their produce seemed to be more than enough to meet the require- 
ments of Mr. RADCLIFFE’S friends. 
7. In using my figures, apparently as an argument to persuade 
the planter to shut his eyes, open his mouth and see what the 
spinner will put into it, Mr. Fadci.IFFE quotes the hypothetical 
value of an acre’s production, i.e. £iS 13^4^. and naively asks 
“what other crop produces it”? He has failed to notice the little 
items of expenditure that must be set against it. 
8. 1 question if it would pay to open land kw Ramie only in 
this country— even assuming that degummers are willing to buy 
it on the spot at the rate of four pence a pound for the resultant 
iilasse. Until the Ramie spinner backs his oft-expressed opinion 
that it is equal (if not superior) to flax, by offering a similar price 
for it, the “King ‘of Fibres” is doomed to the humble position 
;at best) of a supplementary product or catch crop. 
9 ; Chinese methods of production might be adopted by our 
natives, were it not for the fact that the Malay can earn enough 
in a day to keep himself for a week, by other occupation. 
10. While 1 still retain the highest opinion of the potentialities 
oi Ramie fibre and believe it will ultimately revolutionise the textile 
industry, I cannot recommend the Government to fritter away 
public funds in any experimental work, until evidence is forth- 
coming that Ramie spinners are prepared to take a practical inter- 
est w the venture. 
Jugka Estate, 
April gill, igojf. 
Cveil E. S. Bax ex dale 
VANILLIN 
Imperial Institite, 
i South Kensington, London . .S’. //.) 
Memorandum or the Manufacture and Production of Vanillin 
and its employment as a substitute for Vanilla . 
Vanillin is the constituent to which Vanilla owes its aroma and 
flavour It was discovered ir. 1858 by COBLEV, and was snbsconent- 
> investigated by a number of chemists, notable by Tteman who 
lrn . V r, pa red it artiheially Irom Coniferin, a trlu coside fcu-id in 
certain coniferous plants. Since that time a large number of 
havUhiFr ? . rtl<,claI Preparation of Vanillin on a commercial scale 
hav< bw * devised. The first of these to meet with coranmrdnl 
success j De La|re (En?|ish pateats; :Sgo No ™“J 
stance^to which who uscd ^ a starting point eugenof the sub- 
L AiKF’S nr b u d .° Ves owes characteristic odour. De 
‘ Clther 1 ln T l ts ori S inal form or slightly modified, 
weaker, in France by Df Laire & Co., and hi Germany by 
