332 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 194 5 



old abaca industry, began to investigate and experiment. The dif- 

 ferent varieties of abaca were studied and the superior varieties were 

 used in these new plantings. New systems of planting were intro- 

 duced and the "camotes" (sweetpotatoes) which had formerly been 

 planted in the abaca fields were replaced with legumes. These and 

 many other improvements resulted in yields of abaca that were re- 

 garded as impossible by the old abaca planters in the northern islands, 

 and in a quality of fiber that soon attracted the attention of manufac- 

 turers in foreign countries. At that time there was a shortage of 

 labor in Davao, and it was extremely difficult to obtain the large num- 

 ber of laborers required for stripping the fiber. For many years 

 numerous unsuccessful attempts had been made to perfect a machine 

 for cleaning abaca fiber, but it was not until about 1921 that the so- 

 called Hagotan and Universal machines were placed on the market 

 by an American firm in Manila. These machines, which are a modi- 

 fied and improved form of the old hand-stripping method, were 

 promptly adopted by the Davao planters, and by 1941 practically all 

 the abaca fiber produced in Davao was cleaned with these machines. 



Some years after the establishment of American abaca plantations 

 in Davao, a Japanese businessman, a Mr. Ohta, came to Davao from 

 Manila. A Japanese abaca plantation company was organized, and 

 from that time onward there was a steady and rapid growth of Jap- 

 anese interests in the Davao abaca industry. The Japanese plantation 

 companies apparently had abundant capital and were able to bring 

 laborers to Davao from Japan. Large areas of government land were 

 leased to the Japanese, and two or three large holding companies con- 

 trolled the operations of numerous smaller companies. The Japanese 

 Davao Planters' Association effectively coordinated all the efforts of 

 the Japanese in Davao. The investigational work, which had been 

 started by the American planters in Davao, was expanded and im- 

 proved by the Japanese. Scientists were brought to Davao from 

 Japan, and experiment stations and laboratories were established. 

 The net result of these operations was that at the time of the entry of 

 the United States in World War II the Province of Davao was pro- 

 ducing approximately one-half of the entire output of Philippine 

 abaca fiber, and something like 85 percent of the entire Davao produc- 

 tion was controlled by the Japanese. 



EARLIER ABACA INTRODUCTIONS 



Complete records of the attempts that have been made to grow 

 abaca in countries other than the Philippines are not available, but 

 many such attempts have been made. With but few exceptions these 

 experiments were unsuccessful, and in consequence many persons 



