Sept,  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
185 
SPECIAL  MACHINERY  FOR  FIBRE 
TREATING. 
There  is  a teeming  abundance  of  good  fibre  plants 
in  Ceylon,  indigenous  and  introduced,  which  might 
be  made  sources  of  profitable  industry,  were  but 
machinery  available,  or  modes  of  chemical  treat- 
ment known,  effectual  and  oheap  enough  to 
secure  profitable  outturns  of  decorticated,  clean 
and  yet  strong  fibre.  Prominent  amongBt  the 
introduced  plants  in  Ceylon,— introduced  so  long 
ago  by  the  Portuguese  from  t outh  America  that 
it  has  become  naturalized,— is  the  pineapple. 
Cultivated,  or  rather  grown  as  the  natives  grow 
the  plants,  in  hedges  and  under  the  dense  shade 
of  umbrageous  trees,  a large  number  of  lengthy 
leaves  are  produced,  calculated  to  yield  the  maximum 
of  long  and  fine  fibres.  These  fibres  are  superior 
to  those  of  the  green  and  grey  aloes,  so  common, 
eBpeoially  the  green  ( Fourcroya  yigantea,)  as  fenoe 
plants,  and  we  should  say  far  easier  of  treatment 
than  the  stems  of  rhea  or  ramie.  The  one 
desideratum  is  effective  orusbing,  decorticat- 
ing and  cleansing  machinery  ; for  leaves  enough 
could  be  gathered  in  and  around  the  native 
villages  to  afford  a supply  for  decisive  experi- 
ment ; and  if  such  experiment  were  successful 
a large  plantation  or  plantations  of  pine- 
apples could  be  formed  under  forest  from  which 
only  the  undergrowth  need  be  cleared  away. 
Although  the  main  object  would  be  the  pro- 
duction of  fibre,  the  sale  of  the  fruit  pro- 
duced ought  to  yield  substantial  returns. 
Through  the  Kew  Gardens  Bulletin  and  other 
sources  we  have  received  details  of  promising 
machinery  and  modes  of  preparation  with  hot 
water  and  chemioals  ; and  from  Mexioo  and  Mauritius 
we  have  heard  of  machinery  in  action.  Death’s 
machine  is  still  a claimant  for  public  approval, 
but  many  years  ago  a trial  of  it  in  Ceylon,  applied 
to  the  green  aloe,  was  a failure  as  to  paying  results. 
French  engineers  and  chemists  have  put  forward 
maohines,  or  combined  machine  and  chemical 
treatment  as  successful  even  in  the  oase  of  the 
hard  stems  of  rhea,  but  as  yet  nothing  effectual 
and  at  the  Bame  time  cheap  has  reached  Ceylon  or 
been  invented  within  its  bounds.  We  have,  there- 
fore, read  with  interest  a circular  on  “ Special 
machinery  for  fibre  treating  ’’  by  Mr.  Ernest 
Lehman,  Engineer  and  Comractor,  Manchester. 
Notioes  of  the  various  machines  are  prefaoed  by 
“General  Remarks”  to  the  following  effeot 
During  the  last  few  years  great  improvements  have 
been  effected  in  the  construction  of  Machines  for 
treating  Fibrous  Plants,  completely  doing  away  with 
the  tedious  and  expensive  methods  practised  by  the 
natives  of  Fibre-growing  countries,  which  operations 
are  totally  unsuited  to  the  conditions  attendant  upon 
extensive  production.  Many  noted  persons  have  been 
long  engaged  in  endeavouring  to  solve  the  problem  of 
the  preparation  of  Fibres  on  a thorough  commercial 
scale,  and  the  Machines  enumerated  and  described  in 
this  list  combine  all  the  most  recent  improvements 
for  Treating  and  working  the  various  Fibres  of  Com- 
merce. From  an  insufficiency  of  knowledge  many 
thousands  of  tons  of  Fibre  are  annually  destroyed  or 
thrown  on  the  waste  heap  in  the  East,  South 
America,  the  Pacific  Isles,  and  other  countries, 
whereas  a judicious  knowledge  of  such  material  would 
prove  a small  mine  of  wealth  to  the  countries  in 
question.  Planters,  small  capitalists  and  others  in 
the  above-mentioned  countries  have  opportunities  of 
enriching  themselves  by  an  application  of  modern 
ideas  and  modern  machinery  to  the  manufacture  of 
various  descriptions  of  goods  from  Fibres.  Ropes, 
Twines,  Nets,  Sacking,  Bagging,  Carpetings,  and 
Cloths,  for  a large  variety  of  purposes  can  be  pro- 
duced from  these  fibres,  and  at  a comparative  small 
cost,  taking  into  account  the  vast  trouble  and  neces- 
sary expense  incumbent  on  purchasing  such  goods 
from  other  countries. 
24 
The  circular  then  proceeds  to  notice  a machine — 
Specially  constructed  for  Extracting  the  Fibre  from 
all  descriptions  of  Fibre-producing  Leaves  and  Stems 
in  their  green  state  and  freshly  cut,  under  which 
heading  the  following  may  be  mentioned  : — 
Aloe  Leaves,  Pita,  Henequen,  Sisal,  Manilla  Hemp, 
Istle, Mexican  Fibre,  Jute,  Sida  Indica,  Banana,  Pine 
Apple  Fibre,  Rhea,  Sanseviera,  Asclepias  Syriaca 
(Syrian  Fibre),  Tucum  (Brazil),  Bahia  Piassava 
(Brazil),  Assam  Fibre,  Maoutia  Puya  (Northern  India), 
Bombax  Ceiba  (Guiana  and  West  Indies),  Eloeocar- 
pus  Americana  (Majagua  or  Poa  Tree),  Palmyra  Palm 
(Borassus  Flabelliformis),  Yerevan  or  Mudar  (India), 
Caludovica  Palmata  (Panama,  Columbia,  and  Ecua- 
dor), Pulu  Fibre  (Sandwich  Isles),  New  Zealand  Fibre, 
and  Phormium  Tenax. 
Premising  that  we  do  not  understand  the  distinction 
between  “ New  Zealand  fibre  and  phormium  tenax," 
for  the  New  Zealand  fibre  par  excellence  is  that 
of  pliormium  tenax , “New  Zealand  Flax,”  which 
grows  well  on  our  hills, — we  should  say,  but  for 
what,  follows  as  to  subsidiary  machines,  that  this 
is  just  the  machine  required  in  Ceylon,  where  appli- 
ances of  a special  character,  improved  by  the  experi- 
ence of  many  manufacturers  during  a long  series  of 
years  is  already  applied  to  the  extraction  of  coir  fibre 
from  the  husks  of  the  coconut.  To  neither  natives 
nor  Europeans  has  this  interesting  branch  of  our 
manufactures  and  commeroe  yielded  very  appreciable 
profits,  but  the  fact  that  it  is  continued  from  year 
to  year,  shews  that  it  must  at  least  pay  the  labour 
of  the  natives,  and  give  fair  returns  on  the  oapital 
employed  in  the  pursuit.  It  is  truly  stated  in  the 
circular,  regarding  Coir,  the  fibres  of  which 
differ  much  in  strength,  fineness  and  colour,  that 
This  fibre  is  extensively  used  for  Cordage  purposes, 
and  for  making  Matting.  Stair  Carpets,  Matting,  and 
Mats  of  various  descriptions  are  largely  made  from 
this  fibre,  as  it  easily  takes  colours  in  dyeing.  A 
further  use  for  Coir  Fibre  is  for  substituting  it  for 
bristles  in  the  manufacture  of  Brushes,  Brooms,  &c., 
and  when  cleaned,  dyed,  and  curled,  it  is  used  by 
upholsterers  for  stuffing  mattresses,  cushions,  sad- 
dles, &c. 
The  quantity  of  fibre  contained  in  a husk  varies  very 
much,  according  to  climate,  seasons,  &e.  In  Ceylon 
40  Coconuts  will  yield  about  4 lb.  of  Coir  Fibre.  On 
an  average  it  may  be  assumed  that  1,000  nuts  will 
yield  90  lb.  of  fibre. 
We  suppose  the  figures  ere  correct.  The  coir  may 
be  said  to  be  a “by-product”  of  the  coconut,  the 
really  valuable  portion  of  which  is  the  kernel,  which 
is  eaten  fresh  as  food  (amongst  the  Sinhalese 
it  is  an  invariable  ingredient  in  curries),  desiocated 
for  export  for  the  use  of  the  confectioner  and 
very  largely  dried  into  “ copra,”  out  of  which  oil  is 
expressed,  extensively  used  in  soapmaking,  the  solid 
residuum,  “ poonac,”  being  valuable  as  an  oil-cake. 
— In  case  experiments  should  be  tried  in  Ceylon, 
with  pineapple  leaves,  or  similar  substanoes,  we 
quote  instructions  as  to  “sorting”  of  leaves, 
stalks,  &o.,  which  may  prove  useful: — 
Whether  in  leaves  or  stalks  the  material  should  be 
regularly  sorted,  and  must  be  as  uniform  as  possible 
when  operated  upon.  In  the  case  of  Rhea  or  China 
Grass  the  stalks  should  be  cut  an  equal  length.  With 
Pineapple,  Agave,  Aloes,  &c.,  the  leaves  should  be 
distinctly  sorted,  and  each  description  separately 
treated.  Wherever  there  is  found  to  be  any  material 
difference  in  the  quality  of  the  fibre  between  the 
inner  and  outer  leaves,  each  quality  should  be  kept 
separate. 
Before  baling  the  fibre  has  to  undergo  a certain 
treatment.  After  extracting,  the  fibre  must  be  allowed 
to  dry  thoroughly,  and  then  it  is  subjected  to  a 
brushing  action,  either  being  beaten  against  a post 
by  hand  or  being  brushed  in  a Brushing  Machine, 
described  below.  It  is  strongly  to  be  recommended 
that  planters  should  adopt  the  Brushing  Machine,  as 
carefully  brushed  fibre  realizes  a much  higher  price. 
An  increase  of  £1  to  £4  per  ton  can  thus  be  ob- 
tained. One  Brushing  Machine  will  suffice  for  eight 
