366 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [December i, 1887. 
planted by Kohde, the present owner of the house' 
but when, I canuot ascertain. G. Oakes, of Oakes 
and Co., who is the agent for Kohde, tells me he 
has some seedlings doing well, grown from nuts of 
the old tree. He plants them in baskets and keeps 
them in them until they are strong enough to put 
out into the ground ; all the nuts he put in, germinat- 
ed, but took a very long time to do so— about 3 
months. 
"I have enquired about other productive trees, but 
as yet without hearing of any; however, I will con- 
tinue my enquiries and let you hear results later. 
" My Walnuts are just ripening, I will send you some 
to distribute if you like. This year there are particular- 
ly few on the tree— less than there were either in 
1885 or 1886." 
♦ 
SERICULTURE AT THE PARIS INTER- 
NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF 1889. 
By Alfbed Waillt, 
(Memhre Laureat de la Societe Nationale d' Acclimatation 
de France), 
For a number of years the deficiency in the pro- 
duction of mulberry silk, has drawn the attention of 
Sericulturists to the rearing of the Wild Silkworms 
of India, China, Japan, America, and other parts; 
and a great many reports have been published on 
these Wild Silkworms, some of which are already bred 
in a state of domesticity or semi-domesticity. My 
own reports on this subject have appeared during a 
succession of years in the Journal of the Society of 
Arts, London; the Entomologist, London; the Bulle- 
tin de la Sooiete d' Acclimatation de France, Paris ; 
the Isis, Berlin ; and other publications. 
Many of these Wild Silkworms produced silk of 
great strength and beauty, and could all be profitably 
utilised, if bred in their native lands, on a large 
scale. Up to the present time I have succeeded in 
obtaining specimen cocoons, and carded and reeled 
silks of about twenty different species. These have 
been sent to the "Societe d' Acclimatation," and 
they will be exhibited in the Paris International 
Exhibition of 1889 together with specimens of the 
Moths and prepared larva? of the various species. 
As it is highly important that this Exhibiton should 
be as complete as possible, I have been requested by 
the "Societe d' Acclimatation," to send all new 
specimens I can collect from abroad. I, therefore, 
make an appeal to sericulturists, entomologists, and 
all persons wishing to contribute to the formation of 
this large and interesting collection of the Wild 
Silkworms of the World, to communicate with me, 
and I request them to kindly_ send me, in small or 
large quantities, specimens oflive cocoons, with names 
of food-plants for each species, whenever possible, and 
also specimens of the Moths. 
Live Cocoons, which are specially required for the 
rearing of the species, should be sent to Europe, from 
October till about the end of March, according to 
distance ; when sent later, especially when sent from 
tropical regions, the moths generally emerge during 
the voyage and all is lost. 
These specimens which I am so anxious to obtain, 
will all be purchased or they will be exchanged, if 
preferred. 
Small samples (in strong tin or wooden boxes) of 
live cocoons and specimens of moths, can now very 
rapidly and safely be sent by Sample or Parcels Post. 
I shall also be happy to purchase live pupa? of 
various species of lepidoptera, and specimens of 
Butterflies and Moths in good condition, or exchange 
them for other species, requesting the senders to 
kindly state their own conditions for the disposal of 
the insects. 
Persons wishing to obtain some information respect- 
ing the rearing of Caterpillars, which would help so 
much in the safe sending of the pupa? (chrysalides) 
sib soon as they are formed, may obtain my Catalogue 
of the Wild Silkworms, in which are given the names of 
food-plants for each species, and information on the 
larvae, etc. 
I shall also be happy to send any other information 
in my power, and copies of some of my reports to 
all persons desiring to undertake this most interesting 
study. 
Trusting that my appeal will not be made in vain, 
I beg to state in concluding, that I shall remain most 
grateful to all who will hold out to me a helping hand. 
Alfred Wailly. 
Tudor Villa, Norbiton, Surrey, England. 
♦ 
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF GARDENS 
AND PLANTATIONS. 
To the Editor of the Jamaica " Gleaner. " 
Sir, — Some time ago Dr. Phillippo called attention 
to a machine patented by the International Fibre 
Company of New York. On application to the Secretary 
of the Company for information about it, I received 
the following reply : — " We have a Decorticator for 
Ramie which has been thoroughly tested and works 
very satisfactorily, and we shall be very glad to show 
the working of the machine here to anyone you may 
appoint before shipping it to you, but we would not 
feel inclined to go to any further expense than we 
have been at in exhibiting. 
" We are the only party who proves their faith in 
the working of the machine by buying all Ramie 
decorticated through it, so that should you purchase 
one as a trial, you would open a market for your 
fibre at the same time. 
" We shall be very glad to hear from you as to the 
formation of a company and shall be glad to deal 
liberally with you." 
The phamplet states that the machine will produce 
3,000 to 4,000 pounds of decorticated fibre a day. 
A machine which accomplishes such an amount has 
solved the problem of a practical decorticator for 
Ramie. Great hopes were at one time entertained that 
the Favier machine, combined with the Fremy-Urbain 
chemical process, would prove a success, but a London^ 
firm to whom I applied for information about it 
wrote that " In October 1883, the writer went to 
Paris with Dr. Forbes Watson to investigate this 
process and we reported, against it as being wasteful, 
and needlessly elaborate and complicated and such 
as would not be economically successful." M. Favier 
himself confesses that his machine's daily production 
is limited to the number of stalks that can be fed 
to it singly and by hand. One hundred pounds of 
cleaned fibre per diem is the limit of its capacity. 
" The International Fibre Company in addition to 
the perfect machinery for decorticating Ramie in 
large quantities, has purchased of Senator Feray of 
France (a practical spinner) at great expense the 
sole right and property in the machine for spinning, 
bleaching, carding, dyeing, &c. of Ramie for the 
United States. The company is about to take measures 
to establish factories in the East and South with 
the object of manufacturing Kamie into silk goods 
for dresses, into lace curtains, lambrequins, portieres, 
hosiery, carpets, belting, &c. 
The Company offer for sale the break machine 
which cuts out the stalk for the sum of §550. The 
machine for fibreizing for the sum of §850. Both 
machines are simple in construction and may be 
worked by the ordinary labourer. The Company 
cordially invite the planters of the South, to call in 
person and examine the machines and manufactured 
Ramie. The plant may be seen in its growing state 
and in its crude and preserved coudition prior to 
manipulation. Also dress goods (equal in appearance 
to silk) sealskin Ramie (worth §18 per yard), window 
curtains, undergarments, carpets, &c, as well as the 
uncleaned and cleaned fibre, the unbleached and 
bleached fibre, and the yarn and threads in colour — 
for Ramie takes dye equal to silk." 
The London Firm mentioned above, say " Our own 
opinion is that Rhea fibre must be laid down in this 
market in the state in which it can be produced by 
Death's machine— that is, rather freer from gum 
than the China grass as usually imported — at about 
£25 per ton before any large consumption can be 
expected." 
