7o 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[June i, 1881. 
cording to the character of the soil and rainfall. The 
natives of Ceylon reckon the variety known as, Rase 
Gorundu, as the only genuiue kind ; six others, almost 
indistinguishable botanically, are considered spurious. 
As a plant of the true kind is now, in the Island, it 
will soon be possible to test the influences of the soil 
and climate of Jamaica upon if. 
The demand for nutmeg plants is great, but this is 
not the case with cloves. The report closes with re- 
marks on fibre-yielding plants, fodder plants, and vines. 
CULTIVATION OF THE RHEEA PLANT ON 
TEA LANDS. 
The species Urtica (Boehmeria) nivea, belongs to 
the genus Urtica [Stinging Nettles], which form the 
type of the Natural Order Urticacese— the Nettle and 
B'ig Family. The species Boehmeria nivea is the 
Eheea of Bengal, and is also known by the name 
of the "China Grass" and "Grass-cloth" Plant, as 
the investigations of Dr. Falconer have proved it 
identical wit i the plant that yields the celebrated 
grass-cloth of China. It is "an erect shrub, with 
alternate, cordate leaves hoary beneath, and small, 
dioecious, greenish yellow flowers, in axillary, per'un- 
cled, globose heads."* It bears no sting. The plant 
is remarkable for the tenacity of the liber of its bark, 
which yields a remarkably fine fibre, and from which 
the so-called "giass cloth," a most delicate fabric, is 
prepared. 
Textile manufacturers are endeavouring to bring 
it into use as a substitute for, or at least an addition 
to, cotton, wool, flax, hemp, and jute. In 1803 some 
specimens of the Urtica tenacissima from the Malayan 
Islands and Peninsula were placed in the Botanical 
Gardens. This led to the cultivation of the plant in 
other parts of India. In 1814 a quantity of the 
fibre was sent to England, and favourable reports 
were received of its probable usefulness. But a 
difficulty has stood in the way of the development 
of regular industry in the fibre of the Rheea plant. 
There is no process, nor machine, that will properly 
and. efficiently separate the bark and fibre from the 
stem, and the fibre from the bark. This is a 
problem yet to be solved. In 1870 the Government 
of India offered two prizes to the inventors of the 
best machine or process for its manufacture : the 
offer was renewed in 1877, but up to date no satis- 
factory results have been achieved. The Government 
therefore do not deem it advisable to renew the 
offer of rewards until — 
" Private enterprise has shown that the cultivation 
of the plant can be undertaken with profit in these 
or other parts of the country, and that real need 
has arisen for an improved method of preparing the 
fibre in order to stimulate its production." 
We are told however that : — 
" Rhea is naturally an equatorial plant, and it 
requires a moist air, a rich soil, and plenty of water, 
while extremes of temperature are unfavourable to 
it. Such conditions may be found in parts of 
Burmah, in Upper Assam, and in some districts of 
Eastern and Northern Bengal : and if Rhea can be 
grown in such places, with only so much care as is 
required in an ordinary well-farmed field for a rather 
superior crop, it is possible that it may succeed 
commercially." 
Although the Government have withdrawn their 
offer of rewards, they have not withdrawn their aid 
in toto. For in their report we read : — 
" But in order to aid persons who are anxious to 
try the cultivation of the plant in localities which 
are primti facie suitable, the Government will be 
willing to place roots at their disposal. A plot of 
about 2 or 3 acres will, therefore, continue to be 
* Oliver's First Book of Indian Botany. 
kept under Hhea in the Botanical Gardens at Howrah 
for the supply of roots to intending growers." 
Now that Tea is giving such poor returns, any 
thing that may pay to grow, in addition to the tea 
plant, will no doubt be welcomed by all Tea Pro- 
prietors and Tea Planters. Why not try the Rbeea 
Plant ? Although no efficient process nor machine 
has yet been discovered suitable for separating, 
cleaning, and dressing the fibres, if the industry is 
taken up on a large scale, machinists will no doubt 
soon invent machines that will answer the purpose. 
If Planters will turn their attention to its growth, 
and to the process' of manufacture of the fibre into 
a suitable form for the spinning and weaving 
factories, we feel sure that the requisite discovery 
would soon be made, and the problem solved. It 
would then go well hand in band with the cultiva- 
tion of the tea plant, and the two induct ies com- 
bined would no doubt yield as handsome returns as 
any other in the world. 
The strong fibres obtained from the plant by 
simple maceration, are used by the natives for many- 
useful purposes, but the working of them up for 
textile goods is the difficulty which has to be over- 
come. The natives simply scrape the fibres to fit 
them for making twine, thread, fishing nets, &c. 
One of the necessary conditions essential to success, 
is that the fibre should be rendered saleable in 
India at a price not exceeding £15 per ton. The 
subject has attracted very great attention of late in 
England and France, and even in America to sotue 
extent. Renewed attempts are being made to intro- 
duce the fibre into European factories. The Cham- 
bers of Commerce of Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford, 
and Belfast, have taken up the matter, and the 
spinners of Yorkshire are experimenting on various 
mixtures of the fibre with wool and cotton, and 
trying the suitability of the mixtures for making 
fancy trimmings, ladies' dresses, and upholsterers' 
textiles ; the fibre possessing qualities unlike those of 
any other material employed in textile work.— 
Indian Tea Gazette. 
Cinchona Baek. — Large supplies of cinchona bark 
continue to be sent to England by the P. and 0l 
canal steamers. About four hundred bales of bark 
were put onboard the steamer "Ancona" last Thurs- 
day. — Madras Standard, 15th April. 
Coffee Leaf Disease. — Mr. Schrottky is quietly but 
steadily going on with his treatment. He has oper- 
ated on 250 acres in the Dumbara valley, and will 
begin on a similar extent in the Dimbula district in 
a few days. Mr. Schrottky has also been making ex- 
periments of great importance in reference to cinchona 
cultivation, but we are not at liberty for the present 
to refer more particularly to these. 
Nilgiris, March, 1881. — A great deal of the tea 
produced in the Nilgiris is sold in the Presidency I am 
told, and, most likely, much more would rind a local 
market if planters would be content with a moderate 
price. I judge they ask exorbitant figures, from the 
quotations of retail merchants in the advertisements. 
This may not be so ; but anyway the shops should be 
able to sell Pekoe Souchong at 0-12 instead of Rl-8 ! 
Tea is generally cured here by means of a furnace 
and iron plate, with drawers on top. There seems to 
be a degree of laxity in tea-making, sorting, aud 
packing, in this district, which requires thorough 
reform ; but this is a subject for a letter in itself. 
But Tea planters must not pose as the only un- 
fortunates. The local paper has the following : — "The 
coffee crop of 1880-81 has been a most unfortunate 
one. Estates estimated to yield 60 to 70 tons gave 
only 4 and 5, while others have absolutely no crop 
at all. It is a mystery what became of the fine 
show of blossom early in the year."— Indian Tea 
Gazette. 
