380 



Messrs. CROSS and Bevan'S report is as follows :— 



Sample of Grass from Johore. 



We have completed our analysis of the above and beg to report 

 as follows :— 



Moisture ... ... ... I0 g 



Ash ... ... ... ... V g 



Cellulose or pure fibre ... ... 49-0 



"(Air dry with 10 percent of moisture.) We find the fibre to 

 wash freely on the wire, in other words it is free from the gelatinous 

 constituents which render a fibre unworkable on the paper machine. 

 We are surprised to find such a very high yield of fibre, this yield 

 taken together with the low percentage of mineral matter (ash) shows 

 it undoubtedly to be a good paper-making fibre. The former is 

 satisfactorily high as the latter is low. We have examined the 

 separate fibres under the microscope and compared them with 

 Esparto The average length is about equal to that of the latter, 

 but the longer fibres of the Lalang grass run about 20 per cent 

 longer than the longest Esparto fibres. The fibres are somewhat 

 greater in diameter and thinner walled. We should expect the fibre 

 to be inferior to Esparto in regard to bulking but its clay-carrying 

 powers to be superior. The grass can be readily treated to yield a 

 high class 60 per cent crude pulp removing about 40 per cent of the 

 raw fibrous constituents. A halfstuff of this character could be 

 press-packed to a very small bulk, and as it would yield about 

 cent of P ul P to the paper maker, with a relative small expendi- 

 ture for chem.cals, should command something like twice the price 

 of Esparto. The fibre is, undoubtedly, well worth attention from the 

 paper making point of view." 



Report of Process of Pulping. 

 " One kilogram grass boiled 5 hours under pressure rising to 50 lbs. 

 Caustic Soda used (76 per cent alkali) 150 grammes. Excess at end of 

 experiment 40 grammes. The grass can be boiled on working scale 

 with 15 per cent its weight of ordinary (60 per cent) Caustic, 

 conditions 5 hours at 50 lbs. Pulp washed and bleached in usual 

 way ; consumption of bleaching powder ro per cent of the weight of 

 raw material. * 1 v 



Though the sample is not bleached to the highest colour we 

 anticipate no difficulty in getting a full bleach on a & large scale It 

 works very freely on the wire V parts easily with water). The 

 fibres are thinner walled and longer than those of Esparto; they 

 S r | ? Uk e ^ Uall y wel1 and give a much tougher sheet. U 

 mil hold the loading material well and take a good surface in the 



t\\ J h f value ° f the materiai we certaini >- think equa 



that of the highest qualities of the Esparto grass." 



(Sd.) CROSS & BEVAN. 



