106 



The true stem of the abaca plant is that part of the plant 

 which has a diameter of about 5 cm. and bears the fruit. 

 The trunk of the abaca plant is formed by this true stem 

 and the thickened petioles of the leaves. The fruit of the 

 abaca is a banana, small, inedible, and full of seeds. 



PREPARATION. 



Fiber. — As the abaca plant reaches maturity, it produces 

 suckers; so when an old plant is cut down, the young ones 

 already have a good start. The leafy part on top, being of 

 no value, is cut off and allowed to rot and enrich the soil. 



The petioles are separated one from the other and split 

 into strips. These strips are pulled under a knife resting 

 on a block. The knife is worked by a crude spring. The 

 cutting and stripping of the fiber should be done within 

 twenty-four hours, as the petioles deteriorate rapidly. If 

 a serrated knife is employed, stripping is easier, but the 

 fiber is not as white and fine as when a knife with an even 

 edge is used. In some localities in the Islands (Indang and 

 Alfonso, Cavite) which produce a very white, lustrous 

 abaca fiber, a part of the pulp is allowed to remain on the 

 skin (lupis) which is to be pulled under the knife. In 

 most abaca regions, however, much of the inner pulpy part 

 is removed and only the outer part (lupis) is put under 

 the knife.^ The fibers are then hung on a pole and dried 

 in the sun. The quicker the drying, the whiter the fiber. 

 Boiling abaca fiber for from ten to twenty minutes is said 

 to give it a better sheen. 



liUPIS. 



Lupis is prepared from the fleshy petioles of the leaves 

 which form the trunk or false stem of the abaca plant. 



When the trunk is cut down, the leafy part is removed and 

 the petioles are separated one from the other. A petiole 

 is then thrown down so that its outer surface is next to 

 the ground. The foot is put on the inner surface near 

 one end, and the other longer end flopped over. Then the 



* See also The Philippine Craftsman, Vol. I, No. 9, 1912 : Two 

 Methods of Stripping Abaca. 



