558 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



coimection witli flax-mills is the motive power. The machines are all 

 locally made, of simple construction, and cheap. The profits from the 

 preparation of the liax depend in a great measure upon the situation of 

 the mill, and the cost of getting the green leaf to the mill, and the fiber 

 to mnrket. The building for a flax-mill need not be large or expensive, 

 but it must have a dry store-room, and a baling press. The work in these 

 mills is largely performed by women and boys. 



Sanseviera zeyianica, Sanseviera guincensis, Sanseviera lati/olia. — " Bow- 

 string Hemp," African Hemp, — These three species are represented in the 

 Museum collection by large samples of fiber received from the Queens- 

 land exhibit (Exhibition, "iSTG). 



The name Bow-string Hemp, generally given to the first-named species, 

 has also been applied to other plants of the genus 8. gidncensis, being 

 called African Bow-string Hemp. S. zeylanica is the best known, how- 

 ever, and is common on the Ceylon coast, from which it takes its name. 

 The plant has been known and x)ri?;ed in India from remote antiquity 

 under the name of Miirva. In the catalogue of Indian fibers (Exhibition, 

 1862), it is called Moorga, Mazool^ and Moorgavee.* 



It is at present known under the vernacular name of Murgavi, Murga, 

 and Mazooh Its Sanscrit synonym is Goni. The genus Sanseviera 

 abounds on the coast of Guinea, around Ceylon, and along the Bay of 

 Bengal, extending to Java and the coasts of China. They are stemless, 

 perennial i)lants, throwing out runners, and having only root leaves, 

 wdiicli are thick and fleshy, and usually sword or lance shaped, with 

 sheathing bases. They floAver from January to May, and the plants 

 grow wild in the jungles. Tliey are easily propagated on most every 

 soil, from the slips Avhich issue in great abundance from the roots, 

 requiring little or no care, and not requiring to be renewed often, if 

 at all. 



Dr. Buchanan found this plant employed in the manufacture of cord- 

 age at Bangalore, and bow-strings are still made of it in the Su'cars, and 

 along the coast of Bengal. In the interior of Bengal it is equally (com- 

 mon and wild, but not so largely used for fiber. The leaves are 3 

 or 4 feet long when the plant is cultivated, and the fiber, which ex- 

 tends the whole length, is separated from the pulpy portion. The na- 

 tive method of i^repariug the fiber is to place these leaves " upon a smooth 

 board, then pre-ss one end of the leaf down with one of the great toes, 

 and with a thin bit of hard stick, held between the two hands, they 

 scrape the leaf from them, and \^ery quickly remove every ijart of the 

 I)ulp." This is also accomplished by steeping the leaves in water until 

 the pulpy portion decays, when the fiber is washed and cleaned, though 

 in some cases steeping dissolves the fiber. It is estimated that 40 pounds 

 of fi'esh leaves 3i- or 4 feet in length will yield a pound of cleaned fiber, 

 or over 1,600 pounds of cleaned fiber per acre, at a gathering; with a 

 favorable season two such gatherings maj* be assured annually. 



Eoyle states that the untwisted fiber will bear a strain of 280 pounds 

 compared with Agave, which bore 270 pounds, though Dr. Wight's ex- 

 ]>eriments gave 362 pounds for Agave to 316 pounds for the Sanseviera. 

 Dr. lioxburgh ascertained that a line of Moorga fiber 4 feet long bore 

 a weight of 120 pounds, wlien a cord of the same size, made of Kussfa 

 hemp, bore but 105 pounds. After remaining in water 116 days, the 

 former bore a weight of 30 pounds, while thelatter was entirely rotten. 

 It is not considered equal to Manila liemi). 



Fiber of S. gninmisis, which is sometimes introduced into the markets 



* Also spylled Moorgalivee. 



