THE 
MONTHLY: 
Vol. IX. 
COLOMBO, SEPTEMBER 2nd, 1889. 
LNo. 3- 
PBEPAEATiON OF AND TRADE IN ALOE- 
FIBEE IN MAUEITIUS. 
Ij E are printing below a pamphlet 
published in Mauritius in 
1882, and translated for 
us in that year. Its publi- 
cation has been delayed, 
in consequence of the very 
discouraging results of trials 
with the ''Deaih" machinery to obtain fibre 
cheaply from the leaves of Fouro 'oya gigantea, 
the very species of aloe which has been so 
successful in Mauritius. There it seems to 
spread and grow spontaneously and to be culti- 
vated and prepared on a large scale, the export 
of aloe fibre from the sugar island having attained 
extensive dimensions. The plant could be grown 
t° any extent in Ceylon, and the whole question 
hinges on the use of machines which will do good 
work and cheaply. Such machines seem to be 
available in Mauritius. In 1882, it will be observed, 
M. de Chazal stated that 3 per cent of the weight of 
*eaves in fibre or 1J ton of fibre per acre would pay 
him. As tea cultivation seems likely to be overdone, 
some of our readers may wish to turn their atten- 
tion to the cultivation of fibre-yielding plants and to 
the preparation of the fibres. We therefore publish 
the long delayed translation, and we hope soon to ge^ 
urther information from Mauritius, especially as to 
the machinery and appliances (chemicals being deemed 
objectionable) used in extracting the fibre from the 
leaves. The mode in which Manila hemp (Musa tex- 
t His) is dealt with in the Philippines is thus described 
by Mr. Wilkinson, British Consul at Manila : — 
" ' Two strong uprights are firmly fixed in the 
ground and connected by a cross bar, in the cen- 
tre of which a large broad-bladed knife is fixed 
downwa rds on a block of wood fastened lengthwise 
on the bar ; the knife has a strong handle, which 
is connected by a cord to a long bamboo made 
to act as a spring by being tied in the middle 
and the butt parallel and above the bar ; the free 
end thus forms a supple and powerful spring and 
holds the edge of the knife firmly against the 
block ; below the bar there is a treadle attached 
by a cord to the handle of the knife : the mode 
of operation is for the worker to stand opposite 
the knife placing either foot on the treadle, which 
he depresses, thus forcing the knife handle down 
and the blade up ; he then places a strip of stalk 
( called locally sifa ) between the blade and the 
block leaving only enough to wrap round a stock 
on the near side ; he then releases the treadle and 
the knife by the action of the bamboo spring nips 
the strip firmly against the block, and on the 
workman drawing the strip through the pulp is left 
behind. The apparatus is extremely simple and 
inexpensive.' 
" In the Bulletin for April 1887 (No. 4) published 
by the authorities of Kew, there is a great deal 
of interesting information regarding the Manila 
hemp. It is there stated that the whole supply 
comes from the Philippine Islands ; the imports to 
Great Britain " amounts to about 170, 0U0 bales 
and to the United States about 160,000 bales, 
equal to about 50,000 tons per annum." The im- 
ports to Calcutta are comparatively insignificant, 
being probably less than 300 tons per annum. 
It is stated in the Kew report that a labourer 
working under pressure "can' clean nearly 201b. 
of hemp per diem ; but as a rule the quantity 
cleaned by one man working steadily day by day 
averages about 12 lb. ; usually two men, work together, 
one cutting down the stems and splitting them, 
while the other cleans the fibre. At the current 
rate of wages in 1879 one labourer's earnings 
were 7£d. to 8d. per diem." 
ALOS FIBEE AND ITS PREPARATION.* 
By Evenor de Chazal. 
(Translated by " Kdroly Filrd'6") 
Preface to the Second Edition. 
The cordial welcome which this little book has 
met with at the hands of the public since its first 
edition, which was brought out at the expense and 
by the order of the Chamber of Agriculture, the sus- 
tained demand of which it has been the object in 
various directions, — a demand which has led to its 
exhaustion, — above all, the growing favour which the 
new industry enjoys, have encouraged me to bring 
out a second edition. 
The only pretention to which this essay has as- 
pired has been to call public attention to a new 
product, till then little known, but destined, in the 
opinion of a small number of followers, to march 
side by side, in the near future, with the great suga 
* De la Fibre d'Alqes, et ilts Keonti Peirectionne- 
ments apport6s dans les Proc6des d'Extr iction. 
Etude lue a la Reunion de la Ohambre d'Agriculture du 
19 Janvier 1882. Deuxieme edition. Maurice: The 
Merchants and Planters Gazette. 1882, 
