(b) When dressing fibre for their mats, the natives take more time and trouble : the fibre is soaked in water for 4 days, and then beaten with a stone or mallet ; this is frequently repeated for 4-5 weeks or longer, weakening the fibre, but making it very soft and durable.
(a) The fibre is stripped from the leaves, and then allowed to dry, before the "scull," or adhering matter, is scraped off; it is not touched with water. The result of this is that the fibre is harsher, and not so silky, but sufficiently white. This plan is adopted only when water is not at hand.
(d) The tihore fibre is simply torn out from the leaf, rubbed between the hands to open the bundles, and scraped with the nails to remove the tissue.
Only those mussel-shells with a straight edge can be used for stripping. After 2-3 days, the shell becomes too smooth for stripping, and is then used only for scraping off the scull. The fibre is stripped out much easier when the stalks are dry. The natives select only fully matured leaves, which are quite perfect, and show no signs of decay. It is probable that an average day's work of the native women does not exceed. 2 lb. of clean fibre. It is evident, therefore, that native hand dressing is out of the question for preparing the fibre on a commercial scale, hence a number of machines have been invented for the purpose.
Improved Methods.—The methods devised by Colonial and European machinists can be con sidered as improvements solely on the score of increased rapidity of production, the object being to turn out a large quantity of fibre fit for rope-making, whereas the native-dressed fibre is applicable to fine textiles.
The machines chiefly used are of three kinds, known respectively as Fraser's, Price's, and Gibbons'. They are identical in principle, and vary only in the matter of detail. The leaf is held between horizoutal feed-rollers, revolving at a certain speed ; as it passes out in a crushed state from them, a drum, armed with beaters on its circumference, and revolving more rapidly than the feed-rollers, strips the epidermis and vegetable tissue away from the fibre, means being provided for adjusting the drum to a proper distance from a roller, bar, or other contrivance, against which the leaf is stripped, so that neither may the leaf pass through uncrushed, nor the fibres be cut. Vulcanized
indiarubber cushions, or steel springs, are placed over the journals of the upper feed-roller, so as to accommodate the varying thickness of the leaves. The quality of fibre produced much depends upon the shape and speed of the beaters, but more upon the ease and accuracy with which the machine can be kept adjusted. The proportion of leaf loft undressed is governed by the firmness, with which the feed-rollers grip the thin end of the leaf, and the distance between the point where crushing takes place and that where the leaf is held.
Gibbons' machine is illustrated in plan in Fig. 691; notions of the working parts are shown in Figs. 692 and 693. The beating-drum A is provided with angular beaters a, so arranged as to allow one edge 1..c preference, the thin one) t6 be constantly acted upon, before the thick edge comes into contact with the beaters : this is accomplished by inclining the beaters in one direction to the axis of the drum, but all running parallel, which allows them to be placed nearer to gether. The beat ing-block or anvil B, by which the stripping is effected, consists of a round iron bar, with four sided elide, which can be shifted so as to expose four different surfaces to the beaters as each is worn out; it is then rejected, and a new one is put in. The bar may be turned round while the machine is in motion, and is adjusted by pinching-screws. The feed-rollers C are deeply and sharply fluted, and hold the leaf firmly to the tip.
Fraser's machine presents the following differences in points of detail :—(1) The heating-block is replaced by a thick plate, rounded at the end, which is slipped under the feed-rollers ; the back of the plate has a flange, which is pressed forward by two screws against indiarubber, which pushes the plate back when the screws are loosened. The adjustment is easily made by the feeder. (2) The worn-out plate can be withdrawn, and another substituted, in a few seconds, without stopping the machine ; and the old plate can be re-ground.