542 EEPOET OF THE COMMISSIONEE OF AGEICULTUEE. 



fiber can be produced on 5 J acres, at a cost of $870, or a little more than 

 $4S a ton. 



The plantain may be considered a valuable plant for paper-making, 

 and its fiber might possibly be extracted for this i^urpose alone at a con- 

 siderable i)rofit — it has been suggested at half the above figures. Dr. 

 Eoyle suggested utilizing the plant for this purpose twenty years ago, 

 in India, where the tree abounds, but the suggestion had not been acted 

 upon four years ago, as is shown in an official report recently published 

 in Calcutta, where the plant is mentioned, with many others, as one 

 whose fiber should be utilized for paper manufacture. 



As to its strength, experiments by Dr. Eoyle gave most satisfactory 

 results. Fiber from IMadras bore a weight of 190 pounds, while a speci- 

 men from Singax)ore stood a strain of oGO pounds, and Kussian hemp 

 bore 190 pounds. "A 12-thread rope of (India) plantain fiber broke with 

 864, pounds, when a similar rope of pineapple broke with 924 pounds.'' 

 Compared with English hemp and Manila (see experiments in tenacity, 

 under head of Mzisa textilis), a rope 3^ inches in circumference and 2 

 fathoms long, made in Madras in 1850, gave the following results : The 

 l)lantain dry broke at 2,330 pounds after immersion in water t wentj'-four 

 hours ; tested seven days after, 2,3S7 : and after ten days' immersion, 

 2,050 ; Manila rope and English hemp dry gave 4,G89 and 3,885 pounds, 

 respectively. Though common plantain fiber is not possessed of the 

 strength of Manila hemp, yet it is fitted for many purposes of cordage 

 and canvas, and some of the finer kinds for textile fabrics " of fine 

 quality and luster.-'' 



A sample of fiber of Musa sapientum in the collection exhibits the 

 usual characteristics of the plantain, and the two fibers may be regarded 

 as almost identicaL . 



In the ]5few South "Wales Catalogue (Philadelphia Exhibition, 1876), 

 it is stated that ^-Musa sapientwn, so generally planted in Kew South. 

 Wales for its fmit, yields a fiber second only in value of its kind to that 

 of the Zvlanila hemp, which is obtained from Musa textUisP 



18.— BEOiEELIACEiE. 



The Pine-Apple family is an important one, as it contains a plant fur- 

 nishing not only one of the finest and most beautiful fibers known, but 

 one of the most delicate and delicious of fruits. The species are all 

 fiber-producing, some of them of considerable value. The Southern 

 Moss belongs to this group. 



Ananassa sativa. — Pine Apple. — This plant is supposed to be a native 

 of Brazil, and introduced into the East and West Indies, and now- 

 found in many parts of the Old "Vv orld, where it has become so estab- 

 lished and apparently wHd as to be thought indigenous. It flourishes 

 in Assam, in India, and on the west coast of Africa. In the Philippine 

 Islands it gxows in great abundance, and is valued on account of its fine 

 hair-like fibers, from which is woven the celebrated pine-apple cloth of 

 the Philippines. M. Perrouttel, however, considers this a distinct 

 species, and named it Bromelia pUjiia. 



In the Eungpore district of India the fiber is much used by the local 

 shoemakers for twine, though it is cultivated principally for its ficnit- 

 bearing qualities, its fiber being little appreciated. 



When preparing the fiber of the pine-ax>ple, the leaves must be 

 manipulated in the gTcen state, as nothing can be done with them 

 when dry. The leaves are laid upon a board, and the epidermis 

 removed vdtli a ! »road knife. Upon its removal from the upper surface, 



