Nov. i, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
THE OVER-PRODUCTION OF FIBRE. 
We are r,ot in tho secrets of Government and 
cannot say, therefore, what thought was in the 
official mind in causing some pages of informa- 
tion about "Mauritus Hemp Machines" to be 
reproduced in the Gazette of 28th Saot. from 
the "Kew Bulletin " of so old a date as May 1890. 
If we owe this to a desire to induce some fre^h 
interest in the aloes and other fibrous plants which 
so frtely grow in Ceylon, we are by no means 
inolined to fiud fauU ; for, indeed we had juet 
been writing on the subject of Fibres, when the 
Gmettt camo to hand. But alas, <~ut recent mail 
news irom London was, to the effect, that the Euro- 
pean market for nearly all kind? of fibres was 
dogged and overstocked 1 The fortunes that were 
to be made in "Sisal" and "Ramie" are likely to 
melt into the same thin air that received tho3e 
of the Ceylon planters some years ago, when based 
on oinchona ! 
Recently we made remarks upon the lar^e 
outturns by mechanical aids, as being one ol the 
ohief of the oauses, that have led to the general 
over-stocking of the world's markets. Among the 
productions whioh seem to h >.ve suffered to a 
greater extent from this emplojment than almost 
any other, is this of fibre. Not very many years 
back, at. urgent demanc: was made in innumerable 
quarters, for the designing of machinery whereby 
fibre might be obtained from some of the 
known sources of supply left almost entirely 
untouohed because of the difficulty then ex- 
perienced of economically treating them. This 
demand was more or leas suooessfully met, and 
markets became erelong crowded with fibres of 
many descriptions of a novel character in quanti- 
ties that proved to ba greatly in esoess of the 
power of consumers tu absorb. This glut 
has proved to have very unfavourable results 
even for Ceylon. Only within the past ftw years 
a demand had sprung up for the fibre of our 
palmyra palm, and we have only to examine the 
Customs returns to see how speedily this demand 
was met from Colombo. Quite a halcyon time then 
seemed to have oommHUced for those of our nor. hern 
distriots that had a plentiful growth of this 
particular palm. Prices for the fibre ran up very 
speedily, and everything seemed to promise fairly 
for the oontinuance and for the permanence of 
this form of industry. But the result that has 
attended so many other forms of production soon 
beoame felt in this branoh. The markets for dis- 
posal soon became overstocked, and prices fell even 
to below those quoted before the active demand had 
set in. As a consequence thn hopeful anticipations 
that had been formed as to the outlook ior palmyra 
gardens tumbled to the ground. The export fell 
off largely, and it mu-t be a matter of extrorue 
doubt if it can experience a satisfactory revival. 
We fear that this disappointing result must 
operate in producing disoouragemenfc with 
regard to our island fibre-yielding plants generally. 
80 many tropical counuies can oo.npaie with 113 
in the supply of theso, thrt it is difficult 
to see thav our island tan occupy a.iy very active 
part in the competition. It is fortunate, perhaps, 
that, having so many other branches of industry to 
attend to, no large outlay wag attempted in Oejlou to 
endeavour to meet the demand. Other oouutries bave 
not bad the same good fortune. The Bahamas — to 
quotd a foicueost iustanoe among these — c e( to 
work on the first appearance of the demand to 
largely o iltivatu and manipu'.ato the plant jieidmg 
iho well-known and valued tdsai fibre. What 
has beon the result? It has been the same 
aa has, for the last few years, attended so 
many items of pwduetioD, In an inortdibly 
42 
short space of time the prices of this celebrated 
fibre in the European markets seriously fell, and 
stocks of itso accumulated thsttheyhavenowbutlittle 
chance of beooming depleted to the extent that 
would cause prices onoe 3gain to reach a remu- 
nerative level. A good many years must elapse, 
it is much to be feared, before we shall again 
be able to write hopefully as to the prospects 
before fibre collectors. At one time it seemed likely 
to be the oase that the mana grass, that grows 
so luxuriantly throughout many localities in this 
island, might bavo a successful future for its 
treatment. This hope met with disappointment, 
and there would seem to bs no pretent prospect 
before us, that advantage might be gained by the 
endeavour to experiment with any others of our 
indigenous fibre-yielding grasses or trees. 
Whether in the good time that is always 
ooming, the shadow that has now fallen 
upon the fibre-produoing industries of the world 
may be removed, it is impossible to say. At all 
events at the present time the outlook with re- 
gard to them is as clou<led as it well can be. 
References made to the London dealers are an- 
1 swered to the effect that there is a plethora of 
I supplies of fibre of all kinds, and that it would 
be lutile to encourage further inurease of produc- 
tion. Metal ha? suooeeded to fibre for all the 
standing rigging of ships, to supply whioh in 
times past, give rise to muoh of the demand to which 
allu.-ion has been made. Machinery his enabled 
the world to more than keep pace with requirements, 
and in no branch has that result been mora 
foroibly exemplified than in the fibre trade. 
Unless some at present wholly unforeseen cause of 
demand should arise, it mu3t be a very long time 
before we shall again ba called upon to turn our 
attention to the numerous plants in Ceylon from 
which useful fibres may be obtained. We must 
be ooment to re3t upon our oars until such time 
arrives — should h ever do so— at whioh demand 
may once mora overtake supply. 
PLANTING NOTES FROM TALAWAKELE, 
CEYLON. 
Oct. 2. — I think that at last we have come to 
the most delightful season of the year, the interreg- 
num between the 8.-W. and N.-E. monsoons— at 
least, Binoe the 27th, when the rain at last ceased, 
we have been enjoying warm breezes and sunshine 
and oloud effects at sunset on the Great Western, 
though there were a couple of showers on the 
30th. The present heat, besides enabling us 
to get our household belongings dried, will give us 
nice flushes towards the end of the month. 
Coolies are still displaying their hopeless inca- 
pacity to distinguish between verity and falsehood, 
between what is mine and what is thine- Regarding 
tho latter, faotory coolies think that the firewood heap 
for the driers is put there for their personal bene- 
fit, especially do they think so when departing 
from their scene of labor at 6 or 7 o'clock. 
One coolie was found the other day seated on 
the oartroad enjoying the contents of a tin of 
raspberry wafers. Extravagance is perhaps one of 
tho points of the fin de siecle, but ooolios saem 
now a-days to get whatever they like, and they 
are not bothered with the thought of payment. 
Posterity will do that. 
. "TIMEHRI." 
The Journal of the ttoyal Agricultural and Com- 
mercial Society of British Gumua, for June (whioh 
has just reached us) has for contents : — 
Papers.— The Guiana Orobida, by tho Editor ; Con- 
struction a ad Maimeuauce, of Roads and Bridges in 
