52 Fibres of the Ha'ccaiiaii Islands. 



species of its genus. The plant is a shrub of from four to eight 

 feet in height which is found sparsely throughout the deep ravines 

 of all these Islands. Olona is greatl}- prized by the natives and its 

 fibre is of extreme tenacity and value, resembling in most chara(5ter- 

 istics the remarkable ramie or China-grass. A varied assortment 

 of native products of this fibre are in this Museum, chiefly in the 

 form of fishing nets, differing greatly in design and size. The 

 smaller ones were used by hand, and the largest for encircling large 

 shoals of fish which were enclosed from canoes. The natives prefer 

 olona nets to any of foreign manufacfture. 



Olona does not occur in sufhcient quantities indigenously to 

 permit its being gathered profitably in commercial quantities. 

 There is no doubt that a ready market at high prices awaits this fibre, 

 as its wonderful qualities render it invaluable in special instances. 

 In the time of Kalakaua it was sold to European Alpine clubs and 

 was in great request on account of its extraordinary tenacity. The 

 plants are best cut when a little over a year old and their thick 

 stems stripped of the loosely adhering bark. The natives spread the 

 ribbons of bark on a long, narrow board and scrape away the ex- 

 traneous pulp with a blade, usually of tortoise bone, shaped like a 

 broad chisel. Olona flourishes best in a deep shade with hardly 

 any clearing, so that the plant might be easil}- propagated at small 

 expense in most of the woods which occur at a sufficient altitude — 

 from I GOO to 5000 feet being the most suitable height. An advan- 

 tageous combination of the olona and ramie industries could be made 

 by planting the latter in open fields and the former in the uncleared 

 woods. The adaptability of machiner}- for both of these fibres, and 

 its comparative cheapness make such a venture accessible to small 

 farmers. Ramie, olona and coffee culture may fitly be classed 

 together and termed white man's industries. They furnish an 

 economic foundation for his existence and prosperit}' and flourish at 

 altitudes which afford a salubrious climate. If these Islands be at 

 all destined to become a white man's country such industries as 

 these must be given most earnest attention. Experimental planta- 

 tion of olona is being made in many of these Islands, particularly 

 in the woods of Olaa, and samples of the stem, bark and fibre have 

 lately been forwarded for examination to the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment at Washington. 



