13,750 fiancs, and requires a ten-horse power engine. It treats 

 120,000 leaves a day and gives about i,oco kilograms of fibre. 



The machine naturally requires a daily supply of 120,000 leaves, 

 The coolies work 7 hours a day at the outside and are free after 

 they have brought in this number of leaves, The coolies are paid at 

 the rate of 10 francs a month with food and lodging. There is no 

 scarcity of labour. 



The defibrator used is not perfect. It was originally designed for 

 Sisal hemp. Another machine specially made for Sanseviera Ehren- 

 bergii is to be installed. It is cheaper than the mexican one and 

 does as much work. The cost of making the fibre is from 562 to 

 625 francs a ton, which at a sale of 750 francs gives a profit of 125 

 to 175 francs a ton, attempts are being made to lower the cost of 

 transport to the factory. The weight of 120,000 leaves is 3,260 

 kilos which gives r,oco kilos of fibres, so that 96% of the weight 

 of the leaves carried to the factory is a waste product. 



Both Sanseviera Ehrenbergii and S. cylivdrica have been for 

 some time in cultivation in the Botanic Gardens. The former is 

 evidently not suited to the climate as it makes very little growth and 

 the leaves are very short. 



•5". cylindrica does better, but planted out makes much slower 

 growth than guineensis and S. Zeylanica. The two latter seem 

 indeed to be the most suited for this region. The machine and 

 general method of preparation described above may be however 

 suitable for these species. 



H. N. R. 



Late flowering of Grammatophyllum. 



The Gram matophy Hums in the Botanic Gardens did not flower this 

 year at their ordinary period of August and September at all. No 

 flower spikes appeared on any of the plants. Now, however, after the 

 violent and prolonged period of rain during December, all the plants 

 have commenced flowering. The spikes appeared in the end of 

 December, and are now January 7th, fully open, though not at their 

 full height. Dr. SCHLECHTER who has lately returned from Java 

 says that exactly the same thing occurred in the Botanic Gardens at 

 Buitenzorg all the plants there missed the flowering season in 

 autumn and are now commencing their delayed flowering. Gramma- 

 tophyllum is such a punctual flowerer usually that the postponement 

 of its flowering, both here and in Java, this year is worth recording. 



H. N. R. 



The Powell- Wood Process Syndicate. 



many letters have been received b, the Editor asking for the 

 Is of this process, due to his having been mentioned in connec- 



