THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
877 
June  i,  1897.]' 
Of  course  I ruled  that  tlie  debt  had  been  paid  ; 
but  luy  decision,  though  acquiesced  in,  was  con- 
sidered by  the  kanganies  as  liard  lines  on  the 
usurer  ! Une  of  the  most  suceessful  head  kan- 
ganies I ever  knew  charged  his  coolies  15  per 
cent  ])er  annum  on  their  debts,  and  kept  his 
books  perfectly. 
In  the  Ceylun  Observer  of  2nd  April  you  have 
a column  keaded 
‘ ' COOLIKS— COOLl  KS—  COOLIES. ” 
When  things  arrive  at  such  a pitch,  surely  the 
P.  A.  can — and  should— take  the  matter  up  and 
legislate  for  itself  and  its  members  at  all  events. 
In  1879  it  reduced  wages  and  head  money  all 
over  the  country,— why  not  tackle  advances  in 
1897  ? 
“ Eveiy  member  of  this  Association  j)ledges 
himself  to  reduce  his  outstanding  advances  as 
speedily  as  possible,  and  in  future  never  to  have 
on  his  books  advances  at  a liiLdier  rate  than  1120 
per  head  of  his  total  labour  force.”  I maintain 
that  this  is  quite  feasible.  Let  “ Jack  Campbell  ” 
thus  signalise  his  first  year  of  office  and  earn  the 
gratitude  of  his  brother  jilanters. 
WILD  MAN  OF  THE  WOODS. 
THE  TREATMENT  OE  RAMIE  OR 
RHEA  FIBRE. 
(To  the  Editor  of  the  Ilritish  Trade  Journal.) 
SiK, — I am  exceedingly  pleased  to  gather  from 
F.  C.  T.’s  letter,  dated  Foochow,  December  18th,  1896, 
that  the  Ramie-growing  district  of  China  is  likely 
to  be  opened  up.  China  is  a grand  field  for  ramie, 
rhea,  or  China  grass  culture.  We  should  be  pleased 
to  open  up  with  any  capitalists  willing  to  start  a 
plant  in  China.  We  should  recommend  the  degum- 
ming  process  to  be  carried  on  whilst  the  ribbons  are 
yet  moist.  We  are  willing  to  provide  decorticating 
machinery,  degumniing  plant,  and  teach  our  process 
of  filassing  to  a substantial  company,  and  take  our 
payment  in  shares. 
We  could  supply  our  patent  machinery  in  any 
quantity,  and  would  undertake  to  act  as  brokers  or 
contract  for  the  material.  There  are  many  advant- 
ages in  filassing  on  the  estate  before  the  gum  has 
time  to  harden  : — (1)  It  is  much  easier  to  do  ; (2)  The 
quality  of  the  fibre  is  better;  (3)  There  is  a great 
saving  m freight. 
We  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  F.  0.  T.— Your 
faithfully,  Edwards  Eadclyffe. 
(The  Ramie  Syndicate,  Ltd.) 
(To  the  Editor  of  the  British  Trade  Journal.) 
Sir, — I have  worked  for  years  at  rhea.  I have  spent 
therein  thousands  of  pounds.  My  work  and  my  money 
have  brought  me  the  clear  conviction  that  if  a 
machine  is  used  to  treat  rhea,  the  result  is  a 
damaged  article.  If  chemicals  of  any  kind  are  used, 
the  result  is  equally  fatal.  The  time  within  which 
the  damage  will  declare  itself  is  uncertain,  but  it  is 
latent,  and  will  become  active.  Therefore,  I have 
adhered  to  my  system  of  hand-labour,  and  of  exclud- 
ing the  use  of  any  acid  or  caustic,  relying  for  my 
solvent  on  water  only,  used  according  to  my  patent 
process,  as  described  in  paper  enclosed. 
Thus  oiily  can  the  cultivation  of  rhea  be  carried 
out  by  small  proprietors  so  as  to  give  them  a crop 
which  will  be  more  remunerative  than  any  other.  The 
decortication  of  rhea  is  specially  suited  to  small  culti- 
vators, because  women  and  children  do  this  work 
better  than  any  machine,  because  by  hand-labour  the 
whole  of  the  fibre  is  obtained,  and  nevertheless  the 
cost  is  less  than  that  of  any  machine  I know  of.  My 
subsequeni  treatment  is  of  the  simplest  kind,  and 
should  be  compared  with  the  skilled  labour,  the 
chemical  knowledge  and  manifold  displacements 
required  by  processes  involving  the  necessity  for  ex- 
pensive plant  and  experts  to  control  it. 
1 write  with  confidence  respecting  decortication, 
SbS  a company  of  which  I was  one  of  the  largest  share- 
holders imported  from  China  hundreds  of  tons  of 
rhea  ribbon  decorticated  by  the  use  of  water  only 
(in  the  form  of  condensed  steam),  and  they  arrived 
perfect  in  quality,  and  w'ith  every  particle  of  fibre 
left  intact. — Yours,  &c  , Edward  Casper. 

PLANTING  NOTES. 
Mr.  Ja.s.  a.  Gammie  of  Mungpoo,  Darjiling-', 
who  did  so  much  in  the  early  days  of  tlTe 
cinchona  enterprise  in  promoting  cultivation  and 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  alkaloids  for  the  Indian 
Government,  is  about  to  leave  India. 
Central  Travancore:  Peermaad,  9th  May. 
— Weather.-  Rainfall  for  April,  4'25.  Rainfall  for 
year  to  date,  10-50.  CVo/w.— Tea  flushing  hard. 
Every  available  cooly  on  plucking.  General 
Health. — Good.  jL«6o;(r.--8omewhat  short. 
Planting  Opinion,  Dlay  15. 
The  RiieaIibre  TreatmentCo.  has  appointed 
Messrs.  A.  Whitly  & Co.  Sole  Agents  in  Ceylon 
for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  any  rhea  ribbons 
that  may  come  into  the  market.  We  hope  there 
will  soon  be  an  appreciable  .supply.  Ceylon  can 
grow'  any  quantity  of  rhea  or  ramie. 
Coffee  in  Brazil. — A statement  has  been  for 
some  time  current— says  the  latest  iffo  paper— 
that  another  important  coffee  plantation  in  Sao 
Paulo  has  been  .sold  to  foreigners,  the  price  men- 
tioned being  £-20‘>,000.  As  the  reports  are  con- 
tradictory, we  have  been  waiting  for  details  and 
names,  but  thus  far  without  success. 
IV  AM  IE. 
Ai.  ininaciougn  in  ins  Jecturc  on 
Ramie  at  the  Society  of  Arts,  tried  hard  to 
steer  clear  of  controversial  matter  ; but— says  the 
London  correspondent  of  The  Indian  Engineer— 
in  the  discussion  that  follow-ed,  the  advocates  of 
the  various  .systems  went  at  it  hannner-and-ton<T3 
and  were  only  stopped  by  the  merciful  time 
limit,  or  they  w'ould  have  been  still  going  at  it  now'. 
Coffee  Planting  Progre.ss  in  Sumatra  — Our 
correspondent  writes  Here  (district  Serdang) 
all  arc  busy  planting.  Two  years  ago  there  were 
3 coilee  estates  in  the  district.  Today  there  are 
7?  'f  There  is  a 
Loliee  planters  Association,  one  of  whose  rules 
is  a hne  for  non-attendance  unless  a proxy  or 
excu.se  for  ab.sence  is  sent  !”  ^ 
Cocoa  and  the  Broker.s. — Some  weeks  a<^o 
w'e  had  occasion  to  point  out  how  the  price  of 
coftee,  among  other  products,  could  be  .sensibly 
raised  by  direct  sale  to  the  large  grocers,  instead 
of  through  the  usual  channel  of  public  auction 
This  IS  what  the  Produce  World  says  on  the 
matter  rs  regards  cocoa In  proof  of  what 
we  have  written  in  luevious  numbers  that  there 
surely  remains  yet  something  to  be  done  in  the 
matter  of  bringing  the  planter  and  consumer 
more  directly  into  touch  with  one  another  it 
may  be  noted  that  a company  has  lately  started 
with  the  idea  of  selling  to  the  consumer  at  the 
lowest  iiossible  prices,  reports  that  they  have 
been  successful  in  placing  among  other  article 
cocoa  at  the  rate  of  84s  to  85s  per  cwt.  of  identis 
cally  the  same  quality  as  that  which  has  been 
ollered  and  sold  at  the  public  auctions  in  Min 
cing  Lane  at  as  low  a figure  as  50s.  Undoubtedlv 
there  are  many  difiiculties  the  company  referred 
to  will  have  to  encounter  before  they  are  iblo 
to  get  this  method  of  trading  into  an  easy  style 
of  working  It  nevertheless  shows  quite  cleaHy 
that  the  mi.  dlemen  are  to  a very  great  extent  to 
be  dispensed  with  entirely,  and  we  beg  to  tender 
our  heartiest  congratulations  to  the  Gompanv 
in  question  on  their  new  method  of  sale. 
mg  Opinion,  May  15. 
