March 2, 1903.1 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
To grow dwarf treea iu pots satisfactorily, a good 
deal of time and patience is necessary, but as they 
grow, and even before they bear fruit, most useful 
lessons could be taught with their assistance. Other 
kinds of plants also might be used for nature teaching, 
and endless interest might be inspired by a good 
teacher who can infuse some little enthusiasm into his 
subject. 
I should like to add that in school grounds, where 
space is available, a few dwarf apples and pears might 
easily be grown as garden plants, Quite a number of 
varieties could be grown in a small area, if planted 
about 6 feet apart. They had better bo grafted on 
blight-proof as well as dwarf stocks. Iu order to keep 
them within bounds, should they give indications of 
too strong growth, their roots must be pruned, one 
side or one-half the roots one year, and the other halt 
the next year. The root pruning can be effected by 
means of a sharp steel spade. A little practice will 
soon enable any one to root-prune with ease. As for 
the pruning the heads of the trees, one need only study 
Mr. Allen's exhaustive articles on the subject, and if 
he cannot learn all he needs from these, why then he 
must be a dull person indeed 7— The Arjricultural 
Gazette of Neif South Wales. 
THE PLANTAIN FIBRE INDUSTRY. 
A MADRAS OTFICUL BULLETIN. 
The following are extracts from Mr. Proudlock'a 
interesting " Note on Simple Blachines for Extracting 
Plantain Fibre," just issued by the Madras Govern- 
ment ; — 
The objects of the present "Note" are (1) to again 
draw attention to the common plantain as a latent 
source of an immense quantity of fibre which has 
hitherto been practically wasted and which might be 
turned to account by the Indian ryots ; and (2) to 
furnish some information about the two types of pri- 
mitive machiuea which are believed to be in com- 
mon use by the peasants in the Philippine Islands for 
extracting the fibre of Musa textilis (which is the 
plaintain largely grown there for the production of the 
fibre known iu commerce as "Manilla Hemp"), as 
they are equally well suited for extracting the fibre 
from the common plantain 
Although " Manilla Hemp " is yielded by a species 
of plantain, the fibre is altogether superior to that 
yielded by the varieties of plantain which are cultivated 
in India primarily for the sake of their edible fruits. 
So valuable is the fibre of musa textilis that it prac- 
tically rules the market in white fibres ; while the 
fibre obtainable from varieties of the edible plantain 
is, as a rule, valued as very little more than half the 
price of " Manilla Hemp." 
The existence of fibre in the common plantain has 
probably been known in India from ancient times, and 
its value and utility have been brought prominently to 
public notice at intervals from time to time. In the 
early part, and in the middle of the last century, the 
Rubject came under the notice of many eminent men 
in India, foremost among whom was Dr, Forbes Royle 
who , in his "Fibrous Plants of India," pages 61-90 
has given a great deal of valuable standard infor- 
mation about plantains and bananas and their pro- 
ducts ; while in this Presidency, Dr. Hunter, among 
others, seems to have taken a k^en interest in the 
subject. At that time owing to the temporary sus- 
peniion of the supplies of Russian Hemp to the Eng- 
lish market by the occurence of the Urimeau war, the 
Government instituted an enquiry as to the different 
kinds and relative values of fibres obtainable in this 
Presidency. The iuformation obtained was interesting 
and valuable at that time ; and it will be found em- 
bodied in " Selections from the Records of the Madras 
Government," No. XXIII. " Reports on the fibres of 
Southern India " published in 1856. On page 158. it 
is stated: The fibre is easily cleaned, but some simple 
machine ry is requisite of the desoriptiou invented by 
Mr, Underwood or by Major Maitland, both of which 
appliances have been found on trial to be efficient." 
I hava not yet seen any detailed description or plana 
of eiiher of these simple machines, but bo far as I 
am aware, they are not now in use by the ryota 
in anv part of this Presidenc}'. 
Coming down to the present time, it would appear 
that the main reasons why the ryots do not yet 
make use of the fibre contained in the stems of the 
common plantain are : (1) their general ignorance of 
its existence ; (2) tho comparative abundance of other 
species of fibre-yielding plants which can be easily 
and profitably grown by them and with whose fibres 
and with the means of extract! ng them they have long 
been familiar; and (3) the want of some simple but 
efficient machine or appliance, suited to their means, 
for extracting the fibre. 
The patterns of the two simple machines are shown 
in diagrams made from the descriptions given in the 
" Kew Bulletin." Additional Series TI, 1— Vegetable 
fibres; and in Volume IX, Part I, New Series 1891, 
pages 57-62 of the " Journal of the Agri-Horticultnral 
Society of India." I especially desire to acknowledge 
my indebtedness to Mr. A Brown's " Sketch of a knife 
used by the Natives at Gubat. Philippine Islands 
for extracting the fibre from Slusa textilis" on page 
62 of the journal referred to. The essential principles 
in Mr. Brown'a sketch and in my sketch of machine 
No. 1 are the same, although it will be observed that 
the fittings are slightly different in my sketch. 
METHODS OF WORK 
After describing these two machines in detail Mr* 
Proudlock continues : — 
It must not be expected that an ordinary coolycan 
become really expert at the work of cleaning plantain 
fibre with one of these primitive machines without a 
considerable amount of practice. With a view, there- 
fore, to getting a man to become expert at the work 
he should be kept steadily at it day after day for a 
month or more on daily wages. As soon as the 
employer is satisfied that the man can turn out what 
he considers to be a satisfactory quantity of fibre per 
day, he might suggest contract work to his man at so 
much per pound of fibre. The employer can easily 
calculate and settle for himself what rate he can afford 
to offer to his cooly or coolies for the fibre after 
ascertaining its current market value. 
Planters, zemindars and especially the ryota and 
villagers who have plantains growing on their estates 
and in their gardens might, with the aid of these 
primitive machines very easily and without much 
expense obtain all the fibre necessary to make cords 
and ropes for their own requirements. Should either 
or both of these patterna of primitive machines ever 
be adopted by the ryots and villagers, it is probable 
that considerable improvements will be effected in 
them in course of time by engineers or by others of 
an inventive turn of mind. 
The fibre can also be extracted by scraping the plant- 
ain strips with a bamboo scraper on a hard smooth 
board 5' X 6" s 2" precisely in the same way as 
agave fibre is occasionally extracted from the fresh 
leaves of the plant by the villagers in the Coimbatore 
District.* 
snOGBSTIONS. 
There can be no question as to the vast numbers of 
plantain stems that are available in this country ; and 
it would be a good thing if even a tithe of the enor- 
mous quantity of fibre which could be obtained from 
them could be turned to account. The following sug- 
gestions are accordingly put forward as been likely, if 
adopted, to encourage the establishing of an industry 
iu the extraction and utilisation of plantain fibre : — 
(1) That the professional fibre-cleaners and ryots 
ba visited in their villages and that practical demou- 
atrations be given to them, as well as to the pnpils o 
• Vide Bulletin No. 30 " Extraction of Agave Ameri- 
cana fibre at Coimbatore," 
