March 1, 1904.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
591 
Approximately by thia method 45 lbs. of leaves yield 
about 1 lb. of cleao fibre. 
The aecoud method ia perfoi-raed thus : large 
quantities of leaves are piocured, and they aie laid, 
cut, and beaten, or pressed uader large logs of wood 
aud then aoaked iu water to oause the succulent 
material to decay, after whiob the fibre is washed aud 
dried. 
Now wheu this method, which ia a much quicker 
one, is employed, care should betaken not to allow 
the leaves to remain any longer than about four 
days. 
In Buddu I learnt that large quantities of loaves 
were gathered and were left iu the swamps for weeks. 
This is far too long, and the fibre, if not rotten at the 
end of that time, would bs well advanced towards it. 
Great care should also be exercised in this latter 
method, in the selection of suitable places for soaking. 
Never immerse the leaves in the black muddy swamps, 
for many of them contain a black vegetable dye, 
which woald affect the colour of the fibre aud greatly 
reduce its price ; on withdrawal from the water it 
should be washed in clean water immediately and not 
allowed to dry before being washed. 
JJa/j^frt fibre is obtained from Eaphia munhuttorma, 
the palm which grows abundantly on the Lake ehore 
regions. The raphia is prepared from the young unex- 
panded leaves, each individual leaflet is taken, and 
from the base towards the tip, the epidermis ia stripped 
by the hand after separating it at the commencement 
by a knife : it requires no further preparation and 
when dry is ready for the market. As a test I sent out 
seven men to gather raphia, and they brought in for 
the day an average of 1 lb. per man of clean fibre, 
theae men had no previous experience iu gathering 
this fibre, and there seems no reason why rren wheu 
they are accustomed to the work should not gather 
two or more pounds per day, i.e., it tliey can gain 
easy access to the palms. The cultivation of these 
palms may with great advantage be encouraged. — 
African Standard. 
SILK CULTUllE IN SIAM. 
The following statement regarding silk culture in 
Siam is made in the Budget Report for 190^-4 : — 
The eiiorts of Government are directed towards tlie 
eatabliahraent of an agency for the investigation of 
the best methods ,of silk production, as suited to 
Biam, aud the scheme has outgrown the purely ex- 
perimental stage at which it atood last year. The 
observations and experiments of the Japanese expert, 
engaged for this investigation, h.ive been attendea 
with a most satisfactory measure of success, aud it 
is now the purpose of the Government, by the es- 
tablishment of model nurseries in suitable localities 
and the adoption of modern msihods of worm raising 
and silk reeling, to provide ceutres of instruction for 
the classes already engaged in this industry, Siam 
at present exports a fair quantity of raw silk, in 
addition to the large amount employed iQ the hand 
manufacture otphanungs and other articles of clothing^ 
but the quality is in ail classes poor ow'^^g to unsku. 
fal methiids aud, as a consequence the prices ob. 
tained are very low compared to those of other 
eilk-produoing countries. This defect it will now bg 
the endeavour of the Sericultural DeP^'rtmeut to 
remedy, by practical demonstration of the advan- 
tages to be derived from the soientitio selection and 
cultivation both of worms aud mulberry trees, as 
well as from adoption of proper mechanical means 
for preparing the raw silk for the market. With 
this end in view, model stations will be established 
at Bangkok, Korat and Phrapathom, and a system 
inaugurated for the training of appreutioes .belong- 
ing to the cultivating classes. In the present 
year it is proposed to eutertaiu 20 of ttiese. 
THE PAPAIN INDUSTRY. 
The wonderful medicinal properties of the juice of the 
Papiw or Papaya tree ( Carica papai/a) make the 
ooHgnlated juice a valuable article of merchandise. The 
juice wheu coasjulated is known as pap iin, and is used 
in various waya by chemists. The Papaw grows freely 
throughout the tropics, and is easily grown, being 
raised from s^ed, a large quantity of which are found 
in the large fruit which grow on the stem beneath 
the umbrella like crown of leiveson the summit uf the 
trunk. The Agricultural Department of the West 
Indies has noticed the Papaw as a tree worth cultivat- 
ina, and in the small Island of Montserrat the papain 
industry has existed for soma time. 
The juice ia collected in calabashes in which a small 
quantity of water ia first placed. To obtain the juice 
tbe rind of the fruit is lightly scored with a bone or 
wooden knife, or some similar instrument. As the 
juice falls iuto the water it thickens to the con- 
sistency of ice-cream, and in this state it is sold to 
the manufacturer at the rate of |d, to Id, per oz. A plot 
of 120 trees, of which about 25 per cent, are males, or 
non-fruiting trees, was planted in May, 1U02, and at 
the end of Decembar 11)02 — a period of seven months — 
yielded over 10 lb. of jiuce. 
TWO YAUIKTIES UNDER CULTIVATION. 
There are two varieties under cultivation — the long 
and the round fruited. With regard to the respective 
merits of these, expdfience has shown that the long- 
fruited variety bears earlier and nearer the ground, 
both of which are strong points in its favour. It is, 
however, claimed that the round variety gives the 
larger quantity of juice. Thia may be true; but, as the 
latter grows to a considerable height, the cost of 
collecting the juice ia greatly increased in the case of 
old trees. With regard to the quantity of juice that 
can be collected in a given time, it is stated that one of 
the student-gardeners at the station, where the trees 
are plentiful, collected on an average 4 cz. of juice per 
hour. On 
THE PBEPAHATION OP COMMERCIAL PAPAIN 
from the fruits, the Hon. F. Watts, F.I.C., F.O.S., gives 
the following description of the process adopted in the 
West Indier, and remarks at the beginning that the 
preparation of crude papain is a comparatively easy 
matter, pro\ided that attention ia paid to certain 
details. In colleotiug the juice he observes that after 
a time the flow diminishes from the incision, the liquid 
coaguUting around it, and this is carefully removed 
with the knife and placed in the cup with the milk. 
The fruit is not removed from the tree, and may be 
subjected to the operation of tapping several times at 
intervals of two or three days. It is essential that no 
iron knife or iron utensil should be brought in contact 
with the milk: wood or bone should be employed, and 
the milk should be collected iu earthenware basins or 
cups, or in glass vessels — not in tins, which are sure to 
blacken it. 
After collecting, the juice soon becomes coagulated, 
and it should then be in the form of a snow-white curd 
possessing a somewhat puugent but not putrid smell. 
It speedily decomposes if not rapidly dried, and when 
decomposing it emits a most unpleasant odonr ; con- 
sequently, the drying should be effected as speedily as 
possible. When considerable quantities are being 
prepared, the juice or milk should be collected in the 
early morning, and the drying should begin before 
midday. This ensures that by evening the material 
is in a sufficiently dry condition to keep without 
deterioration until the following morning, when the 
drying can be completed. 
DRYING THE PAPAIN. 
This may be effected in several ways. In dry hot 
weather the coagulated milk may be placed in thin 
layers on sheets of g'ass and exposed to the sun. 
This plan, however, is rarely satisfactory on a large 
scale, and it is best to adopt some form of drying- 
appara^yus. Drying is well effected by spreading the 
