11 
** Pita de Guataca.— This plant grows wild in the greatest 
abundance, in the vicinity of the village of Guataca, in the 
province of Carthagena, where its leaves attain a length of 
nine to twelve feet, and a thickness of three to four inches. 
These leaves are linear-lanceolate, with recurved spines along 
the margins. The fruit is a triangular one-celled capsule, 
with few seeds. The leaves exceed in length those of the 
Bromelia Penguin, and of the Bromelia Karatas, both com- 
mon plants in the West Indies ; but in length and strength 
of foliaceous fibres, the Pita de Guataca excels both. It 
was introduced into Jamaica in 1831, with the view of pro- 
pagating it in the dry sandy savannahs of that island, which 
are at present uncultivated and unproductive. This fibrous 
substitute for hemp is preferred to common hemp, on account 
of its superiority in lightness, strength, and Wiss 
especially under the influence of water or moisture. In 
point of offal, compared with common hemp, the advantage 
is enormous in favour of the Pita hemp. 
* It has been calculated that three tons of Pita will make 
as much cordage, sail, or other cloth, as fifteen tons of 
undressed hemp. In 1834 the quantity of hemp and flax, 
from Russia into England alone, was estimated at 25,000 
tons; by substituting Pita, at least 74,000 acres of the 
actual wastes of the West India colonies would be put under 
lucrative culture. As to the difference in weight, between 
equal bulks of Pita and common hemp, Dr. Hamilton has 
ascertained it to be one-sixth in favour of the Pita ; and 
hence, taking the weight of the standing and running rig- 
ging of a man-of-war made of hemp at twelve tons, a reduc- 
tion of two tons in the top weight would be effected by the 
substitution of Pita. Under the operation of the emanci- 
pating laws in the British West Indies, the white planters 
will be forced to propagate fibrous-leaved plants on their 
poorest soils, especially because in their preparation for 
market, horse power can be substituted more profitably and 
certainly for human power. Doctor Hamilton supposes this 
Pita de Guataca to belong to a genus between Guzmannia 
and Pourrettia. He speaks also of another plant, called 
Pita de Sola, which grows in large quantities at Sola, is 
probably a species of Agave, and yields coarser, browner, or 
inferior fibres.” 
B. February, 1839. d 
