The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 6
5. Indian Forest Fibres.—
5. Indian Forest Fibres.—
Green Yield. | Bleached. | |
---|---|---|
Per cent. | Per cent. | |
1. Bauhinia Vahlii; excellent strong fibre; hemp character and tough | 60 | 54.7 |
2. Bombax malabarica; coarse, harsh, woody; tender and short, bleached | 48 | 37.5 |
3. Butea frondosa; very coarse and woody; rotten and short, bleached | 56.25 | 37.5 |
4. Careya arborea; coarse, rather harsh and woody; somewhat tender, bleached | 47 | 45.3 |
5. Eriolæna Hookeriana; very strong but harsh; better felting properly than 8 to 12 | 50 | 42.8 |
6. Ficus benyalensis; fairly strong and fibrous; rather tender, bleached | 61 | 54.7 |
7. Ficus infectoria; good, strong, and fibrous; fair quality, bleached | 51.7 | 51.5 |
8. Grewia tiliæfolia; strong harsh, wiry, hard; same bleached | 50 | 43.7 |
9. Helicteres Isora; very strong, green; better than 8 and 10 to 12 bleached | 68.8 | 61 |
10. Stercalia colorata; similar to 8 and 11; harsh and wiry | 60.7 | 59 |
11. Sterculia wrens; similar to 7; rather better | 59.3 | 47 |
12. Sterculia villosa; similar to 8, 10, and 11 | 60 | 51.5 |
Of these fibres, No. 1 is decidedly best, possessing the characteristics of strong linen rags, i.e., of coarse flax and hemp; the raw bark is worth 7l. to 8l., possibly 9l., per ton; the bleached stock 20l. to 22l.
"No. 7 is the next best bark, worth 6l. to 7l. per ton raw. None of the others are of much value for white papers, excepting, perhaps, Nos. 5 and 9; say 5l. to 7l. for No. 5, and 5l. to 6l. for No. 9. It would, however, be necessary to make a practical working trial, that is, to make paper from all of them (excepting No. 1) before pronouncing positively as to value. No. 1 I believe fully worth what I have appraised it at."
"All of these raw barks required a very large dose of bleach to bring them to even the low colour they are. No doubt opening them out by willowing or teasing them, both before and after boiling, would materially improve them. I do not consider, with the exception of Nos. 1 and 7, it would pay to import them from India."