798 ON THE VOLCANO OF TAAL, 



being done they split the two halves again as near the middle as 

 as they can. This they leave in the sun two or three days, in 

 which time part of the juicy substance of the tree dries away, and 

 then the end will appear full of small threads. The women, whose 

 employment it is to make the cloth, take hold of these threads 

 one by one, which rend away quite easily from one end of the 

 trunk to the other, in bigness like whited-brown threads, for the 

 threads are naturally of a determinate bigness. As I observed 

 their cloth to be all of one substance and equal fineness, but it is 

 stubborn when new — wears out soon, and when wet feels a little 

 slimy. They make their pieces seven or eight yards long, and 

 their warp and woof all one thickness of substance." (Dampier's 

 Voyages, Vol. I. Ch. xi.) 



Abaca is cultivated in many provinces, but the fibre most 

 esteemed comes from Albay in the south of Luzon, and especially 

 from the towns of Donsol, Sorsogon, Tabaco, Camalig and Quipia. 

 Silk is mingled with the finer kinds of fibre to produce cloths 

 which are called Sinamay and Guinai-as. The hemp banana 

 grows in much abundance in the island of Leyte in the neighbor- 

 hood of the towns of Maasin, Jilongas, Solmo, Carigara, Balobo, 

 Tananan, Calvallo, Catarman, Catubic, Palapag, Besonhem, 

 Guian, Basey, Paranas. Also Cagayan-Chico and Caminguin in 

 the island of Misamis. 



The export of this material after remaining many years of no 

 value or importance to the Spanish colonies, has at last taken its 

 proper place, and from day to day increases prodigiously in value. 

 This is due to the altei'ations of the law of export. The 

 Americans are the principal buyers at present. 



250. MUSA PARADISIACA, L. 



251. MuSA ABACA or MuSA TEXTILIS, L. 



DIOSCOEACE^.. 



252. DioscoREA SATivA, L. This species of yam is widely spread 

 over East Indies and the Archipelago, extending to Australia. 

 There are many species nearly all of which have rhizomes, that is 



