320 PHILIPPINE FIBER PLANTS 
Philippine bast fibers are derived from plants ranging in 
size from small shrubs to large trees and belonging chiefly to 
the families Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae, Malvaceae, and Moraceae. 
As yet none of these fibers have entered into the external 
commerce of the Islands, but their manufacture into ropes is 
an important local industry. Mendiola has made a microscopic 
study of a number of these fibers and has given some data on 
the cost of production and the tensile strength of ropes made 
from them. The fibers studied by Mendiola were the basts of 
Abroma fastuosa, Kleinhovia hospita, Melochia wmbellata, Urena 
lobata, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Malachra capitata, Triwmfetta bar- 
tramia, Grewia multiflora, Pipturus arborescens, Sesbania 
grandiflora, Columbia serratifolia, Malachra fasciata, and Wiks- 
troemia ovata. From the figures given by Mendiola it would 
appear that, with labor at 80 centavos a day, the cost of manu- 
facture (not including the collection) of these fibers into rope 
would be greater than the present selling price; from which 
it would appear that there is little prospect of any considerable 
industry in the manufacture of such rope. However, as a local 
industry between seasons, it does afford a man an opportunity 
to utilize his spare time profitably. Some of these bast fibers, 
notably Abroma fastuosa and Urena lobata, have been considered 
as having great commercial possibilities. This subject has been 
extensively dealt with by King. 
In Table I, taken from King, is shown the relative strength 
of various bast fibers both dry and wet, as compared with abaka 
and other standard fibers. Except where noted, the ropes were 
made by the plane-stripping process and so the strands con- 
tained considerable extraneous tissue in addition to the bast. 
Data from King are given in discussions of the various fibers 
studied by him. 
Table II gives the dimensions of the various fibers studied 
by Mendiola. 
