The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1885-06-11
Nnt4ln-Cloth.

and savage races nc ItlBlltN AAfae ~ "SNAN
= ke q large building to hold it. Although
series Of fibre-vielding plants would be much
less in number, the list would still be . long
one. provided we knew all those in use by
savaCe tribes. Very few of these, however,
are extensively used for clothing. Putting
aside wool and silk, which are animal pro-
ducts. we have only cotton and fax of prime
Importance Hemp Of fine quality is largely
grown in Italy, and there woven into cloth Tor
ordinary purposes; but as yet this use OF hemp
in oti.r civilized countries appears to be limit
ed. though the fibre is everywhere employed
for cordage. With the exception of jute, which
s chiefly made into coarse fabrics, all other
vegetable fibres believed to be suitable for i'm
portant textile industries may be said to be as
vet only on their trial But number-such
as the so-called New Zealand fax PhorDaiuan
feaar,) Manila hemp MuSa tertitS,l pine
apple lBr0metia usaRaS,) American aloe
l5qgUe ABiericga,) and some yielded by GER
tain species Of palms-are known TO possess
very valuable properties. We have omitted
10 mention any members Of the Nettle tribe
to which, however, the hemp-plant is closely
allied-as We propose to say few special
words about them.
Growing both wild and cultivated in suitable
Localities scattered over large area IN South
eastern Asia, there is species OF nettle to
which a peculiar interest is attached. The
reason Of this is that the liber or inner side of
its bark Yields fibre exceAing every other
derived from the vegetable kingdom for fine-
ness, strength, and lustre combined. In China,
TINS fibre is called by uglish-speaking peo-
pie, China grass: in India it is called rhed;
and in the Malayau Archipelago by the name
Of raHlis. IL was sometime before botanists
discovered that the material which was kn own
IN co umerce by three different names was the
produce Of the sane plant-a stingless nettle.
For more than half a century, mucn attention
has now been devoted TO the Urticd RiUsd or
Bgima-fa airsd Ia newer name,) as the
China grass plant is called in scientific Ian
guage. Long in use in China and Japan for
making ropes and Cloih-much of the latter
being of very fine quality-it was introduced
into England for manufacturing purpose soon
after Mr. Fortune the well-Rnow botanlst re-
turned in 1916 from his travels in China.
Small quantities had, however, been sent to
England long before this. Even as early as
1910. some bales of the Indian-grown fibre
sere received at the India House, London,
and its great strength 1t a ropemaking mater
ial ascertained. Indeed, it is stated on high
authority, that this fibre has been in use in
the Netherlands since the sixteenth century.
In Messrs Marshall's great hax-mill at
Leeds, China grass was spun to come extent
for about ten years after 1851, and its snow
white silk yarn is more or less constantly in
some kinds Of Bradford fabrics. But unlike
the jute fibre, which has created in the course
OF . single generation gigantic industry,
the trade in China grass has scarcely advanc-
ed at all The value Of the latter is admitted
on all hands; there is practically an unlimited
demand for ii; plenty of it could be grown in
India, and yet it is not cultivated to any ex-
tent. This is solely owing to the great amount
Of manual labor required to separate the
fibre and bark from the stem, and then the
itfe from the bark, no machine having been
yet invented which will do this at once eff
hcienily and cheaply.
The Indian government have long been vex-
ed that the latent wealth of the plant yielding
this much-prized rhea fibre cannot be realized
In 1853 they offered a prize of five thousand
pounds for the best, another Of two thousand
pounds for the second-best machine which
would separate and prepare the fibre, at a
cost Of fifteen pounds per ton in India, in such
a way that it would fetch fifty pounds, per
ton in England 1t may here be mentioned
that it sometimes sells as hight as eighty
pounds per ton, aud even higher; while the
highest price for jute rarely exceeds twenty
five pounds, and for fax of fine quality, forty
pounds. Naturally, the Indian administra-
tion hoped that the offer of these handsome
puizes would bring forward as competitors
some OF the abest machlnists in Europe. Bnt
whether it was owing to the inherent Difficult
ty OF the problem, TO the expense of taking
out heavy machines to India, or to that apathy
with which it is frequently said we in this
country regard everything IN India, practically
nothing came of the competition. Mr. John
GreiE OF Edinburgh sent a machine for trial
which so far met the conditions that lie re-
Ceived a douceur of fifteen hundred pounds.
About thirty competitors applied to have their
machines tried; but eventually Mr. Greig alone
put in an appearance. 1t was found that by
his method it cost fully fifteen pounds per
ton to prepare the fibre in India; aud when
this was sent 10 London, it was valued at only
twenty-eight pounds per ton.
In 1876. d. Forbes Watson-one of a
small band Of scientific men who have
done much to bring under notice the in
dustrial resources of suggested
that, In order to save the expense of
freight, trials of machines should be made
ID England instead of India Green stems
of the plant grown in the south of France
were promised for the purpose; and to
wards the end of that year, several inyen-
tors had entered their machines for com
petition; but owing to unforeseen difficult
ties, ii was found impossible to hold the
trials Unwilling to abandon the hope of
attaining their great object, the govern
ment of India issued new notification to
inventors in 1877. This time the prizes
offered were five thousand pounds for the
best, and one thousand pounds for the
second-best machine or process for pre-
pairing rhea fibre which would be worth
forty-fye pounds per ton in London, at a
cost of not more than fifteen pounds per
ton laid down at any port of shipment in
India. The trials having been arranged
to take place. as before. at Saharanpur
in September 1879, ten competitors ap-
peared; but only seven had their machines
tested. When the fibre prepared by each
arrived in London, it was found that the
highest value put upon any of the sam
Piles was twenty-six pounds per ton. Ac-
cordingly, none of the competitors could
claim the full amount of either of the
prizes; by Messrs Van der Ploeg and
Nagoua, two textile machinists well known
on the continent, were each awarded FIVE
hundred pounds, and Mr. Cameron one
hundred pounds. On the failure of this
second competition, it was determined not
to renew the offer of prize until it could
be proved by private enterprise that the
rhea plant could be cultivated with pro
fit in India. The unfavourable reports on
the best samples prepared at the second