374 Af/ricid/ural Gazette of N.S. W. [Hay 2, 1908. 



Wliilc the raspador is said to liavo lieeii siqiorsedcd on sonic ])laiitatioiis, it is more or 

 less generally used at the present time for exti-acting the immense (luantities of Sisal 

 liemp exi)orted. 'I'he average work of one maciiine is claimed to be 7, OUO leaves per day, 

 with two feeders or operatives. 



For the following inteiesting parti<ulars I am indebted to Mi'. Stoddart's pamphlet : — 



Bar/a^sp . The bagasse or refuse from the leaves must be taken away by eart to some 

 distance from the works, and should not be thrown around trees nor beside plants, which 

 are of service, as it very soon kills them : no grass or anyrhing else grows whore tliis 

 refuse is put ; it destroys for a long time all vegetation, until its power gets woi-n out. 

 It must not be made intc) heaps, but spread out thinly to get '\vy, so as to be burnt. 



JJrj/iiif/ the FiJjrc. — The fibre is, immediately after extraction, taken and hung on the 

 drying-stand, where it is allowed to remain in the sun' and attended to by turning until 

 perfectly dry, which occupies only a couple of hours. If the state of the weather pre- 

 vents the fibre from being entirely dried in the sun, it must be ))ut in the drying-house ; 

 in ease of rain, the ])roper etloit must be used to secure all tlie fibre in the house liefore 

 the downfall, as rain-water will so injure it by discolouring as to make it unfit for sale, 

 resulting in loss. Artificial drying is necessitated when the work goes on, and no chance 

 of having the fibre sun-ilricd in coiise(|ueiice of the inclemency of the weather during long 

 rainy seasons. 



Bhachhig. — The colour of the fibre, after being dried in the sun, is of a light straw or 

 cream, but where the planter desires to improve this and to put his hemji in the market 

 purely white, in or<lei- to gain fame, he may ado])t the t'ourse of hleaeliing. This is done 

 by first having the fibre perfectly sun-dried, and then allowing it to remain on the stanil 

 all night to get the dcM" on it, and during the next day until it gets entirely dry and free 

 from all dew by means of the sun, not omitting to turn constantly ; recjuires pa'-ticular 

 care and attention. This ])rocess causes a shrinkage, making it weigh less than it does 

 when cured in the ordinary manner. 



lUiIing. — This is conducted in the following manner: — The exact weight of fibre for 

 one bale, according to the caj)acity of the press, is first weighed off'; this is done with 

 each successive bale, to have uniformity of weight. One or two hands get in.side the 

 press, and the fil)rc is handed to them by one or two others, laying it out smoothly and 

 straiglitly, and then doubling over about one-third of its length to form a smooth head, 

 which must l)e ]>iit tUish to the head of the jiiess, the long ])ortion going the length-way : 

 the packers standing on each layer in succession until finished, making it one l)ulk 

 tlirougliout. It is then screwed down, lordcd aci'oss tightly with small cords made from 

 the same hemp, and ultimately thrown out. The baling must not be done by simply 

 flinging in the fibre, making hills and holes, but neatly packed in order that the bale may 

 have a smooth and neat a])pearance M'lien turned out, which makes it pass for what it 

 really is, hemp of the first quality— as badly put it)) bales, turned out rough and full of 

 fringes, through their ugly show, although a hemj) of first quality, is put down second 

 class. Instead of a screw press a hydraulic press may be used, M'hicli will be an advan- 

 tage. Any hemp which may, by way of accident, be damaged, either by the leaves 

 remaining too long after cutting to be cleaned, or the fibre getting wet, or otherwise, the 

 conseciuence of over-ripe leaves, all of which will give it s])ots and totally discolour it, 

 must OH no account be ))acked within the l)ale of white hemp, neither must it be 

 made into cordage to cord u]) tlii' bale, as it will in the first place destroy the fame it 

 ought to ha\e, and in the second injure the appearance of it. 



Coining to infurni.ition of ;i more recent flate, in a bulletin published by the 

 Manila Merchants' Association, Manila, Philippine Islands, undei- the h(vid of 

 "Maguey," the following statement is made : — 



Maguey and Sisal hemp are two fibres obtained from eh.sely allied s|)ecies of the same 

 genus of plants. Both Maguey and >Sisal hemp can be profitably' cultivated in nearly all 

 parts of the Philipjjine Islands. Maguey is now being extensively planted in many 

 different provinces, and nearlj' half a million Sisal jilants have been imported into the 

 Islands and planted during the past year. 



'{'he ])roduet ion of Sisal hemp within a ])eriod of comparatively few years, has made 

 Yucatan one of the richest Slates in the Kc])ublic of Mexico. This indiistiy has had a 

 remarkable de\elo|)ment, and the demand for Sisal hemp is steadily increasing. The 

 im])orts of Sisal hemp into the United States, as shown by the following figures, indicate 

 the growth of the industry : 



Imports of Sisal hemp into the United States — 



1894 48,468 tons; value, .S3,74'2,07.S 



1904 109,214 tons : value, S15,<).S.-),.-)5.") 



