VEGETABLE FIBEBS OF PHILIPPINES. 



225 



in a small coastwise steamer to the baling presses and warehouses of 

 Manila and Cetra. 



Maguey, Agave sp. 



Several different species of the genus Agave, including A. Ameri- 

 cana, A. vivipara and J., rigida, are found in the Philippine Islands. 

 Both the plant and fiber are known throughout the archipelago as 

 1 maguey ' ; while the fiber, in the commercial world, bears the name 

 ' Manila aloe.' 



This plant was probably first brought to the Philippines from 



Fig. 1. Stripping Abaca. 



Mexico or Central America; but when, or by whom, there are no 

 records to determine. It is now grown on all of the larger islands, 

 and as a fiber producing plant is next in importance to abaca. 

 Maguey fiber is used locally in many of the provinces both as a cordage 

 and as a textile material. It is produced in sufficient quantities for 

 „ export only in the provinces of Ilocos and Union of northern Luzon. 

 In this district rice and corn are cultivated in the more fertile fields, 

 the stony hillsides and other so-called i waste land ' being utilized for 

 maguey. For several reasons maguey seems destined to become an 

 important Philippine product. It is not seriously injured by the long 

 dry season, it can be successfully grown on ' light/ dry soils, and its 

 cultivation requires comparatively little labor and but few draught 

 animals, all of which characteristics make it eminently suited to con- 

 ditions found in many parts of the islands. 



The maguey plant consists of a short thick stem which bears an 



VOL. LXVII. — 15. 



