66 
Fibrous Products in 
[February, 
“ To Cut the Rhea. — It is fit for cutting when the stems 
become brown for about 6 inches from the root, holding the 
top stalk in the left hand, and with the right hand strip off 
the leaves, by passing it quickly down to the roots, and cut 
off with a sharp knife, taking care not to injure the hairy 
work of the roots, as these should he covered up quickly to 
ensure rapid growth. Then lop off the tender stalks, and 
make up into bundles of 200 to 250. 
“To Strip off the Bark and Fibre . — The operator holds the 
stalk in both hands nearly in the middle, and pressing the 
forefinger and thumb of both hands firmly, gives it a peculiar 
twist, by which the inner pith is broken through, and then, 
passing the fingers of the right and left hand alternately 
towards each end, the bark and fibre are completely sepa- 
rated in strands. 
“Making up of the Bundles . — The strands of bark are now 
made up into bundles of convenient size, tied at the smaller 
end with a shred of fibre, and put into clean water for a few 
hours, which he thinks deprives the plant of its tannin or 
colouring-matter, the water becoming quite red in a short 
time. 
“ Cleansing Process . — The bundles are put on a hook 
fastened in a post by means of the tie at the smaller end, 
at a convenient height for the operator, who takes each 
strand separately of the larger end in the left hand, passes 
the thumb of his right hand quickly along the inner side, 
by which operation the outer bark is completely separated 
from the fibre, and the riband of the fibre is then thoroughly 
cleansed by two or three scrapings of the knife. 
“ This completes the operation with a loss of about one- 
fifth [should be .about 95 per cent] . It is then dried, and 
is fit for exportation, but the appearance of the fibre is im- 
proved by a night’s dew or a shower of rain.” 
The requisition to cut open and strip as much as possible 
China grass, in order to expose it to the aCtion of water for 
the purpose of dissolving the gummy compounds which bind 
the fibres together, and this before they have become dried 
by sun and air, is absolutely necessary, otherwise — if these 
and also colouring-matters are not completely removed before 
drying — the fibrous parts become stiff, coloured, entangled, 
and useless. But when properly prepared the most beautiful 
fabrics can be manufactured with its fibre, and it is much 
coveted by our cloth manufacturers to strengthen the frame- 
work of the finest cloths as well as coarsest “ shoddy,” but 
the price demanded by the Chinese does not permit its gene- 
ral use. And it is noticeable that in limited quantities it 
