MANILA HEMP. 25 



during - the sprouting period. This will be most easily supplied by a 

 layer of stable manure, mixed with leaves, to the depth of a few 

 inches. Over this some ashes should be placed, packing the mass very 

 firm. The bed should then be finished off with sand to a depth of 2 

 inches. The seedlings will make considerable growth in pure sand. 

 and it would perhaps be advisable to transfer them previous to per- 

 manent planting, when the}" attain a height of from 2 to 4 inches, to 

 nursery beds of well-prepared soil. As an alternative, the seedlings, 

 after being exposed to the maximum amount of light and air while in 

 the seed bed for a period of two or three weeks, may be planted out 

 in their permanent quarters during cloudy or even wet weather; that 

 is, if the nature of the soil will permit it. Well-drained soils with an 

 abundance of humus in their composition will not offer any great 

 obstacle to planting even in wet weather, and the plants will certainly 

 benetit by this treatment. 



CULTIVATION IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



r 



In a paper entitled **La culture de l'abaca aux Philippines." by De 

 Berard, published in L* Agriculture Pratique des Pays Chauds. It'll, 

 an account is given of the propagation of the Manila hemp by seeds 

 and its cultivation in the Philippines. The author names the follow- 

 ing varieties grown in the isle of Luzon: Moro Blanco, Moro Negro, 

 Moro Colarado, Turncan ou Mosqueado, Tagacan Blanco, Tagacan 

 Colarado, Bagacayan, and Samina. 



With respect to the climate, it is stated that in order to reach the 

 maximum production there must be considerable humidity. The limit 

 of altitude for cultivation is given at from 300 to 400 yards. The 

 plants are said to be partly grown in the shade of trees having open 

 branches and light foliage, but not near enough to let the roots inter- 

 fere with those of the bananas. The fiber from plants grown in dense 

 shade is finer and longer, but less strong, than that from plants grown 

 without shade; however, the fiber which combines fineness, length, and 

 strength commands the highest price. The land described as best 

 suited for the plant consists of moist but well-drained volcanic soil, 

 mixed with vegetable humus. It is stated that the method by which 

 the hemp plant is propagated in Albay and in South Luzon, where the 

 best fiber is produced, is by seeds and also by division of the under- 

 ground stems. The last method is generally preferred by cultivators, 

 as it entails less work and produces better results. The collecting of 

 seeds is carried on in a careless way by the cultivators of the many 

 small plantations, resulting in great irregularity in the quality of the 

 product, owing to the mixing of strains or varieties in the same planta- 

 tion. In raising- the seedlings it is said that previous to sowing, the 

 seeds are soaked in warm water for several hours, washed, and dried in 



L>.sn44— No. 4*;— 03 3 



