49 



case of large shipments would probably not exceed about £7 or £8 per 

 ton. It is important therefore for Eamie planters to aim at the produc- 

 tion of ribbons at a cost not exceeding about £4 or £5 at the port of 

 shipment. Important elements in such production would be to plant 

 Ramie only in places where the soil and climate will allow of three or 

 four crops to be reaped per annum ; where labour is very cheap and 

 abundant, and where good facilities exist for transport and shipment. 

 (Kew Bulletin, November, 1889.) 



In Ide & Christie's Monthhj Circular, dated 15th March, 1894, 

 China Grass is quoted "quiet" at 28s. to 30s. per cwt. ; and Rhea "15s. 

 quotation." 



Machinery for separation of the Fibre. 



Dr. George Watt, Reporter on Economic Products with the Govern- 

 ment of India, gives the following summary of the history of the in- 

 vention of machines : — 



The ramie or rhea fibre having been made known in Europe at the 

 beginning of the present century, the attention of experts seems imme- 

 diately to have been turned to the question of improvements in the ex- 

 traction and preparation of the fibre. The first patent was taken out 

 by a Mr. James Lee — ' for separating the fibre by mechanical means 

 without the aid of water retting/ No tangible results, however, seem 

 to have been obtained so far as can be ascertained from the employ- 

 ment of this machinery. Meanwhile attention continued to be devoted 

 to the question, and ^among other inventions may be cited the chemical 

 process of Messrs. L. W. Wright & Co., for which these gentlemen ob- 

 tained a patent in 1849. Their process ' consists essentially in a very 

 ingenious arrangement for boiling the stems in an alkaline solution after 

 they have previously been steeped for 24 hours in water of a tempera- 

 ture of 90°. The fibre is then thoroughly washed with pure water and 

 finally subjected to the action of a current of high -pressure steam till 

 nearly dry.' At the London International Exhibition of 1851 these 

 gentlemen exhibited samples of rhea prepared by their process, and 

 received a silver medal. Two other exhibitors were also awarded prizes, 

 but still the question of the preparation of the fibre remained unsolved. 



In 1869 the Government of India turned its attention to the utilisa- 

 tion of the rhea fibre, and issued a Resolution in which it expressed the 

 conviction that the value of the rhea fibre was undoubted, that all the 

 conditions necessary for its cultivation on a large scale were present in 

 India, and that the only obstacle to the development of an extensive 

 trade in this product was want of suitable machinery for the separation 

 of the fibre from the stem and bark of the plant in its green and freshly 

 cut state. To encourage the invention of such machinery an announce- 

 ment was made by the Government of India in June, 1870, that a pub- 

 lic competition would be held and a prize of £5,000 would be given for 

 the best machinery. No fewer than 32 competitors entered their names, 

 but at the last moment only one of them, Mr. Greig, of Edinburgh, ap- 

 peared in India. The trial took place in August, 1872, at Saharunpur, 

 sphere a plantation of rhea had been established for the purpose. It 

 was found that the cost of preparing the clean fibre by this machinery 

 amounted to more than £ 15 a ton, and at the same time the fibre was 

 pronounced defective in quality and was valued at £28 a ton only in 



