, 1894-09-08
RHEA FIBRE.
I West India and Commercial Adrort''6r.)

In the field Of manufacturing enterprise
there has been no element 30 alluring' 80 IAN
talizinc and 80 disappointing hitherto, as the
nroblems connected with the attempted INTRO
duction of Rhea, Chinese grass. or Kamle' as
the nlant is variously known, into industry
M a textile staple. AS was stated III an ar
ticle that appeared here some years age,
.rTha nroblem to be solved is how to extracs
the fibre from the cortex Of this plant IN
sncb q wov as to free it from a peculiarly Wis
cons cum or Juice which enters very largely
into the composition of the plant Many
efforts have been made to deal with this re-
fraotorv substance, some of these beng Oh LILO
nature of chemical processes, others moohanl-
cal. Maceration in water, 30 lmpor0Sl1 "
process in the preparation OF TAX, seems 20
be imperative as regards the desired emu OK
the Kidding the fibre of its gluUinous matrlx'
Undoubtedly rhea fibre of a bsautlfu' IusCro"S
nnalitv. Of its full length OF about nine
inches has been produced, from when atone
and in combination with other staples, CeA'lio
fabrics of splendid quality have Deeh m~h"'
featured. But these efforts have been more
properly Of an experimental than OF q strl|'iy
commercial nature. The perfect mao hlne mas
vet to be invented and many skilled meohShl-
clans have busted and are busylng themselves
after the ideal solution. UP Till no" ! . JUL
not be said that the greatly deslreu ~
has been attained, and the comp@raUV1 A~.i"
nf tbo machine invented by Mr.. Death, from
,shioh go much was hoped, leaves the oesl-
deratam of a perfect decortcS''nb ~
"a vet msuppliod. The fibre has been pro-
drcod certainly. but the vital economic oondl-
ton Of #, being laid down ready for mannfac-
ture at ANYTHING approaching paying" terms
has never yet, so lar rs we arc 7""l0' Jun
even approximately fulfilled.
As to the value of the fibre when delivered
in a condition fit for the manufacturer ana MS
sn;nninq and weaving machinery there Is no
donbt at all. In an article extracted IN tnS
nonor q short time ago entitled Fortunes Tor
Tnrraptors" "a Manchester cotton manufacturer
j. stated to have said to the writer OF hat
article .'Yes there is q huge future awaiting
the man who can extract and prepare Tor
manufacture the fbres contained In this
mann" The threads are as fine as silk,
and can take. it 10 declared, dyes OF faster
and moro lustrous colour. The remarkable
thine about the fibre is its tenacity, In which
respect it is superior to cotton, and two or
three times as strong as fax. or hemp. a
woven fabric of this fibre is light and dura-
HE. and the staple will mix well with other
staples, such as cotton. The Chinese have
made considerable use of the fibre in what /"
called Chinese grass cloth or Chinese
silk.
n 10 claimed for a process of a chemical
nature that has just been brought to notice
that the problem has really been thus SOW
ed. and that the fibre ian at last be turned
out for the market cheaply and without re-
course to expensive mechanical methods. AS
to this contention it is entirely for the eracti-
o,l men who may be consulted to say, and no
doubt any process which would by it. pratt
cal tested value, encourage ramle and it's
wholesale export from this Colony would GER
tainlv benefit local trade immensely. The
soil of the island is poor, many plantations
have fallen out of cultivation and the desir-
bility of once more bringing waste or aban-
doned land under a paying cultivation needs
no pointing out Particularly when the %oultiva-
ton IS that of an indigenous plant that -four
shes like a weed, aud unlike other plants
such us coffee, tea, etc., needs no coolie Ia
bour to tend it. Without going into details,
it NAV be- mentioned that in Watts Dction-