301 



necessary that half-a-million new plants should be inserted 

 between the old ones, as cutting can only be carried on for two or 

 three years in German East Africa before the plant puts forth its 



inflorescence, or " pole." It is a ' " " " " 



planted per acre an annual crop 



results 



800 



The 



of 900 to 1,200 lbs. per acre 

 obtained at Kikosrwe lend 



should be obtained, 

 support to this estimate. 



The following table gives interesting particulars as to the 

 approximate number of Agave plants in the different districts of 

 German East Africa at the beginning of 1907, and the proportion 



which were ready for cutting : 



District. 



No. of 

 Planta- 

 tions. 





No. of 

 Plan ts. 



No. of 



Total 



Plants ready 1 



Area 



for cutting. 



planted. 



Area occupied 



by Plants 



ready 



for cutting. 



Tanga ... 



Wilhemstal 

 Pangani ... 

 Lindi 



Total 



* * 



• • • 



• • • 



13 

 3 



2 

 5 



10,305,600 



810,160 



3,330,000 



1,127,000 



2,168,000 



2,200,000 

 110,000 



15,572,760 



Ac ret. 



14.250 



560 



5,000 



1,330 



Acres, 

 3,190 



3,500 

 137 



21,140 



6,827 



In the Tanga district the low proportion of the plants which 

 were ready for cutting is explained by the fact that at the time of 

 making the estimate many of the recent plantings had not yet 

 reached maturity. 



The four districts mentioned above require a total number of 

 daily workers of 8,500, or, allowing for absence from illness or 

 other cause, a staff of at least 11,300 people. The workers are 

 paid on the average 40 hellers per day. 



The machine employed for Sisal hemp extraction in the larger 

 undertakings in German East Africa is one which is used to some 

 extent in Yucatan, Mexico, and is known as the " Molla " machine. 



It costs about £650, is capable of treating from 85,000 to 120,000 

 leaves in ten hours, and needs about 48 h.p. to drive it. The 

 bundles of leaves as brought in from the plantation are placed by 

 one or two workers on a travelling lattice, which carries them to a 

 table in front of the machine. Four men are then required to 

 open the bundles and lay the leaves on the conveyor, which 

 introduces them to two raspadors arranged at right angles to one 

 another, where they are cleaned, one-half of the leaf being stripped 

 at a time. The fibre on leaving the machine slides down on a 

 wooden frame, and is then subjected to washing, women being 

 employed for this work. In order to keep the machine sufficiently 

 employed a plantation of at least 600,000 plants is requisite, which, 

 allowing a space of 40 in. by 1 (K) in. (about 3i ft by 8), ft.) for 

 each plant, will cover an area of about 310 acres. Disadvantages 

 possessed by this machine are the difficulty of replacing damn «l 

 parts, and the lack of durability of the bronze coating with which 

 certain portions of the machine are provided. 



32998 



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