. Dec. (, 1897.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
405 
[We are obliged fco our correspondent ior his 
interesting infoimation : we must aw.ait our ‘ topi- 
cal inde.’c ’ to be able to say readily wlint is in 
the 16 volumes of the T.A- Niecner takes no 
notice of locusts. — YiO.T.A.^ 
RAMIE CULTIVATION -.—FACTS 
FIGURES. 
AND 
. Dessford, 16th Oct. 
Sir,— In the Observer of the 12th instant, (see 
page 330) there was a long and interesting article 
on the prospects of Ramie cultivation in Perak. 
I quite agree with the writer that the exag- 
gerated reports issued by Companies and individuals 
with a patent i rocess or machinery for sale, have 
done much to retard progress in this product, 
so far as Ceylon is concerned. 
In comp .x'ing the three estimates, Mr. Wray 
shows a loss on cultivating “ Ribbons,” Mr. E. 
Mathieu a profit of dollars 102-30 per acre for 
“ China grass,” and Mr. MacDonald a profit up 
to £50 per acre for “ Filasse.” These estimates 
are based, apparently, on experimental plots in 
various parts of the Straits and must be con- 
sidered far from final; still, surely there is room 
for encouragement to persevere with the cultiva- 
tion, if only experimentally. 
The late local syndicate gave as their reason for 
ceasing operations, that the product was so hedged 
about with patents that they were afraid if they 
grew it on a large scale, prices Avould be 
such as to preclude all chance of profit. A few 
years ago “China grass” was £22 per ton, whereas 
now it is about £.35 per ton, and the annual 
consumption has reached over 2,000 tons spread 
over the Continent, England and America. This 
hardly looks as if the price was being driven down 
by holders of patents. 
There has been an endeavour to interest plan- 
ters to grow “ Ribbons,” but seeing “Ribbons 
lose 60 per cent in treatment, whereas “ China 
grass ” loses only 30 per cent, it will be seen 
that in this country of high freights, the former 
has not much chance, except when the cultiva- 
tion is in an experimental stage. 
It must be remembered that in dealing with a crop 
of 20 tons of green stems j)er acre that 80 per cent 
is water ai d another 15 or 16 per cent is woody 
matter and leaves, which can be returned to the 
soil, leaving only from 4 to 5 per cent or 16 to 
20 cwt. per acre taken out of the ground. 
Let any planter with suitable land try an acre 
or two experimentally, and nxake his crop into 
“ Ribbons” which requires no machinery. He will 
then be able to see it there is sufficient encour- 
agement to go into the matter on a larger .scale 
and lay down “ Plant ” for either “China grass 
or “ Filasse.” 
Finally, to quote Dr. Morris, of Kew, in 189.3, 
the total value of fibrous material imported into 
the United Kingdom was £50,002,244, of which 
£5,357,968 vas received from British possessions 
and £44,644,279 from foreign countries. These 
figures speak for themselves and surely heie is 
a possible chance of a remunerative low-country 
cultivation instead of increasing our acreage 111 
tea.— Yours faithfully, ED. ROSLING. 
Colombo, Oct. 19. 
SiRj — I have read with much interest Mr. Ros- 
ling’a’ letter in your impression of the 18th. It is 
quite refreshing to read a letter on this subject trorn 
one who undoubtedly understands the matter and 
looks at it from a practical point of view. 
Mr. Eosling, I am glad to see, is backing up tue 
advice I have offered to such of the planters as 1 
have had the pleasure of meeting over here^that is 
to experiment. I have sug.-estei two acres as a 
suitable area to put under cultivation as this will 
enable them to check what the Observer ca'ls my 
exaggerated figures. If they fiud in Ceylon that they 
cannot get more than 20 tons of stems free from 
leaves an acre, I should advise them to stick to 
their tea as 20 tons per acre will not pay. Calculat- 
ing the filasse at 2| per cent, it will only produce 
11,0001b. which at IJd per lb. would fetch about £20. 
This £20 has to bear the whole of the expense of 
cultivation, treatment, freight, etc., etc., and would 
leave the planter a mere pittance. Get 40 tons per 
acre and Ra.iiie begins to pay well, but nothing 
under 30 tons will pay. 
Another thing for the planters to bear in mind is 
that the only way to make Ramie pay is to decorti- 
cate and degum on the spot and send the resultiug 
filasse to London. When once this is done the days 
of ribbons and chena grass are numbered. Who will 
pay £35 per ton for chena grass when it takes three 
tons to make two of filasse. Hence each ton of filasse 
costs £42 lOs. to which you have to add the cost of 
steam, English labour, rent, taxes and chemicals. 
British manufacturers will readily welcome Ramie 
filasse, and it will soon create such a demand as to 
increase its price, and for a reasonable crop £42 per 
ton pays well, but there is no reason why £30 per 
ton should not be obtained for small parcels of a few 
tons. 
My firm do not sell our patented machines. 
We either supply them at cost price or supply work- 
ing drawings, from which planters can have their own 
plant erected by any local firm. It may, however, 
pay them to have the machinery through us as our 
manufacturers have the patterns, and they would, of 
course, get the benefit of this, added to the fact that 
we should test any machines before leaving. We 
look to our profit when the planter makes his and 
not before. We then take 25 per cent, of the net 
profits, and undertake the sale of the filasse which, 
of course, it is our interest to see fetch the highest 
price and keep the market up. 
I am writcing a handbook to planters, with full 
in.structions for planting and treating the fibre, which 
I shall be happy to send to your readers if they 
will apply to the office of my firm, 39, Victoria 
Street, Westminster, London, S. W. — I am, eto., 
J. M. MACDONALD. 
Dear Sir, — Don’t you think, Mr. Editor, you 
have misapprehended Mr. .MacDonald’s figures on 
Ramie somewhat, when you express a doubt 
“ whether 20, 13, or even 10 ton.s of yield of fibre 
per acre, per annum will ever be gathered con- 
tinuously for any number of years over an ap- 
preciable area in Geylon ?” The crop which Mr, 
MacDonald estimates, on the basis of expo '- 
ence at the Straits, is “ 78 tons of stems pei acio 
per annum.” The sterns include leaf, stick and 
fibre — as they do in Cinchona and Cinnamon, tlie 
hark, leaf and wood ; and he proposes returning 
to the soil all that can he returned, save the 
fibre. Mow, the fibre he calculates at only “2^ 
to 3 per cent of the crop.” It would, perhaps, 
be more correct to say that the crop is 2J to 3 
per cent of the cntiings, as what is thrown away, 
heeanse useless, can scarcely be called crop ! 
Well, 2g per cent of 80 tons will he only 2 
tons ; and even that at £42 per ton ought to 
satisfy the average investor, assuming that the 
fibre can be laid down in Dundee at l^d a lb. 
Of course, I venture no opinion on the figures, 
or on tlie investment. I only draw attention to 
the confusion that has evidently arisen from speak- 
ing of the waste proilucts as croji, and to the 
difference oetween stem and fibre. — Yours truly, 
FLANTEk. 
[We are under no niLsapprehension as. to Mr. Mac- 
Donald’s figures ; but doubt their realisation 1., 
