ExporimAit-al working with Hheea from Algeria shows that two men can clean 
from 30,000 to 40,000 stalks, averaging .3ft. Sin. to 4ft. in length, and weighing 
about 1101b, per 1,000, say from U- to 2 tons, w] 
at 3 per cent, from 100 to 1351b. of dried Fibre. 
..4 ,, ,, 135 to ISO,. 
,, 5 ,, ,, 170 to 22* „ 
These ascertained facts show clearly the capacity of the Machine for dealing with a 
very, considerable bulk of material, as well as the dependence of the out-tnm upon the 
per centage of Fibre existing in the plants operated upon. 
An important result of the special action of the Machine is, that there is very little 
or no waste of Fibre, whereas in some existing processes the loss of Fibre is equivalent - to 
more than the whole cost.of working ibis Machine. 
The Machine when properly worked, thoroughly cleans the Fibre, which in the 
growing plant is u ually of a pure natural white colour, and removes a large proportion of 
the gum,'which in the case of Hheea is reduced to from 5 to 10 per cent, as against 25 
to 30 per cent, usually found in hand prepared China Grass. Xo further operation 
whatever is necessary beyond careful drying and baling, the Fibre being in the condition 
most suitable for t ransport and sale. 
8< >KTLNG.— Regularity of quality being a great desideratum, the material, whether 
leaves or stalks, must be as uniform as possible, when operated upon—in the. case of 
Hheea, etc,, the stalks should be cut of same length—witli'Agave, Aloes, Vine Ypple, etc., 
the leaves should be sorted, and each length separately worked and its Fibre kept distinct 
afterwards ; and with those plains v hero there is a material difference in the quality of the 
Fibre, between the inner and outer leaves, each quality should also be kept separate. 
With Hheea—instead of cutting down the whole growth three or more times yearly 
—frequent cuttings may be made of the-stems as they attain a certain standard height, 
say 3ft. 3in. to 4f t., leaving the smaller ones— thus an almost continuous crop may be 
secured of uniform quality, and the Machines kept more regularly employed. 
■h should produce 
per day of ten hours for each 
single Machine. 
1 IKYING-AND BALING. — As the Fibre leaves the Machine, care should be taken 
to keep the butt ends quite level, placing the Fibre upon a wicker tray ready for removal 
to the drying shed. 
In drying, there is a natural tendency to twist or curl, which should be prevented 
as much as possible; to obtain the best result, drying mmt not be done too rapidly , as this 
causes loss of strength by rendering the Fibre harsh and brittle. When the air is very dry, 
water may have to be occasionally sprinkled on the Fibre; on the other hand, when the 
air is very moist, artificial means of drying will have to be adopted. 
When the Fibre is quite dry, it should be made into beads or small bundles,' say not 
exceeding Sin. or -tin. in diameter—secured by a slight strand of the Fibre itself, about bin. 
from the butt ends, which should be kept' level—there must he no knots or twists in the 
bundle, which will involve labour or loss of time in undoing— the bundles maj be doubled 
as required to fit into bales, of 2cwt. to 3cwt. each, which may bo pressed without injury. 
Iron bands are apt to injure the Fibre by rust, unless the bales be carefully covered. 
Strong rope or fibre bands are preferable, and when used bales may be sent without 
covering except where colour is very white, but a slight matting or gunny to exclude dirt 
is generally advisable. 
It is in all cases necessary to sort the Fibre before baling, and to adopt standard 
marks, the quality of which should always be maintained as uniform a.s possible. 
( os I Oh \Y OL.lv! NG. — The cost per ton ([dry weight) of extract ing and cleaning 
Fibre by this Machine will be mainly determined by the.rates paid for labour and fuel; 
the facilities, climatic and otherwise, of drying: fhe percentage of Fibre in the material 
operated upon, and the dexterity of the labourers employed; all these conditions may 
vary'in different, localities and with different plants. 
F i *?•/&> 
