MANILA HEMP. 269 
extreme fineness. For these purposes they fell the tree by the 
root, or close to the ground, and cut off the upper extremity or 
head at the time when it is about to produce fruit, removing 
also the leaves. 
The layers of the tree or plant are torn off one by one; and 
the fine skin from their inner surface is removed with a knife, 
which every Manila man carries in a sheath in the waist-string of 
his trowsers, like many of our sailors. The layer or roll, when 
stripped of its skin on the inner surface, is torn into strips of about 
two finger’s breadth. One of these strips is placed on a plank or 
rude table, the inner skinless surface next the table, on which it. 
is pressed by the sharp edge of a knife; of course the knife may 
be held by the hand; but an easier way is to fasten it to the table 
with a string, where the blade joins the handle, and the end of the 
handle being pressed up by a piece of bent bamboo, performing 
the office of a spring, the sharp edge presses against the outer or 
skinned surface of the strip on the table, with sufficient force to 
cut through the soft fleshy substance, though not so strongly 
. as to wound or sever the stringy fibre. The layer or strip of the 
plant being held down to the table by the sharp knife-edge, the 
workman grasps the end next him and pulls it towards him: I 
can best explain the degree of force necessary, by saying, that when I 
tried it I had to exert my strength, an easy pull did not suffice. The 
pulpy substance remains on the side of the knife away from the 
workman, who draws the clean fibre towards him. When entirely 
pulled through, he changes it, end for end, grasping the cleaned 
fibre and drawing towards him underneath the knife the portion 
first held in his hand, which in like manner on being pulled 
towards him becomes cleaned fibre. If not sufficiently cleared, 
the process is repeated a second time, which however is unusual. 
The specimen of hemp now produced is long, and well cleaned, 
consequently of good quality. It was made in my presence 
and partly with my own hands on the occasion described. The 
hemp of commerce is often shorter, from the convenience (for 
carriage &e.) of cutting the stem of the Musa plant into two 
or more: lengths; rather than keeping it so long as felled. 
. VOL. vi. 26 
