﻿PLANT 
  INDUSTRIES 
  313 
  

  

  great 
  strength. 
  The 
  banana 
  leaf 
  and 
  stem 
  and 
  the 
  pineapple 
  

   leaf 
  produce 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  most 
  highly 
  valued 
  fibers 
  for 
  cordage. 
  

   These 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  fibers 
  may 
  be 
  woven 
  into 
  mats 
  or 
  cloth, 
  

   and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  dress 
  goods 
  and 
  fancy 
  articles 
  are 
  made 
  

   from 
  pineapple 
  fiber 
  (Ananassa 
  sativa). 
  Doubtless 
  the 
  long 
  

   list 
  of 
  plants 
  known 
  to 
  produce 
  valuable 
  cordage 
  fibers 
  and 
  

   materials 
  for 
  weaving 
  might 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  materially 
  by 
  a 
  

   thorough 
  study 
  of 
  our 
  wild 
  plants. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  fiber 
  plant 
  is 
  cotton 
  (several 
  species 
  of 
  

   Grossypium). 
  1 
  Some 
  of 
  its 
  varieties 
  are 
  grown 
  in 
  almost 
  every 
  

   tropical 
  and 
  sub-tropical 
  country, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  income 
  

   it 
  is 
  to 
  our 
  southern 
  states 
  what 
  corn 
  is 
  to 
  the 
  central 
  states, 
  

   and 
  wheat 
  to 
  the 
  northwest. 
  Within 
  the 
  seed 
  pod 
  of 
  cotton 
  

   the 
  seeds 
  are 
  surrounded 
  by 
  long 
  white 
  fibers 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  

   most 
  valuable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  Other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  

   have 
  great 
  value, 
  however, 
  since 
  the 
  seed 
  yields 
  oil 
  and 
  meal 
  

   and 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  yields 
  fiber 
  and 
  cellulose 
  which 
  ife 
  

   manufactured 
  into 
  a 
  long 
  list 
  of 
  commercial 
  products. 
  As 
  an 
  

   agricultural 
  plant 
  cotton 
  presents 
  its 
  own 
  set 
  of 
  problems 
  re- 
  

   lated 
  to 
  soil, 
  moisture, 
  cultivation, 
  and 
  diseases, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  

   these 
  problems 
  are 
  just 
  beginning 
  to 
  be 
  solved. 
  It 
  is 
  doubt- 
  

   ful 
  if 
  any 
  other 
  staple 
  crop 
  has 
  such 
  great 
  possibilities 
  of 
  

   immediate 
  increase 
  through 
  scientific 
  study 
  of 
  its 
  growth 
  

   and 
  productivity. 
  

  

  In 
  temperate 
  regions 
  the 
  hemp 
  plant 
  (Cannabis 
  sativcC), 
  flax 
  

   (Linum 
  usitatissimuni), 
  and 
  jute 
  (Corchorus 
  capsularis) 
  are 
  

   much 
  grown 
  for 
  their 
  fibers. 
  In 
  tropical 
  countries 
  man/!<t 
  

   hemp 
  is 
  made 
  from 
  fibers 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  stems 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  bananas 
  (Musa 
  textilis). 
  Sisal 
  is 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  

   a 
  century 
  plant 
  {Agave 
  rigidcf). 
  Two 
  varieties 
  of 
  Agave 
  rigida 
  

   are 
  cultivated 
  for 
  this 
  use, 
  and 
  several 
  other 
  varieties 
  are 
  used 
  

   locally 
  wherever 
  they 
  grow 
  wild. 
  The 
  list 
  of 
  plants 
  produc- 
  

   ing 
  valuable 
  fibers 
  is 
  a 
  long 
  one, 
  and 
  those 
  given 
  above 
  are 
  

   merely 
  the 
  leading 
  ones. 
  

  

  1 
  rt 
  The 
  Cotton 
  Plant," 
  Bulletin 
  9, 
  Vol. 
  27, 
  N.C. 
  Agr. 
  Exp. 
  Sta., 
  1906 
  ; 
  " 
  A 
  

   Profitable 
  Cotton 
  Farm," 
  Farmers' 
  Bulletin 
  364, 
  U.S. 
  Dept. 
  Agr., 
  1909. 
  

  

  