221 
hardly  conclusive  as  the  experiments  were  made  on  so  small  an 
area.  The  machines  for  cleaning  the  fibre  mentioned  in  the  paper 
above  quoted  are  Death  and  Ehvood  and  the  Van  Buren.  The  at- 
tention of  planters  may  well  be  called  to  this  plant. 
IMPERIAL  INSTITUTE 
OF  THE 
UNITED  KINGDOM,  THE  COLONIES  AND  INDIA. 
Imperial  Institute  Road,  London,  S.  W. 
1 ^th  May,  igoj. 
Dear  Sir, — Samples  of  Murva  fibre  [Sanseviera  zeylanicd)  grown 
in  the  Straits  Settlements  have  been  sent  by  the  Selangor  Rubber 
Company  to  the  Board  of  Trade  for  an  opinion  on  their  commercial 
value.  The  matter  was  referred  to  the  Imperial  Institute  to  deal 
with,  and  the  fibres  have  been  chemically  examined  in  the  Labora- 
tories here,  and  also  submitted  for  the  opinion  of  brokers. 
As  the  matter  may  be  of  interest  I send  you  a copy  of  the  Report 
which  has  been  furnished  to  the  Selangor  Rubber  Company.  I 
shall  be  glad  of  any  information  you  can  give  me  on  the  subject  of 
this  fibre,  especially  in  relation  to  the  possibility  of  planting  it  as  a 
catch  crop  while  the  rubber  trees  are  growing.  The  fibre  seems 
to  be  very  satisfactory,  and  there  would  appear  to  be  a good  mar- 
ket for  it  in  this  country,  if  it  could  be  grown  and  prepared  at  a 
comparatively  small  cost. 
I am, 
Yours  sincerely, 
VVYNDHAM  R.  DUNSTAN, 
Director. 
H.  N.  RIDLEY,  Esc., 
Director ,Botanic  Gardens,  Siny^apore, 
Straits  Settlements. 
IMPERIAL  INSTITUTE. 
(SOU  HI  KENSINGTON,  LONDON,  S.  W.) 
Report  on  samples  of  Murva  Fibre  {Sanseviera  zeylanica)  from 
Selangor,  Straits  Settlements. 
P)V  Professor  Wvndham  R.  Dlwsi'an,  M.A.,  F.R.S.  Director 
The  enquiry  relating  to  the  value  of  samples  of  Murva  fibre 
grown  experimentally  in  the  Straits  Settlements  by  the  Selangor 
Rubber  Company  was  referred  to  the  Imperial  Institute  by  the 
Commercial  Department  of  the  Board  of  d'rade. 
'Phe  sample  which  was  first  forwarded  only  weighed  2.6  grams 
and  is  stated  to  have  been  extracted  from  a single  leaf.  It  had  a 
white  lustrous  appearance  and  a staple  of  about  50  cm.  (20  inches). 
