THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
7*9 
April t, ,i8g8.] 
Kamie grows rapidly when there is sufficient moisture, 
but is of stunted and slow growth when opposite 
conditions prevail. When one of these conditiocs 
follows the other in the same growing crop the fibie 
is adversely affected, for in the after-process, to fit 
it for spiniug, the chemical treatment, necessary to 
reduce the hard and stunted growth, to the condition 
of spinable fibre, may wholly disiutegate the structure 
of the fibre, in the softer or free grown portion of the 
stalk, and great waste and loss ensue. Therefore, 
where lengthened droughts are likely to occur, means 
of irrigation must be provided. 
Crop. — One acre of land should produce at least 70 
tons of stems (stiipped from leaves) per acre. This 
means that each coolie will have to cut and bundle, 
on his two acres under cultivation, about 1) cwt. of 
stems (weighing say G ounces each) per day, and 
reckoning 313 working days to the year, 
Decortication. — After cutting, the next operation 
is to decorticate the stems and separate the fibre. 
One battery of decorticators will treat the produce of 
200 acre=. This battery is placed in the centre of e ch 
200 acre block, so as to minimise the transport 
of the stems. 
Degumming. — The fibre produced by the decortica- 
tors, is embedded in a mass of gum, and resinous 
matter, insoluble iu water, which must be removed 
before the white filasse suitable for textile purposes, 
can be obtained. It has therefore to be sent to the 
degumming shed, where by means of a chemical 
process, the cleaning is effected, and a beautiful white 
fibre obtained ; it is then dried and packed for 
export. 
An estimate of Plant and Machinery to treat the 
produce of 400 acres under cultivation, amounts 
to £3,050. 
This plant will produce about two tons of Filasse 
per day. The estimate does not include the cost of 
erection, which will naturally vary, according to the 
situation of the estate, and the labour available. 
Estimate of Cost of necessary Machinery for 
treating the product of 1,000 acres — is 
PLANT AND MACHINERY. 
Decorticators, 5 Installations of £. s. d. 
40 Drums, with 5 12-h.p. En- 
gins . . 
, , 
3,000 
0 
0 
One Degumming Plant 
. , 
1,000 
0 
0 
Steam Boilers and Engine 
1,600 
0 
0 
Soaking Tanks 
. , 
250 
0 
0 
Chemical Tanks 
250 
0 
0 
Water Tanks 
100 
0 
0 
Steam Pump and Appliances 
100 
0 
0 
Loading Crane, Weighing 
Machinery, &c. 
• • 
500 
0 
0 
Fittings for Treating Sheds 
Steam Barrel, Steam Valves 
and 
250 
0 
0 
Fittings 
150 
0 
0 
Belting 
say 
100 
0 
0 
Baling Machinery 
500 
0 
0 
Freight and Sundries 
say 
350 
0 
0 
7,550 
0 
0 
The above machinery will produce 74 tons per day 
of cleaned filasse. This estimate does not include 
fitting and fixing, for the reasons stated above. 
TABLE OP COST, INCLUDING FREIGHT, (tc. 
Assuming the product to be oue-and-a-half tons 
per acre per annum on 1,000 acres, the following table 
will show at a glance, approximately, the price of 
e '.ch ton Filasse according to the cost of labour, the 
I :htv figures remaining constant. 
£ 
4 i 
s. tl. S. s. (1. £. s. cl. 
031 13 9148 
0 6 3 2 6 1 19 3 
106 19 9384 
1 6 8 17 1 4 17 5 
£. s. cl. £. s. d. 
2 9 0 2 10 0 
2 12 10 2 10 0 
3 0 7 2 10 0 
3 8 6 2 10 0 
? p. 
1 
Ill 
£. s. cl. £. s. cl. 
0 16 10 8 14 3 
0 16 10 11 1 4 
0 16 10 1,6 15 6 
0 16 10 20 9 10 
The Brokerage and Landing Charges have been 
laken at the sale price of £42 per ton, which sum the 
Filasse will readily obtain in the English Market. If 
a higher price is secured, of course this item will be 
lucreased. 
Terms.— The above Machinery is supplied on condi- 
tion that 25 per cent of the net profits is paid to 
Messrs. Macdonald, Boyle cSr Go. by way of royalty, 
and in all cases, before the inadiiaery is supplied’ 
the purchasers will have to enter into a contract to 
that effect. One third cash is payable with the order, 
and the balance when the machinery is packed ready 
for export. , v 
Tha lociil .Agents Mes.sr.s. Lee Hedges & Co., 
advei li.88 that they are ready' to supply copies, of 
the paiii[)iilet. 
indiaU patents. 
APPLIC.mONS FOR THE UNDER SPECIFIED INVEN- 
TIONS HAVE BEEN MADE. 
12th February, 1898, 
No. 45. — G, F. lir. Horbury, M, Inst. C.E., Bombay, 
for an improved latrine for natives. 
No. 47.— J. S. E. Lumsden, office of Accountant 
General, Military Department, for an automatic 
machine for pulling punkhas. 
No. 48.— Khetter Mohun Kurmokar, of Alipore, and 
Annada Prasad Mukerji, of Kidderpore, for an im- 
proved motor for actuating punkahs and other similar 
purposes, to be called a “ powerball," 
No. 49. — J, L Spoor, Madras, for the manufacture 
of cement. 
,, No. 50. -Charles James Dear, of London,, for an 
unproved machine for the breaking, scutching, de- 
corticating and like treatment of ramie and other 
fibrous plants. 
No. 55.— Dosabhai Khurshedji Eadan, Bombay, for 
an improved machine for extracting fibres. 
No. 5G. — .John James Muraland, Bombay, for an im- 
proved latrine seat for the use of natives of India, to 
be called “ the Aryan latrine seat.” 
19th February, 1898. 
No. 64. — John Kiel Tulis, of Glasgow, for improve- 
ments in treating hides and skins. 
No. 66. — John MoDonueil, Ceylon, for improvements 
in apparatus for keeping tea-leaf cool during the pro- 
cess of rolling by machinery. 
26th February, 1898. 
No. 71. — William Martin, Agra, N.-W.-P., for a com- 
bined plough suitable for ryots in India. 
4th March, 1893. 
No. 79. — Heinrich Ludwig Verwohlt, of Java, for im- 
provements in ynd relating to machines for the treat- 
ment of Liberia coffee beans . — Indian and Eastern 
Engineer. 
“ The Agricultural Gazette ” of New South 
Wales. Volume IX. Part 2. For February, 1898, 
has the following contents ;— The Making and Im- 
provement of Wheats for Australian Conditions ; 
T.’he Economic Feeding of Working Horses ; B.ac- 
teriology in Helatiou to D.i. ryiiig, ^v,ith a contrast 
between European anil Aa-tra!ian methoiibi ; Notes 
on Pest,.s^aud Crops; Some Tools useful in F.xperiiusiit 
Work ; l-ruits at 5Vollongbar I' xnerimcnt Facin ; Tiia 
.Vu-;trala.siau Fruit Ca-ie ; lireediug and D.^i'u iug Ducks ; 
Tue '. or '.loatiug and :g iu Prui .-s ; 
l-!aiis ... 111 ! Ions ol a Small I 'u .-uia. •. ■ ; 
Be,..-, aiui Il.jw L ■■ itJiiuc.ge lium — li ; Bee '.■ai..-u- 
dar for March ; Oicharci Notes for Maich ; Practical 
Vegetable and Flowers Notes for March ; General 
Notes; Replies to Correspondent!; List of Shows 
for 1898 ; Label for Specimens. 
