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us a copy of the Bulletin of [the Botanical Department in Jamaica for 

 April, 1896. This paper came to hand on the 1st inst., and we have 

 read with great care|and interest all that is printed therein with regard to 

 Rhea Fibre. 



"We take this opportunity of thanking you for the kind way in which 

 you have taken notice of what little we have been able to do in giving 

 you, or the Public in general, what information we could concerning this 

 article, and we now desire to add a little more to the general information. 

 Since we last wrote to you the demand for Rhea Fibre has considerably 

 increased. Not so much in a speculative manner as in a steady strong 

 firm demand brought about by manufacturers in a large way of business 

 who require constant supplies of the article to meet certain demands, 

 which have arisen for a class of material that could really only be made 

 from Rhea Fibre. Nor is it likely that this demand will only be 

 spasmodic because it arises from the efforts of the English manufacturers 

 to compete with cheap artificial silk material, which is being made and 

 sold in this Country from France. The present difficulty in the demand 

 lies in the fact that sufficient Rhea cannot be put on the market at 

 present, because wheie these large manufacturers come into the market 

 their output would easily consume more than all the supply put together, 

 and the second difficulty is that they cannot pay exorbitant prices, 

 consequently, until a reasonable supply is forthcoming, nothing can 

 be done in the matter. 



After careful investigation, the friends with whom we are interested 

 on this side and in Jamaica, have come to the conclusion that it would 

 be a mistake to rush into and plant a large tract of country in Jamaica 

 at present, as owing to the unknown circumstances that might arise, a 

 bad start might be made which would dishearten people on this side and 

 probably on your side, and prejudice in the eyes of all concerned an 

 industry that as far as human observation can see ought to become a 

 large and successful one. 



The intention of our friends and ourselves in conjunction with them 

 is to secure a small suitable property in Jamaica and plant it out with 

 plants which we can obtain from the Botanical Gardens, and to send 

 out to Jamaica as early as possible the best description of Machine, or 

 the best system of decorticating the Fibre into a most valuable article 

 for export from Jamaica. With this end in view we have several 

 Machines and more than one system to select from at present, and our 

 efforts are being directed at present to secure the best one. 



To give you an idea of what is to be avoided and what is desired, 

 we beg to send you the following samples from which you will see that 

 the efforts made by people in Jamaica without being controlled or con- 

 ducted, simply result in discouragement or a loss. Mr. Sidney Moxsy 

 made a good effort to prepare in the best way possible a fibre which 

 would sell on this side and sent it over to us in bags. As all the 

 samples are more or less about the same, we send you one of them 

 marked Mr. Moxsy's parcel. 



You will at once observe how impossible it is to deal with this 

 article successfully on this side. The Fibre is not only all in a tangle, 

 but is more or less destroyed in strength by not having been properly 

 worked. As compared with this we send you a sample of what is 

 wanted on this side, and what we hope to succeed in producing from 



