February 2 , 1891 .] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
547 
POTATOES AS PEN WIPEES. 
One of the chief woes of the ready writer, be he 
olerk or what not, consists in the fact that he no 
sooner gets a pen into good working order than 
it, like the “ dear gazelle,” comes to an untimely 
end from the corrosion caused by the ink, Life is 
not long enough to use and mend quills, nor to 
apply with delicate firmness the pen wiper to a 
steel one. But some genius has now hit on a 
solution of the difficulty which has the merit of 
the most extrema simplicity. In many offices, we 
are informed, a potato is used instead of a pen 
wiper. The juicy tuber holds the pen steady, 
removes at once all ink from the nib, and prevents, 
or at least very greatly delays, the process of cor- 
rosion, and spares many a well-loved pen to a ripe 
old age . — Pall Mall Gazette. 
♦ 
CURIOSITIES OF MISNOMER. 
Black lead is not lead at all, but a compound of car- 
bon and a small quantity of iron. Brazilian grass is 
not grass, and never saw Brazil — it is nothing but 
strips of palm leaf. Burgundy pitch is not pitch, and 
does not come from Burgundy; the greater part of 
it is resin and palm-oil. Catgut is made from the 
entrails of sheep. Cuttle-bone is not bone, but a kind 
of chalk once enclosed in the fo sil remains of ex- 
tinct specimens of cuttlefish. German silver was not 
invented in Germany, and does not contain a particle 
of silver. Cleopatra’s Needle (the obelisk now in 
Central Park) was not erected by the Egyptian Queen 
who “lost Mark Antony the world,” nor in her 
honor : nor has that other Egyptian monument, 
known as Pompey’s Pillar, any historical connection 
with Porapey in any way — being erected by or in 
honor of a very different Roman, Diocletian, and it 
ought to bo known by his name. 
Sealing-wax contains no wax at all, but is 
composed of Venice turpentine, shellac and cinnabar 
(or red lead). Turkish baths did not orginate in 
Turkey, and are not baths, properly so-called, but 
rather heated chambers. Whalsbcne is not bone, 
although it does come from the leviathan for which 
Nantucket, New Bedford and Srg Harbor used to 
make those three-year voyages ; moreover, it is said 
not to possess a single property of bone. 
Truly, it seems that the nomenclature of com- 
mon things is not unlike that celebrated definition 
which the French Academy of Sciences once made 
of a crab — “ a small red fish which swims back 
ward” — and of which Cuvier remaked that “ the 
crab was not a fish, it was not red, and it did 
not swim backward — but that otherwise the defi- 
nition was admirable 1 ” — Providence Journal. 
SISSAL FIBRE. 
Mr. Benson, Assistant Director of Agriculture, 
Madras, in continuation ot previous correspondence, 
writing on the 8 th May said : — “ In reply to j’onr 
letter dated 3rd instant, for which I ih,nk you, I 
have the honour to inform you that I liave com- 
municated the contents thereof to my correspondent, 
and I will let you know the re.sults. In the meantime 
you may be interested in reading tire following 
extract from a letter received from the Director, 
Botanical Department, Northern India, regarding the 
plant, from which it would ap|iear that there seems 
to bo some doubt as to the Sisal hemp being obtaim d 
from a plant not already introduced.” 
“ Extract . — Sisal hemp is said to bo yielded by 
Agave Sisnlaiia. This is proliably only a variety of 
the American plant called Ai/ive vivipiira, wliich is 
abundantly cultivated as a In'ipc piano in varijus 
parts of India, and is largely used for fibre in Upper 
India. Any number of bulbs or small plants could 
be ent to you from Saharunpore, hut as the carriage 
wou d be expensive, it would be better to arrange fer 
a supply nearer at band. It is mentioned on page 
118 of Dr. Bidie’s catalogue of the Raw Products of 
Southern India.” 
Mr. D. Morris, of Kew, writing in April in reply 
to inquiries, said: — -“We have very fully dealt with 
Sissal Hemp in the Kew Bulletin, and last month we 
gave some additional information in treating of 
Bombay Aloe fibre. This letter was not before you 
when you wrote. The greatest difiBoulty would be 
experienced m obtaining plants of Sissal hemp from 
Yucatan or the Bahamas. We have, however, esta- 
blished the fact, that the true Sissal hemp exists in 
the Turks Islands, dependencies of Jamaica, and also 
in Florida As regards machines there are, no 
doubt, several iu use in dift'ereut parts of the world. 
For instance, in Mauritius they have a very simple 
and apparently satisfactory machine, which has been 
used for several years. This cleans the leaves of the 
Furcroea gigantea. In Yuc-tan they have the Death 
and Ellwood Machiues, I believe, but they also use 
another machiue somewhat similar to the Mauritius 
machines. A full account of this last will appear in 
the Kew Bulletin for May. Whou the subject is sufli- 
cienlly advanced to import machines for cleaning 
Agave leaves on a lar^e scale in India, I have little 
doubt that either the Mauritius or Yucatan machines 
will be found to affinr l adequate results, or failing 
these, there is a new machine brought out by the Death 
Fibre M .chine Company which is said to be a great 
improvement on all former machines.” 
Since Mr. Morris’ letti-r was received, the Kew 
Bulletin for May is to hand, with a description by 
M. de Obazal of the machines ii ed in Mauritius for 
cleaning a'one fibie. Th.- subject will receive careful 
attenti' n, as there can be no d mbt thar. in many parts 
of the country the species of A'>ave, common in India, 
conld be made to yield handsome returns, as it will 
thrive on land unsnited for ordinary crops. One of 
the members of the Society’s C.imrnittee remarks as 
follows about the fi’ re. tf this plant: — ‘‘Aloe fibre 
becomes more valuable when the price ot Maaiila 
hemp is high, and th- re is more fluotui'tion in Manilla 
hemp than any other fibre. It is not merely supply 
and demand but, being a '-eiirralized and compara- 
tively small business, it , 1 s a tavou ite for speculation, 
and the price is furced up oi teii 50 per cent., suddenly. 
It has so happened for the .ai-t wo years. Just now 
the price is low. It is wheu t e pric of Manilla 
hemp rises so high from specu nti n, that other fibres, 
such as aloe, are more m d-.-mami.” 
No doubt with a large st- ndy supply of the fibre 
existing in the country, special use.c- would be found 
for it. Messrs. Hartun & Co. of Calcutta, produce a 
very lasting and neat matting, somewhat like coir, but 
finer, from this material, samples of which will be Sent 
to Kew to show wh it is already done m the country 
with hand cleaned fibre. 
In connection with the subject of aloe fibre, read 
the following letter to the D puty Secretary from 
Messrs. Smith and Neale, Bridgeport, Connecticut : — 
“ I have seen an article written by you copied in 
the “ Scientific American ■’ relating to Pine-apple fibre, 
I am thoroughly posted on fibre machinery, and could 
get yon up a simple and good machine for get iug 
the fibre out if the leaf in an expedi ious manner; 
so it would be iu gooel shape to be fed into drawing 
frames and cards. I can make the machine small and 
light running, so it can be worked by hand or foot 
power, horse power, or steam power. It would be 
necessary for me to know the extreme length of the 
leaf, and if I had a small quantity of the leaf, I 
o.iuld run it thriugh the mach ne and send it on to you. 
I understand it cught to go through green so as to 
save the fibre. I think I could build a light ruuuing 
foot power machine that would turn out 250 lb. per 
day, liackles in good shape for the Drawing Frame.” 
Ill acknnwledgiiig Mr. Neal’s letter, ho was informed 
that thou ’li the Society was not prepared to buy tlie 
machine, lhai should he send one for trial, it would 
ho carefully tested, and a full report sent to him. 
