OCR Text |
Show Grass Grown in India to Make Match Sticks The fact that lumber for the making of match sticks is becoming scarce in this country lends special interest to a report from British India to the effect that a grass Is bein successfully successful-ly employed there for such purposes. At Sholapur there is a factory that is making match sticks from a growth called Surya grass, abundant in some parts of India. The grass Is cut Into two-inch lengths, winnowed and screened to obtain uniform size, and then boiled In a revolving drum. Twenty-four pounds of Burma parallin Is sufficient for 7.000 boxes of matches. Shaken through a horizontal sifter, the sticks are deposited In horizontal layers, which are secured in a frame fur the dipping of the ends, and dipped in a solution of chlorate of potash, sulphate sul-phate of arsenic, potash of bichloride, powdered gypsum and gum arable. Six pounds of this mixture provide for the 7.000 boxes of mutches. By an Ingenious contrivance some of the closely packed stems are forced forward for-ward in the dipping so as to avoid the sticking together of the compact mass. After drying the matches are packed in cardboard boxes. Materials are so cheap that matches sell for 20 cents a gross. |