o<  MONTHLY.  tx> 
Vol.  XVI.] 
COLOMBO,  DECEMBER  ist,  1896,  [No.  6. 
RAMIE,  RHEA  OR  CHINA  CRASS 
FAUKE’S  NEW  PATENT  RAMIE  FIBRE 
DECORTICATOR. 
NO  MOKE  KIBKONS  OR  SUilKS. 
r is  claimed  for  this  machine 
that  it  forms  the  connect- 
ing link,  so  long  sought  for 
between  the  grower  of  ramie 
and  the  spinner  and  manufac- 
turer of  the  fibre ; and  that 
its  effect  will  be  to  place  ra- 
mie on  the  list  of  every-day 
textiles  to  be  pro- 
duced and  utili- 
zed without  diffi- 
culty in  any  de- 
sired quantity. 
The  battle  has 
been  long  bet- 
ween the  chemist 
and  tlie  machi- 
nist concernii'g 
the  role  each  has 
to  play  in  the 
production  of  ra- 
mie, and  until  the 
point  has  been 
definitely  settled, 
the  fibre,  i otwith- 
standing  its  mag- 
nificent qualities 
—strength,  lustre 
ductility,  capaci- 
ty for  taking  col- 
our by  printing 
and  dyeing,  and 
for  mixing  with 
other  fibres,  has 
been  under  cloud. 
The  manipula- 
tion of  the  ^sterns 
in  the  dry  state 
so  long  advocated,  has  been  definitely  acknowledged 
to  be  erroneous,  experience  having  proved  that  to 
obtain  the  full  advantages  of  the  many  brilliant  quali- 
ties of  the  fibre,  the  stems  must  be  treated  in  the 
green  state.  The  chemist  has  insisted  that  as  little 
as  possible  must  be  done  to  the  green  stems  by 
machinery,  leaving  the  main  treatment  to  be  carried 
oirt  by  chemicals.  The  machinist  has  retorted  that 
the  fibre  is  seriously  damaged  by  chemical  process, 
which  take  awa)'  its  strength,  its  lustre,  and  its 
ductility,  and  that  therefore  machinery  must  play 
the  important  part ; and  so  for  many  years  the 
battle  has  been  waged,  first  one  side  and  then 
the  other  gaining  the  victory. 
The  problem, 
commercially  con- 
sidered, has  been 
to  obtain  a ma- 
chine, which  can 
carry  cut  eco- 
nomically the  foh 
lowing  processes 
without  damag- 
ing the  fibie  ; 
( o)  Remove  the 
woody  parts  from 
the  green  stems ; 
{b)  Remove  the 
outer  skin  or  cuti- 
cle, which  has  so 
loi  g baffled  all 
efforts,  mechani- 
cal and  chemical, 
to  remove  it ; 
and  (c)  Extract 
as  much  as  possi- 
ble of  the  juices 
of  the  stems,  so 
as  to  simplify 
and  cheapen  the 
degumming  pro- 
cess. The  two 
former  processes 
are  effectively 
carried  out  by 
