43 



Fibres 



This plant may be said to yield Gutta-Percha from the milky sap; a 

 strong fibre from the bark ; a useful floss from the seeds ; and a medicine 

 from the root-bark. Space cannot, however, be afforded to do more than review 

 even these properties very briefly, and there are many minor ones. 



The Gutta-Percha. 



The inspissated and sun-dried sap (milk) drawn from the stems constitutes the 

 madar gutta often mentioned by w riters on India. It is, in fact, the most hopeful of 

 the many gutta-yieldin^ plants that do not belong to Sapotacese, the family which 

 affords the true gutta-percha of commerce. There are large tracts of the sandy deserts 

 of Rajputana and Central India, as also of Sincl in which this plant is not only the 

 most prevalent but almost the only form of vegetation met with. In many instances 

 also it has been observed to be the pioneer in the reclamation of sterile 1 racts. If, 

 therefore, a demand could be originated for any one or all collectively of the pro- 

 ducts of this plant, much good might result to India. Its production could be fos- 

 tered, and by selection and cultivation the quality and quantity of the produce 

 improved, until the plant assumed the condition of a regular crop for poor soils. 

 But unless some method could be designed for extracting the milk from shoots cut 

 on account of their fibre, it is feared that it would not pay to tap this plant specially 

 for its gutta. The stems and twigs are too small, and the yield from each too little, 

 to justify the opinion that methodic tapping would prove remunerative as an indus- 

 try by itself. Moreover, it has been found by chemical experiments that Calotropis 

 gutta, being a fairly good conductor of electricity, it is not suited for electric pur- 

 poses, and is thus very possibly debarred from one of the most profitable markets 

 for this class of product. 



Bark Fibre. 



The bark fibre has attracted considerable attention and been spoken of as one 

 of the best of Indian fibres. The great difficulty appears to consist in the inability 

 to separate it rapidly and cheaply. Unfortunately the fibre cannot be prepared by 

 retting the stems, since it is reported to rot when so treated, and yet the clean fibre 

 when made into fishing lines and nets (as is the case in Karachi) seems quite durable 

 and very strong, especially when used in sea- water. Mr. Liotard, after many experi- 

 ments performed in Calcutta with fibre-extracting machinery generally, arrived at 

 the unfortunate conclusion that the hopes formerly entertained by himself and 

 others regarding this particular fibre were never likely to be realised : — 1st, because 

 of the small percentage of fibre (l - 56) to weight of stems, and 2nd, the shortness of the 

 ultimate fibre. But in recent experiments conducted at the Imperial Institute Avith a 

 sample procured from Madras, Professor Wyndham R. Dunstan found that the staple 

 measured fully 12 inches (Agr. Ledger No. 2 of 1899, p. 3). Charles Richards Dodge 

 (Usefid Fibre Plants of the World, 104) says that an acre of ground planted 4 by 4 feet 

 with this plant will yield ten tons of green stems and 582 lbs. of fibre ; this would mean 

 a yield of roughly 2-6 per cent. He then adds that the fibre possesses many of the 

 qualities of flax, though somewhat finer. Its fineness, tenacity, lustre, and softness in 

 fact fit it for many industrial purposes. Cross and Bevan found that when nitrated 

 it could hardly be distinguished from silk, and long years ago Wight showed that a 

 rope of this fibre broke with a weight of 407 lbs., when a similar rope of cotton gave 

 way with 346 lbs., and coir with 224 lbs. It is, however, quite incorrect to affirm as 

 has been done by Wiesner (Rohst. d. Pflanz. Rch. II. 317), Dodge, and others, that 

 this fibre is widely used in India. Although prepared to a small extent by certain 

 persons for very special purposes, the greatest possible difficulty was experienced in 

 procuring the few pounds required by the Imperial Institute for the experiment just 

 mentioned. 



