September i, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
297 
PLANTAIN TREE. 
(Fripm the Journal of the Society of Arts, July 15, 1881.) 
Mr. I/. Liotard 
pivpan 
an elaborate memor- 
andum on the plantain tree (dated Calcutta, January 
22, 1881), of which the following is an abstract: — 
Dr. Balfour,* in a note dated tho loth October, 
1880, has noticed the Agricultural Department de- 
partmental memorandum on fibrous materials in India 
suitable for the manufacture of paper, and he specially 
direds attention to the chapter on tho plantain tree. 
Many species of this tree, or rather plant, have been 
grown in India from the most remoto times; but as 
a producer of marketable fibre, the only species 
which has yet come to note is tho Musa textilia of 
the Philippine Islands : this yields tho fibre known 
in commerce as Manila hemp. 
'1'hc introduction of the Musa textilia, in 1858, 
direct from tho Philippine Islands into tho Madras 
Presidency, is described in the printed memorandum, 
where it is shown that attempts made to extract the 
fibre in this country for commercial purposes proved 
fruitless, although thousands of tons of it were being 
extracted every year in the Philippines. 
There is no duubt that the Manila hemp plant 
[Musa textilia) g rows as well in British India a* other 
species of the plantain genus; and Dr. Balfour justly 
says, that British India could in a couple of years 
supply the London market with all thut it could take 
of Manila hemp fibre. He therefore observes that 
the prospect of benefiting British India by creating 
an export trade from it of the extent and value 
above indicated might well incite to considerable 
efforts to attain nuccess ; and be suggests lhat the 
attention of the Boards and Commissioners of Revenue 
and dl' the Agri-Horticultural Societies might be le- 
directed to this plant. 
It is known lhat the Musa textilis was reared with 
success in Calcutta as an experiment in 1822, 1836. 
and 1840 ; that fibre was extracted from the plants 
anti made into a neat cord no way inferior to Eng- 
lish whip-cord ; and that a project was then put for- 
ward for the establishment of tho manufacture of 
paper from the fibre ; but we do not know how or 
why the project was not carried out. The projector, 
we learned, weut to one of the British colonies in 
South America. 
We know also that in the Madras Presidency the 
efforts to introduce the Musa textilia were of a more 
extended nature, beginning from 1858 ; that the trial 
planting proved very successful ; that numbers of the 
plant, wero inl roduced and reared ; that the fibres 
extracted therefrom were cleaned and experimented 
upon, and were found to possess considerable strength 
and gloss; to be very clean; and lit for taking dyes ; 
also that success in the rearing of the plant was 
especially attained in the Wynaad, where it grew 
remarkably well and was multiplied in huge numbers 
in several of the coffee estates both easily and cheaply ; 
aud that there was no doubt as to the value of the 
Bbre, but that the cflicient and cheap preparation of 
tie nine remained an uneurmountable difficulty. 
In tho And iman Island also the plant was success- 
fully reared and propagated, and libro was extracted ; 
but the process of extraction, which consisted in steep- 
ing the stem until decomposition set in, was prob- 
ably a very bad one, aud consequently tho Ilbre, 
wlii. was reported to be creditable in other respects, 
Was fotwd harsh and wanting in strength. 
I li - experience gathered thitB scorns to point to tho 
ftlBOOVtry of »oino satisfactory proco.-s for extracting 
the Bbre cheaply and efficiently as the essential pre- 
liminary t«> any extensive Indian trade in the pro- 
duct. Tho mode "i treatment followed in 1 1 1 ■ ■ I'hilip- 
pin. , m s first he 11. .led ; the British Consul at Manila 
explained it as follows: — 
See p. 16 "f the Tropical AgricuUurittt—Ev, 
" When tho trees have matured, or are ready for 
cutting, they are cut down about a foot from the 
ground, and the labourer then proceeds to strip off 
the layers from the trunk, which are cut into strips 
of about 3 inches wide, or say, three strips to earn 
layer. These strips are then each drawn through 
between a blunt knife and a board to remove the 
pulpy vegetable matter from the fibre, which is then 
spread in tho sun to dry. As soon as it has been 
thoroughly dried, it is ready for the market. The 
appearance of the fibre depends entirely on the care 
bestowed in drying it, as, should it be exposed to 
rain, or not thoroughly dried, it becomes discoloured, 
or assumes a brownish tinge, and loses the strength 
to some extent. 
" As regards machinery, several attempts have been 
made, but bave proved unsuccessful, to invent a suit- 
able machinery for cleaning to supersede the primitive 
method still in use, which consists of- a few cross 
aud upright bars of bamboos, to which are fastened 
the board and cleaning knife, the fibre, or rather the 
layer of strips being introduced between the board 
and the knife, which latter is then held down by a 
string attached to a cross bamboo, on which the 
foot of the workman is placed, and the slip is 
pulled through, thus removing all the vegetable 
matter." 
The annual quantity of Manila hemp which is ex- 
tracted by this means in the Philippines i-. reported 
to be about 40,000 tons, of which the United King- 
dom takes about half. 
Whether any improved method of extracting the 
fibre bo. or be not discoverable, there does not appear 
to be any reason why the method of extraction fol- 
lowed in the Philippine Islands should not be adopted 
in British India, with any modilications which ex- 
perience may suggest. 
I have myself tried an experimental process, in 
devising which, I was guided by the cons'derations 
below explained. 
The first of these was the structure of the plant. 
It is composed of layers of fibre united together longi- 
tudinally by cellular tissues which contain a very 
large percentage of mucilaginous and pulpy matter in 
which a strong colouring matter is present. Thero 
are in the layers of the trunk three distinct qualities 
of fibre — it is coarse aud strong in the outer layers, 
fine and silky in the interior, and of a middling 
quality in the intermediate layers, while the central 
foot-stalk contains no fibre at all. The mid-rib of 
the leaves also contain strong fibre. 
Secondly, the proper time for extracting the fibre. 
This is of importance if the fibre is ultimately to bo 
used for cordage or textile manufactures, but of less 
consequence, perhaps, if the fibre be destined for 
paper-making. The proper time is when the purple 
fruit-stalk is about to rise, but has not quite appeared 
yet • it is then that the fibres are in their best con- 
dition : before that, the fibres will be immature, after 
that, they will have loet their strength. 
Thirdly, the 
All fibre is 
valued according to the degree of its cleanness, its 
tenacity, and its uniform structure; and if, in addition 
to these three qualities, the fibre is of fine texture, 
it will command a high price. It is thus necessary 
to classify the fibres. The easiest way to do this is, 
after the plant is cut down, to strip layer after layer 
from the trunk, each strip being about two inches 
wide, and to group the layers according to the fibres 
they contain, which will be found to present the 
features above noticed. The stripping is very easily 
effected by the hand with the help of a knife, and 
has tho advantage* of both securing u liformity in the 
fibres by c an "Mention and of facilitating their ex- 
traction, as will presentl/be explaned. l'h< mid-rib 
of the leaves should be slit into hur parts to facdi- 
