VEGETABLE FiBEES. 543 



the fibers are seen lying upon the lower and denser epidermis, mnning 

 in a longritudinal du'ection. Although very fine, the process of bleach- 

 ing, by destroying the adhesion between the bundles of fibers, render's 

 it so much finer that it can be spun like fiax. In the East Indies, where 

 the pine-apple was introduced as early as 1600, the fiber is extensively 

 used in the manufacture of the delicate fabric called i^iiia, as well as for 

 cordage. Piiia is considered to be more delicate in texture than any 

 other known to the vegetable kingdom. It is woven firom the untwisted 

 fibers of the Auanassa leaf, after they have been reduced to extreme 

 fineness, and after the ends have been glued together to form a continu- 

 ous thread. 



It is claimed for pine-ai>ple fiber that constant immersion in water 

 does not in the least injure it, and the natives of the East Indies increase 

 this proi>erty by tanning it, though it is probably at the expense of 

 strength. 



The filaments of pine-apple are very fine and f-exible ?r)<l rery resistant. They ate 



easily dirided after treatment in the alkaline L " " T to trit- 



nration- The isolated libers are very fine, of a " one end 



t^3 the other, but of very difi'erent size. The i- "-Ible 



in the largest, is not so in the smaUer ones. T: >p- 



ing rea#iiv nnder mechanism. The points are r _ _ _ _ ._-:n- 

 der. They are rounded at the end, or, rather, biiuis. 



In tests of strength pine-apple fiber exhibits superior tenacity. The 

 fiber from Singapore bore a strain of 350 ix)und3 against 260 pounds for 

 2s ew Zealand flax. This last named has been i)roved equal, and in some 

 experiments superior, to best English hemp. In the Journal of the Ag- 

 ricultural Society of India, vol. iii, p. 182, there is a record of a rope of 

 pine-apple fiber, oj inches in circumference. standinT a strain of 5,700 

 pounds before breaking (refer back to exi . ' ' ' :i fiber, 



when same -sized rope was used, under head Pine- 



apple fiber is much valued in Brazil. 



BromeUa sylvestris. — Wild Pine-Apple. — This is also known as ^' silk 

 grass," of British Honduras. It is the Istle and Ixile of Mexico, and the 

 Pita (incorrectly called) or FiTaieUa of Central America. The plant in 

 Mexico is called HechiigillaP This plant also belongs to the pine-apple 

 family, and is widely difiused throughout the tropics, growing every- 

 where and in aU varieties of soiL It is common on the rocky hills of the 

 West Indies, and particularly Jamaica, where the plants are used as 

 hedges and fences. Its leaves are steeped in water by the natives, and, 

 after beating with a wooden maHet, yield a strong fiber. It is in com- 

 mon use for cordage on the island of San Domingo, and is favorably 

 mentioned by Dr. Parry in his report. The leaves from which the fiber 

 LS obtained are from 1^ to 3 inches in width and 5 to 8 feet long. They 

 are quite thin and are lined with a fine, tough fiber, which some author- 

 ities consider a superior substitute for flax. In portions of Jlexico the 

 Bromelia is cultivated for its fiber, which is described as very fine, from 

 6 to 8 feet in length, and from its fineness and toughness commonly used 

 in belt-making work^. It also finds application in the manufacture of 

 many articles, such as bagging for baling cotton, wagon sheets, carpets, 

 &c., besides fonning a valuable material for making cordage, nets, ham- 

 mocks, and similar articles of common use. In Mexico the leaves were 

 formerly subjected to the slow and laborious process of hand-scraping, 

 and, as large C[uantities of the fiber were used annually, suitable ma- 

 chinery was very much needed. In 1875 this want was supplied by 

 native invention, so that now " Istle-' fiber is produced in any quantity 

 r.d in an economical manner. As early as 1S30, there reached the port 

 of Vera Cmz, by the pass of the San Juan alone, over 188,000 pounds 



