469 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. IJanuary i, 1889. 
cm the other hand, a nanyat would not do much in 
some other parts of India to extirpate the deeply-rooted 
grasses that may devastate agricultural area as fatally 
as the inroad of the sea. We should not be true to 
our mission in this couutry if we did not bring over 
the steam-plough, always supposing we have the mo- 
derate commousense to introduce it only to those of 
the agriculturists of India who have been defeated 
by the hard conditions of Nature for the want of 
such an ally. It is, in truth, refreshing to find civili- 
sation abused sometimes and the innocent simplicity 
of primitive life extolled by an artist admirer like 
the author of the essay before us; but that is rather 
because so much sickening twaddle is always pouring 
forth from the fountains of conventionality in honour 
of progress and machinery and competition and free 
trade, and the other more or less repulsive idols of 
Western superstition. It is agreeable to hear a totally 
different note for a change. In their right places 
civilisation and machinery have their merits, and we 
should be surprised if even Sir George Birdwood would 
personally exchange the artificial purlieus of St. 
James's Park even for a house-father's happiness in a 
Deccan village, with a double allowance of holi festivals 
aud a temple to Hanuman next door. One may most 
heartily recognise that the Indian ryot is far better 
off as a human being than the Whitechapel voter — not 
to speak of his advantages in enjoying a "spiritual 
faith" — which is not generally laid on in Whitechapel ; 
but at the same time knowledge comes, though wisdom 
lingers, and if it has come to us of Great Britian first, 
we are bound to bring it out — even in the shape of 
steam-ploughs if necessary — to the East, where it is 
our manifest destiny to do a good deal of ploughing, 
metaphorically and in all senses of the word. The 
great blunder that we have to guard against is, of 
course, the blunder of supposing that ipso facto we 
are doing good when we root up some Indian custom 
without regard to anything but our own usage aud 
plant a European one in its place. For its value 
against that sort of thing and against the unholy 
nonsense of the universal competition creed, with 
which unhappily the policy of Great Britain is but 
too generally infected, we may cordially welcome 
such aching as that of Sir George Birdwood's essay. — 
Pioneer. 
SOME OF THE FIBEES OF FIJI. 
TO THE EDITOR OF THE 1'IJI TIMES. 
Banana Fibre. — Ihe average monthly export of 
bananas from this Colony has now reached the figure 
of about 40,000 bunches. As is well known, the 
trunk of this plant is cut down immediately after 
the ripe fruit has been gathered; and, up to the 
present time, no U3e has been found for it other 
than a doubtful manure, having a strong tendency 
to make the soil sour, owing to its moisture-retaining 
propeni-ities. Added to the 40,000 trunks removed 
from which marketable bunches have been collected, 
an additional 3,000 are probably out down bearing 
defective and small bunches. Approximately, taking 
each stem or trunk to produce say three pouuds 
fibrous and cellulose matter, the total paper-making 
material from this source alone would reach the 
surprising quantity of 57 tons for the month. I need 
not dwell upon the benefit the Colony would derive 
from this article being turned to use, aud when it 
is borne in mind that the cost of production is nil, 
there appears to me that from this product alone the 
profits to be derived from the fruit-growing industry 
could be largely Supplemented, and that an article, 
now wasting, could be turned to good account. A 
process was patented in England Ij3' Uerry in 1838, 
and another ay Newton, in 1852, for the manufacture 
<,f paper from this fibre. The paper was of excellent 
quality and oi good repute, but the raw materials 
were difficult to obtain. tSuveral methods by which 
the water can be removed have been suggested, such 
rh even the common mangle; but as the exeat of 
cultivation and the circumstances of the growers will 
ot i.ocobsity vary, I will U.-uve this to the experiment 
of thote interested. Ai mtui lark, or the bark of 
Broussonetia papyri/era, met with particular enquiries. 
From this bark, the celebrated native cloth, which 
has attracted much attention to this and adjacent 
groups, is made; and, in the hands of practical 
men, the excellency of its fibre is readily discovered. 
It is said, and with good reason, that its paper mak- 
ing qualities are better than cotton and perhaps 
superior to any other material for the manufacture 
of what is termed vegetable parchment. In fact, 
even for this purpose it is not used without a mix- 
ture of _ inferior substances. Now, Sir, with our 
languishing industries, a profitable employment of 
capital and labor could be found in the growing and 
exporting' of this article ; and although I am not 
at present at liberty to quote the price that may 
be obtained for it f. o. b. ship in Fiji — suffice it to 
say that the figure named appeared to me to be 
remunerative, considering the simple nature of the 
cultivation of the plant ; its rapid growth ; its ^pro- 
ductiveness and the facility with which the bark can 
be gathered independent of the seasons aud localities 
of the group. 
Vau bark, or the bark of the Hibiacus tiliacem is 
another valuable article and can be obtained in large 
quantities at the mere cost of gathering. Its fibres 
are highly prized, as being useful for textile fabrics ; 
and it has been manufactured into a high-class 
paper in other parts of the world, and has supplied 
the natives of these seas with the material from 
which their cordage has been made. It grows most 
luxuriantly on our sea shores as well as in the interior 
of the islands, and would therefore be accessible to the 
native population in every district of Fiji. Pine apple 
leaves, which also form part of the waste of our fruit 
plantations, should be turned to good account, as 
the cost of production is nil. The pandanus leaves, 
and other allied kinds, could be gathered at very 
little cost and the troublesome weed of the Sida 
retusa could be dried and exported in its woody 
condition. 
As I will require about a ton of dried banana 
stems, large contributions of this material will be 
especially acceptable. 
Lest the question of freight should he adversely 
considered by some, I may say to the encouragement 
of the industry, that Mr. R. could see no difficulty 
in the way of having a mill erected in this colony 
at a place where a good supply of water could be 
obtained and with convenient shipping facilities ; 
but his greatest anxiety was the question as to 
whether we could supply the quantity of the raw 
material. 
Iu oder to give an insight into the enormous 
consumption of paper in Australasia, I may mention 
that Victoria alone imported, in 1886, 7,233 tens, of 
which 717 tons was clashed as writing paper ; and 
this for one colony only ! 
Can we doubt the extent of a market after this ? 
The manufacturer is ready to meet us and to do 
his utmost to pay even more than a maximum 
market price for the material in order to encourage 
and develop an industry here. Are we to let the 
chance slip out of our reach ? 
It behoves my fellow colonists to avail themselves 
of this opportunity to secure. a market for our fibres ; 
remembering that, great ends have always small 
beginnings. Let them put themselves individually to 
no more trouble than I have done and I venture con- 
fidently to say that success will attend our endeavours. 
— I am &c, 
W. Kopsen. 
N. B. — To those interested I may say that, for the 
purpose of comparison, a sample of imported manila 
fibre can be seen at my office — W. K. 
Suva, 19th Sept. 1888. 
TO THE KDITOil OP THE FIJI TIMES. 
Sir, — For years past the attention of several of our 
more energetic planters has been turned towards the 
practical utlisatiou of the fibre-producing plants of 
the Colony. 
In a recent issue of your jou ual tli3 subject is 
referred to by Mr. Kopsen whose promised information 
