300 



aequilongo, stigmatibus duobus revolutis. Flores masculi 

 numerosi, clianclri, perigonio bipartite extra valde papilloso. 



Sierra Leone. Srnythe, 237. 



from 

 Nos. 15 and 16, September, 1907, 



le East African Standard for May 16, 



XLI.-CULTIVATION OF SISAL HEMP IN GERMAN 



EAST AFRICA. 



The following article on the cultivation of Sisal hemp in 

 German East Africa 

 paper in Der Pfi 

 pp. 229-248. atrnflan 

 1908 : 



In 1893 the German East Africa Company in East Usambara 

 ordered 1,000 Sisal plants from Florida, but only 62 survived the 

 journey. These were carefully tended in the plantation at 

 Kikogwe, and new plants were propagated from them, so that in 

 lbJ» the number had increased to 63,000. In 1899 machinery 

 was introduced for extracting the fibre. By the beginning of 

 January 1900, there were no less than 150,000 plants established, 

 ol wHicfa 4U00 were more than three years old and were ready for 

 cutting. After it had been ascertained, by means of small samples 

 sent tor valuation, that the fibre was of good quality, the first 

 consignment was made in 1900. The following are the amounts 



years' 1 900 to 1906*— ^ ° f ^^ hemp f r ° m Kiko 2 we during the 



Year. 



Amount. 



Value. 



Year 



1900 

 1901 

 1902 

 1903 



• •» 



• • • 



• - • 



Tons. 



45 

 177 

 347 



Amount. 



Value. 



155 



1 ,300 

 5.445 

 9,860 



1904 

 190.-, 



1906 



- • • 



* *• 



• • • 



w 



're riw f or ™Li ^ 1 ' 800 ' 000 P Iants > as ma ny as i' 300 ' 000 

 fibre Tenceth^^if 01 from these were obtained 624 tons of 



number of nlant, 2f* ^ plant was ab ™* " ° Z s. Tbe same 

 25o Z8 pe §£? Tl%V V 905 ' and yielded 887 ton8 > ° r ab °K Ut 



cut, and the e produced 9SfiT e ™ ro «J» 600 ' 0,K) P lante fit t0 *" 

 plant. From thZ . «„ 6 tons of fibre > or about 22 ozs. per 



after reaching thfa^ff ft l u appears P r °bable that each plant, 



an annual yteld of 17 ?n 5^ leaves can be cut f rom ^ wil1 give 

 cultivated plantation *** ?"*<** of fibre, and that in a carefully- 



v^t^mTiX^ t t^t [r ^ of the total numbe l° f 



necessary. From 1 oSa^ , g lf re P l ' i nting is carried out where 

 annually, a crop of W*? jS? nta ' of which r)66 '°° can be Cl ? 

 In order, however that tv ^ of tibre ma y be anticipated. 



' * r > that tbla yield may be maintained, it is 



