1 Jan., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 45 
Tropical Industries. 
RAMIE CULTIVATION. 
We abridge from the Tropical Agriculturist (Colombo) the following some- 
what conflicting estimates of working expenses and profits of a ramie 
plantation :— 
Mr. L. Wray, junr., prepared for the Perak Government all available 
information respecting the yield per acre, the cost of harvesting and preparing, 
and finally the value of the result. He finds the mean yield of fibre per acre 
to be 1,173 Ib., and of ribbon 1,656 1b. Then, as to cost. Very little is to be 
found in any of the accounts of ramie of the cost of the cultivation. It is 
variously stated that one coolie can keep in order 2 to 8 acres of land, but 
there is nothing on which to base an estimate of the cost of harvesting and 
preparing the crop. 
Taking two coolies to 5 acres and the wages at $9 per month, the cost per 
annum is $4:3°20 per acre, and per ton of ungathered ribbon $58'45. Considering 
that 15 tons of stalks have to be treated by acre, Mr. Wray does not think 
that less than $20 could be allowed per ton of ribbon. This would bring 
up the cost of the ribbon to $78°45 per ton, or $57°98 per acre. 
There are then supervision, manure, rent, duty, and buildings. The least 
that can be allowed for this is $10 per acre per year. Taking a 500-acre estate, 
this would be made up as follows :— 
Rent at 50 cents per acre ... on RES 250, 
Supervision, $800 per month on ... 8,600 
Manure re an ¥ aa ow 500 
Upkeep of buildings sa oe ox 250 
Duty on 369°5 tons, at 23 per cent. ay, 623 
$5,223 
The final cost of the ribbon would be $91:97 per ton, or $67:98 per acre. 
Summing up as to result, Mr. Wray is not encouraging :— 
Dr. D. Morris, the assistant director of the Royal Garden, Kew, in a 
lecture delivered on the 80th November, 1896, gives the price of ribbon as £8 
per ton in London. It does not appear that more than £7 ($67-20) per ton 
could be reckoned on; and as, by the above estimate, it would cost to grow and 
prepare $91:97 per ton, it would appear that there is a loss of $477 per ton, or 
$18°30 for each acre of cultivation. 
A reply to Mr. Wray’s report came from Mr. E. Mathieu, of Singapore, 
who quotes actual experiments made for two years at Buitenzorg, Java, under 
the control of the director of Botanic Gardens :— 
One bhow (1% acres) gives four cuttings in one year, weighing in 
the aggregate 34,000 kilos (74,800 Ib.) of green stems without 
leaves and topped. ; 
j One acre gives 42,800 lb. stripped and topped, 
