Nov. 2. 1903.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 329 
PLANTING FIBKE. 
The Rev. A. Andrew writes from Chinlepnt :— 
The extraction of plantain fibre in Sonth India 
promises to become a profitable industry. Enquiries 
as to how to extract it have reached me £rom vanous 
quarters, showing the interest that is now being 
awakened to the value of the once discarded plantain 
stem after the previous fruit has been cut off. It used 
to be thrown on the rubbish heap as utterly worth- 
less. But it is different now, since cultivators have 
begun to realise how much they were losing by their 
former wasteful practice. The fibre can be made into 
ropes, or woven, I believe, into cloth. A.t the Melrosa- 
puram Agricultural School, near here, the fibre is being 
extracted and made into ropes. It may be interesting 
to some to learn something of the nature of the fibre 
which is being extracted. A few days ago a piece of 
rope was sent to me from the above school. Another 
piece of rope was sent to me by the Deputy Superin- 
tendent of the C'hingleput Epformatory School— this 
was made of hemp in Calcutta. These two ropes were 
tested by me to ascertain their breaking tension 
strength. The following is tb.e result : — 
Plantain fibre rope. Hemp rope. 
Length 122 yards 14 yards 
Thickness, 5-16tha of an inch 9.32Qds of an inch 
Weight, 83 pallams, or 6 lbs 
lOj 0Z3. ... 10 pallams or 12i ozs 
Breaking tension 230 lbs 2 ozs 286 lbs 
Price, R. 1 per vias, or 3 lbs 
2 ozs ... El-4 0 yer viss. 
It will thus be seen that the hemp rope is somewhat 
stronger, but is 20 per cent, higher in price. The 
strain which the plantain fibre bore is remarkable, 
and it shows that plantain fibre rope is about as good 
for all practical purposes as the hemp rope. Its 
durability and powers to resist wear and tear have yet 
to be put to the test, however. My impression is that 
a fibre which can bear such a high tension will be 
found to be durable. This fibre has a white, glossy 
appearance, and the ropes made from it have a very 
attractive look. Each plantain stem can produce on an 
average about 4 ozs. of fibre, and 600 plants can be 
grown on an acre. Each acre will therefore produce 
150 lb. or 48 viss, of fibre. This at El per viss will 
give R48 per acre, A boy on 2 annas wages a day 
can extract fibre from five stems. An acre will give 
him work for 120 days, and this will cost Rio. The 
charge for spinning the fibre into ropes by hand is 
about 6 annas a viss. And hence it will take R18 for 
wages for a man to spin the fibre got from an acre. 
This could be done much cheaper by a spinning 
machine and in a shorter time, The hand process 
takes 120 days for an acre. If the expenses incurred 
in extracting and spinning the fibre be deducted, the 
sum of E15 will be got as profit from an acre of 
plantain cultivation. This amount of clear profit 
is as much as the average value of all food-crops 
grown in South India, per acre, and is a distinct addi- 
tion to the income derived from the plantain 
fruit and shoots. Besides, the refuse from the stems 
when the fibre is being extracted, the leaves, and every 
other thing connected with the plantain, are returned 
to the soil as manure. Only the fruit and the fibre, 
with some of the tender leaves and the tender heart, 
are taken and sold, Nothing is lost in this process. 
In addition to the saving and profit got from the 
fibre produced by an acre of plantains, two hands are 
employed for 120 days each, thus piroviding two new 
occupations. Plantain gardens, if managed as they 
ought to be, can be very profitable, and become a 
constant source of income while they are under culti- 
vation. Turmeric takes about a year to reach maturity, 
and so does sugarcane; but once a plantain garden be 
gins to bear fruit the fruit on all the trees does noo 
mature at one and the same time. Some bunches 
appear before the others, and hence there is a constant 
maturing of bunches one after the other going on. 
These are sold as they reach the stage when they 
42 
can be cut f:om the tree. In this way money is 
constantly coming into the hands of the cultivator, 
which is very gratifying to him. It is not so with 
other products of the soil. Plantains are universally 
used for curry, and heuce there is a constant de^ 
mand for green fruit from plantain gardens, — M. Mail, 
Sept, 23. 
lEPJGATION IX CEYLON. 
INTERVIEW WITH AN OLD RE>SIDENT. 
SOME HINTS FOR QUEENSLAND. 
Comparatively little is known in Australia con- 
ceruiuf; the island of Ceylou, beyond the immediate 
surrounding's of Colombo, familiarised to us by 
the visits of tourists travelling to and from Europe. 
Most of us know of the beauties of the southern 
part of the island ; and we have heard of the heroic 
struggle of the planters who met the entire 
de.=!truction of coffee, their main dependence, by 
establishing the ^rrowth of tea, till then almost 
unknown in the island. But how many nf us rea- 
lise that it has an area. representing about five- 
sixths of that of Ireland, and a population almost 
equal to that of the Australian Commonwealth ? 
Yet such is the case, and the exceeding interest 
attaching to this bright particular star in the crown 
of the British monarch has been brought vividly 
home to those who, during the past few weeks 
have had the pleasure of intercourse with Mr. R 
W levers, c M G, of the Ceylon Civil Service, who 
is jast now on a visit to Australia for the benefit 
of his health. Mr. levers has spent some thirty 
years in the service, his chief work having been 
as Government Agent in the North Central pro- 
vince. He was also for a time acting Colonial 
Secretary, which in a Grown colony means, of 
course, a great deal more than with us. Mr. levers, 
during his visit to Queensland, has employed him- 
self in collecting information concerning the tick 
pest and other topics which may have a hearing 
on his future work. He explains that ticks are 
prevalent in Ceylon, though happily redwater is un- 
known ; but be is impressed with the value of dipp- 
ing as a means of preventing that anaemia and tick 
worry which are so destructive to the well-being 
of tick-infested cattle, and the Queensland Govern- 
ment have afforded him every help in prosecuting 
his inquiries, so that he has now obtained all he 
requires on the subject. He has also investigated, 
as far as possible, the question of drought-resisting 
grasses and shrubs, and will carry with him 
practically all that is known here upon a subject 
of such vital importance. Seeds also have been 
freely supplied to him of any plants likely to be 
of service, and during a visit, which he paid on 
Saturday last to the Government Agricultural 
College, at Gatton, he expressed himself as ex- 
tremely grateful for the attention and help so 
freely bestowed upon him during his stay in Queens- 
land. As an expression of this feeling, Mr levers 
devoted some iittle time to a conversation with a 
representative of the "Courier" who happened 
also to be visiting the college on the day, and to 
an explanation of certain matters in which he 
thinks the experience of Ceylon may possibly prove 
of service here. It may be added thac he is greatly 
pleased with what he has seen of this country, 
and believes that its possibilities under a proper 
system of development, are almost unlimited. He 
thinks, however, as many Qneenslanders do also, 
that irrigation is the great key needed to unlock 
the problem of settlement of productiveness in this 
great continent. 
