70 
Siipplpmenf  to  the  “ Trnpicat  Af/riciilfinv'ftf.” 
[July  1,  1891). 
Prevention  of  fnielty  to  Animals  is  up  and 
doing  in  Colombo,  I trust  vre  nlay  conlidently 
look  forward  to  some  reform  in  this  mattt<r. 
K T.  IIOOLM 
Bomb^w,  9th  May,  189o. 
TllM  RIIKA  PlBUK  PLANT, 
The  genus  IJoehmevia  is  re})resente<l  in  Ceylon 
by  more  than  one  species,  />'.  nutlnhurica-  (the 
Sirdialese  Maha-diya-dnl ) being  a recognised  libre 
plant  common  in  Ceylon  and  used  by  the  natives 
for  making  tishing  .lines.  Regarding  the  genus. 
Dr.  Watt  says  : “ All  the  species  of  Bot  hmeria  re- 
ceive popularly  the  name  of  Rhea  or  grass  cloth 
fibre  plants,  and,  indeed,  the  bushy  or  herbaceous 
members  of  two  or  three  other  allied  genera  ecpially 
fall  within  that  de.'ignation,  since  they  all  yield 
delicate,  white,  silvery  and  e.vceedingly  strong 
fibres.  1 1 seems  likely,  however,  that  true  Itlnai 
lilne  is  the  produce  alone  of  11.  'Sirea!' 
A trial  of  the  IMiea  or  Ramie  lU)r(!  plant  is  now 
in  progress  at  the  School  of  Agricnlture,  Colombo, 
from  cjittings  imported  from  Calcutta.  We  also 
hear  of  an  agency  having  been  established  in 
Colombo  for  a Rhea  Fibre  Company  in  England,  and 
that  already  some  gentlemcTi  (in  the  interests  of 
this  Compe'i)y  we  believe)  have  been  prospecting 
for' land  of  an  extensive  acreage  in  the  Hayigam 
Korale.  In  view,  therefore,  of  the  local  interest 
that  has  begun  to  be  evinced  in  Rhea,  we  append 
a short  account  of  the  cultivation  of  the  plant 
based  on  the  article  in  Watt’s  Dictionary  of 
Economic  Products  : , , 
The  rhea  plant  is  exceedingly  hardy,  and 
thrives  in  almost  any  description  of  soil.  But 
preference  should  be  given  to  a rich,  light,  sandy 
loam  well  workeil  and  snfiiciently  shady.  'J’he 
subsoil  should  be  good,  as  the  roots  penetrate  Pi  to 
1 I inches  deep  in  search  of  nutrition. 
Cl, mate. — I’or  profitable  working,  a situation 
.should  be  chosen  which  would  promote  the 
uuickest  growth  of  the  stems,  and  yield  the  greatest 
niimber  of  cuttings  with  the  best  (piality  of  fibre. 
\ situation  fulfilling  the.se  conditions  would  most 
probably  be  found  in  a tropical  climate  with  a 
moist  atmosphere  and  fairly  good  rainfall.  It 
would  succeed  in  almost  any  part  of  the  tropical 
plains  of  India. 
of  tfiG  Soil. — Tiie  laiio,  if  not  natiir- 
ally  rich,  shouhl  be  manured  : it  should  also  be 
plounhefl  to  a considerable  dejith,  and  tilled 
licrhUy  so  ns  to  remove  the  wiaals.  Furrows  or 
small  trenches  :5  feet  apart  sliould  then  lie  made, 
and  the  land  kept  ready  to  receive  rhea  roots  or 
cuttiims  bv  the  end  of  the  rainy  sea.son.  An 
analysis  of  rhea  shows  that  tha  most  favourable 
manure  should  contain  nitrate  of  soda,  sea-salt 
ID®-  - • •, 
and  Cave  of  the  (h-(>p.~  is  easily 
^crated.  It  grow'S  readdy  from  root  or  stem 
ms  and  from  seed.  Suiiposiug  the  mode  of 
gation  by  root-cutt  iugs  to  be  ailojited,  th«' 
/lateral  shoots  with  their  root.s  shmdd  be  cut 
A planteil  in  furrows  befoie  the.  enil  ol  the 
season,  to  a dejith  of  d inches;  a little 
mav  be  necessary  should  the  weather  be 
It  would  be  found  tli.it  plants  will  grow  rapidly 
lieiidit  of  d or  d feel  ; that  the  roots  will  be- 
.stronger  evei  v year,  the  plant  being  peren- 
nial. The  first  crop  may  be  ready  in  tw’o  month.s 
from  the  date  of  planting  out,  especially  in  favour- 
able situations.  There  are  many  advantages  in  a 
rhea  croi> ; it  is  jierennial,  and  does  not  therefore 
retpiire  to  be  renewed  every  year.  It  resists 
variations  in  temperature  owing  to  the  roots 
penetrating  into  the  sub.soil.  Year  by  year  the 
roots  spread,  becoming  stronger  and  more  pro- 
ductive. The  crop  is  never  destroyed  by  cater- 
jdllars  or  other  insects,  owing  to  the  ((Uantity  of 
tannin  wdiich  the  bark  contains;  and  lastly,  three 
or  four  cuttings  may  be  taken  off  the  same  ground 
every  year.  But  it  lui.s  a serious  advantage  in 
that  it  is  one  of  the  most  exhausting  crops  known, 
re((uiring  the  land  to  be  left  fallow  before  anything 
else  can  lie  put  on  the  same  field  after  the  removal 
of  the  cro]). 
Outthuj  the  lihea. — Some  experience  is  necessarj' 
to  decide  the  right  time  for  cutting.  Asa  general 
rule,  care  should  be  taken  to  eft'ect  the  cutting 
before  the  plant  becomes  covered  wdth  a hard  or 
woody  bark,  the  formation  of  wdiich  is  indicated 
by  the  green  skin  turning  browm,  the  discolaration 
commencing  at  the  bottom  of  the  stem.  A practical 
way  of  finding  wdiether  the  plant  is  ready  fof 
cutting  is  to  pass  the  hand  down  the  stems  from 
top  to  bottom.  If  the  leaves  break  off'  crisply,  a 
crop  of  cuttings  may  be  taken  oft'  the  plants.  Dr. 
Forbes  Watson  says  that  the  plants  are  ready  for 
cutting  wdien  Bo  to  4 ft.  high.  “If  the  length  is 
not  more  than  '2  feet,  the  fibre  is  very  fine,  but  the 
chances  are  you  get  more  w'asle,  and  not  such  a 
good  percentage  of  fibre.  In  the  long  stems  the 
fibre  is  not  so  fine  as  in  the  medium  ones.”  Care 
should  be  taken,  however,  not  to  remove  more 
than  can  be  treated  for  extraction  of  the  fibre 
within  the  21  hours.  “ Experience,”  says  Mr.  Theo. 
Moerman,  “ has  enabled  us  to  establish  tlie  fact 
that  the  fibre  of  the  second  cutting  is  superior  to 
the  first,  and  that  in  every  instance  it  is  preferable 
to  ent  the  stalks  before  the  plant  fiowers  and 
before  it  is  completely  mature  in  order  to  obtain  a 
finer  and  softer  fibre.” 
Outturn. — Dr.  Forbes  Watson  says  : “Estimates 
have  been  made  shewdng  that  you  could  get  40 
tons  per  acre,  but  1 think  these  require  to  be 
verified  before  we  can  accept  them.  Anyway,  1 
do  not  think  we  can  conclude  for  the  present — 1 
hope  1 shall  be  mistaken — that  each  crop  will 
yield  more  than  2d0  lbs.  jier  acre-  You  may, 
therefore,  obtain  B crops  or  even  4,  in  the  year, 
wdiich  would  bring  it  to  1000  lbs.  jier  acre.”  But 
the  outtuin  is  variou.'-ly  estimated  by  dift'erent 
authorities  tpioted  by  Dr.  Watt  in  his  Dictionary  of 
Economic  Products.  In  a pamphlet  on  Ramie 
issued  umh'r  t he  authority  of  the  Dei>artment  of 
Agriculture  of  (pieensbind,  we  read  “ under  favour- 
able circumstances  an  acre  will  produce  40  cvvts., 
but  BO  cwts.  is  regarded  asau  average  crop." 

POULTRY  DISEASES. 
If  fowls  are  kept  clean  and  well  jirotected  from 
wdnd  and  r.iin,  and  are  not  over-fed  but  given 
e((iial  quantities  of  both  soft  and  green  food  and  a 
regular siqiply  of  pun>  water,  they  wdll  not  often 
get  sick  unless  disease  is  introduced  through 
infection  or  contagion.  When  a low  1 contracts  dis- 
ease, it  is  best  as  a rule  to  kill  it  before  it  gets 
wor.ee  and  communicate  it  to  other  birds  of  the 
Hock.  In  c.ases  of  valuable  animals  attempts 
must  necessarily  be  made  to  cure  the  disease. 
