77 



Commercial Leaf or Petiole Fibers 



The industrial fiber par excellence, whose successful cultivation 

 has not been found possible outside of the Philippines, is abaci, 

 or Manila hemp, Musa textilis. Typical plants of this species 

 together with fiber in the process of drying are shown in plate 

 CLVII. The impression often prevails, however, that its use 

 is restricted entirely to the making of rope; little being known of 

 its employment for braid or for the making of excellent and 

 strong cloth known in the Philippines as "pinolpog." Little is 

 known too outside of the Islands of the making of abaca fiber into 

 a fabric called "abaca sinamay." The schools have extended 

 the use of the fiber to the making of a great variety of articles. 



The fibers are obtained by cutting off the leaves and pulling 

 the petioles under a dull knife. Various machines have been 

 invented to do away with this hand labor but none has so far 

 proven very successful. 



Instead of removing the individual fibers from the petiole, the 

 whole outer epidermis may be removed and then divided into 

 strips. These strips are known as "lupis" and are very service- 

 able in the making of coiled baskets. 



If the fibers are to be used for braid or cloth they must be 

 tied together. This knotting is very neatly done by hand so 

 that the knots are hardly perceptible in the skein. The braid 

 is known in the millinery trade in the U. S. as "tagal" braid and 

 is imported from Switzerland. 



Pinolpog is made by weaving the fibers into cloth and then 

 softening the latter by winding it around a piece of wood and 

 beating it thoroughly with sticks as it is being wound. 



Abaca sinamay is a gauzy fabric used by Filipino women for 

 waists (camisas) or like buckram to stiffen the bottom of skirts. 



The extension work of the schools utilizes the fiber wholly or 

 in part in the manufacture of slippers, coiled baskets, bags, lace, 

 lamp-shades, belts and furniture. 



Several varieties of the banana, Musa paradisiaca, are utilized 

 for the manufacture of coarse and fine fabric depending on the 

 quality of the fiber used. The fiber is prepared in the same way 

 as abaca. Greater care is however necessary in its extraction 



