5o8 



using the Imperial Institute and Colonial Office for advertising 

 purposes. 



This production of "China Grass" by the Faure process as re- 

 commended by Messrs : JULES Karplks & Co., is quite another 

 matter (i China Grass " has an established market, though a very 

 small one and M, Faure makes no rash promises concerning it. I 

 purchased a FAURE machine on the English Agents published as- 

 surance that " under ordinary circumstances a production varying 

 from 100 to 200 lbs. of dry fibre in ten hours per machine my be 

 expected " I never succeeded in getting more than 4 lbs. per hour 

 from my machine but then, I only obtained 2\ per cent, of fibre 

 against the weight of green stems, whereas the agent expected 

 about 5 per cent. When I visited the inventor at Limoges, he told 

 me that his average was 3 per cent., and that his English agent had 

 also overestimated the capacity of the machine. He confirmed 

 these statements in writing. Both M. FAURE and his agent advised 

 me to visit Mr. BLUNTSCHLI, who was working a number of Faure 

 machines in Sumatra 1 took their advice, but when 1 arrived at 

 Siak I found that Mr. BLUNTSCHLI was getting no better results 

 than I was, either in the percentage of fibre or in the gross weight 

 of stems treated. The best offer received for my fibre was £17 per 

 ton which would nearly all be absorbed by factory expenses and 

 freight. Mr. CURTIS observes that 4 square yards at Kew yield 

 100 stems. I have obtained this number from one plant in a single 

 cutting and I can get six cuttings per annum ; but the more I 

 obtained, the poorer I should be, with the price at £17 for 2\ per 

 cent, of the gross weight treated. Of Black Ramie (ribbons) I can 

 get from 5 to 7 per cent, with my Eke machine. This I could sell 

 profitably at £17 per ton in Europe but no one seems to want it 

 regularly and the last three bales I sent were left at the Liverpool 

 Refuse Destructor, to save storage ! 



To return to the Faure machine 1 improved in quality with ex- 

 perience and I daresay that I could get a higher quotation now ; 

 but to what end? The Chinese supply the demand and if I ex- 

 tended my cultivation up to a thousand acres I should spoil their 

 market without benefit to myself. 



What are the probabilities of the market's expansion with an in- 

 creased supply. 



The Kew Bulletin, which Mr. CURTIS quotes, says that .filasse 

 must be produced at 4d. per pound. Sir WILLIAM THISELTON 

 DYER, the Director, has since repeated this to me, personally, and 

 I have often heard this figure quoted amongst the directors of the 

 more or less amateur companies which at present play at spinning 

 ramie. 



These good folks, usually doctors, lawyers and poverty stricken 

 peers show all sorts of beautiful samples of fancy goods, and at the 

 same time blandly talk about getting their raw material at half the 

 average price of Long Island Cotton. Many a time have I been 

 shewn a piece of table linen and been called upon to observe its 

 vast superiority to the rubbishy produce of the flax spinner as used 

 in my own home. 



