May 2, 1904.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
731 
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PLANTERS IN NAIEOBI. 
If the points which he submits can be mot in whole 
or in part, Mr. Marsden considers tho planters in 
Kairobi will have a market in South Africa. First, 
Bast Africa and Uganda ought to be admitted into tho 
Customs and Railway Union of Soath Africa, and if 
this cannot be done in its entirety, he would suggest 
that East Africa should at least be placed on the same 
level as the Portugciese possessions in East Africa — 
namely, pay the Customs duty on importation, which 
equals 10 per cent., but afterwards let East African 
produce rauk with colonial produce so far as regards 
railway rates, and not be charged the additional rate 
t it imported produce, which equals about 10 per cent. 
These rates, equalling 20 per cent., may, as he 
observes, make all the difierence between proflt and 
loss to the exporter. In the second place, he says 
that steamship rates must come down to £1 per ton for 
Durban and intermediate ports, and until this is done 
it will be of very little use for East Africa to try to 
compete with America and Australia. Still, as already 
suggested, British steamship owners might, by meet- 
ing the planters with reasonable rates, find a way to 
filling the holds of ships which are now empty. 
ADVICE TO EETTLEE9 AND PEANTEKS. 
He strongly urges settlers and planters in East Afiica, 
when such arrangements are made, to concentrate 
their efforts on Delagoa Bay, Johannesburg, and 
Durban as their markets, and to disregard other towns 
until they have familiarised themselves with the trade 
conditions of those markets and have established a 
name for East Afiican produce. It may be added that 
Mr. Atkins, Secretary of the British Cotton-growing 
Association, Manchester, who is in touch with Mr. 
Marsden, will communicate to those interested fur- 
ther information regarding cottcu growing in East 
Africa. As for intending settlers, they will gain all 
the particulars they desire from the Emigrants' Infor- 
luation Office at Westminster. 
THE RAMIE FIBRE INDUSTRY. 
A NOTE OP WARNING, 
The following letter from Mr. A. C. Carpenter 
Secretary to the Ramie Fibre Spinning Syndicate, Ltd. 
is worthy of attention. Mr. Carpenter sounds a warn- 
ing note. He cautions planters not to be hasty in 
taking up the product; and advises them to start first 
in a small way and cultivate scientifically, making full 
notes on everything; to be sure of getting the right 
plant, and have the resulting fibre tested. He says : — 
Sir, — Our attention has been called to certain articles 
appearing in various Colonial papers urging upon 
planters the desirability of cultivating Ramie with a 
view to selling the product in London and the Conti- 
nental market. We are taking a considerable interest 
in the cultivation of this fibre, especially in India, and 
would ask leave to call the attention of your readers to 
the somewhat serious position which might be brought 
about were the suggestions which are now beirg 
put forward carried out in the Colonies without due 
thought. 
The text on which the writer whom we have in our 
mind bases his arguments is "produce all yon can and 
manufacture without delay," and he further states that 
'• Ramie is a nettle easily grown and easily worked." 
We have gone most carefully into this subject, and so 
far 88 India is concerned (and doubtless this applies 
to the Colonics too), we can assure yon that though 
perhaps from a botanical point of view Kamie can be 
easily grown, yet practically nothing is known about 
the best methods of cultivating it, and we can also 
assure you that so far as the manufacture is concerned 
though moat dilliculties have been overcome, yet much 
has still to be done ; and it is inconceivable that the 
fibre can ever do all thnt is claimed for it, namely, 
oust cotton, hen p. fiax, jute, silk and the like. It ia 
fables of this sort that did so much to set back this rew 
industry many years ago. 
So far as cultivation ia concerned, a fairly consi- 
derable weight of fibrous strips have been sent to ns 
from India, and somo have proved satisfactory, but in 
the majority of oases when they come to be put to a 
praotioal test, it has been found that the actual fibre 
possesses certain disadvantages as compared with the 
China Grass of Commerce. These difficulties can 
doubtless be overcome by cultivation, and in fact they 
are being overcome, but to advise Colonists to-day to 
produce all they can is ia our opinion most dangerous. 
We can only give to Colonial planters the same 
advice we have given to those in India — "Do not 
waste your money in planting large acreage until 
you know that you can produce a fibre fit to compete 
with China Grass and suitable for manufacturing 
purposes. To prove this the planting of a quarter 
an acre would be sufficient. See that you get the 
right plant and be as scientific as possible in your cul- 
tivation and as careful as possible in keeping full notes 
of the times of cutting. Do not go to the cost of 
buying a decorticating machine, but first strip by 
hand and slightly scrape with some fairly blunt 
instrument. Dry these strips and carefully bale 
them and then send them home in numbered bundles 
of about 1 cwt, apiece to be reported upon by the 
manufactures." 
Mr. .John Phillipson, Manager of our Works at Rom- 
ford, E;sex, will be prepared to report on any fibre sent 
to him. He has had many years' practical experience in 
manufacturing Ramie threads and yarns, and handles 
some tons of raw materials every month. 
We can only add that if the suggestions concerning 
which we are warning planters were carried out, we 
fear that the market would be flooded with a product 
for which no purchasers would be found, and that 
another check would be given to the real advance 
made in this industry in the United Kingdom the last 
three years. 
Your obedient servants, 
For the Ramie Fibre Spinning Synd. Ltd., 
ARTHUR C. CARPENTER, 
Secretary 
PREPAEATION OF RAW OPIUM. 
The preparation of "raw" opium in North India 
is carried out as follows: — In February, as a rule, the 
juice is gathered, the poppy plant being then in full 
flower and cf a height ot three or four feet, each 
stem having from two to five capsules of the size of 
a duck's egg. Before the capsules are pierced the 
fallen petals of the flowers are carefully gathered and 
sorted according to condition, in three grades, and 
then are heated over a slow fire and formed into 
thin cakes, to be used for the covering of the drug 
when collected. 
THE PIERCING OF THE PODS 
requires great skill, and upon it largely depends the 
yield. The opium farmer and his assistants each 
carry a small lance-like tool, which has three or four 
short, sharp prongs, and with this a half dozen per- 
pendicular cuts are made in each capsule or seed pod 
of the poppy. The juice begins to flow at once, but 
quickly congenls. The day after, the thickened juice 
is carefully gathered, being scraped off with a small 
iron trowel and the mass thus gathered is put into an 
earthen vessel and kept c.irefully stirred for a month 
or more, great care being taken to have it well aired, 
but not exposed to the son. 
WOKKING THE CONGEALED JUICE, 
The material is now examined by expert testers, who 
determine it^ grade or quality, and then the whole is 
put into a large box, where it is worked very much 
in the same fashion as baker's dough, to give it the 
required consistency. 'The opium is now made into 
balls for export; the natives wade about in the large 
vats containing the paste like drug, and hand it oat 
to hundreds of ball-makers siting around the room. 
