336 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 194 5 



supply of moisture and a fertile, well-drained soil are essential to the 

 normal development of this plant. In considering, in 1921, the intro- 

 duction of abaca into Tropical America, it was necessary to determine 

 not only where nurseries might be established but also where the con- 

 ditions were favorable for subsequent plantation development, and 

 for the purpose of obtaining this information preliminary surveys 

 were made in the Canal Zone and in certain regions of the Republic of 

 Panama. It was found that on the Pacific side of the Canal Zone and 

 in adjoining areas in Panama the climatic conditions are unfavorable 

 for abaca because of the long dry season. On the Atlantic side of the 

 Canal Zone there are small areas where abaca nurseries might have 

 been established, but these areas were too small for plantation opera- 

 tions and the topographical conditions were unfavorable. In the 

 production of abaca under a system where the stalks are moved from 

 the fields to a central cleaning plant about 96 percent of the material 

 transported is waste. In a rough hilly country the transportation 

 costs are excessive, and it is not practicable to operate large planta- 

 tions under these conditions. 



In the Province of Bocas del Toro in the Republic of Panama, which 

 adjoins southern Costa Rica and is about 160 miles west of the Atlantic 

 end of the Panama Canal, a large estate of the United Fruit Co. ex- 

 tends inland from the town of Almirante. As experimental work 

 with so-called abaca had been conducted at this place during 1920 and 

 1921, an investigation was made of conditions at Almirante. On ar- 

 rival at Almirante it was learned that small quantities of fiber had 

 recently been produced and submitted to a firm of fiber merchants in 

 New York for examination. It was reported that this fiber was 

 greatly inferior to Philippine abaca, and the opinion was expressed 

 that this was another demonstration that abaca fiber of satisfactory 

 quality could be produced only in the Philippine Islands. Samples 

 of this fiber were examined and it was found that insofar as quality 

 was concerned the New York report was correct. It developed, how- 

 ever, when the plants from which this fiber had been obtained were 

 inspected that these plants were a type that is sometimes referred to 

 as "bastard" abaca, and possibly were the progeny of seedling plants 

 that were sent to this region many years ago. These same plants, had 

 they been grown in the Philippine Islands, would have produced fiber 

 no better in quality than that which was obtained at Almirante. 



The natural conditions of this region are rather similar to the condi- 

 tions found in the Province of Davao, which is the leading abaca 

 province in the Philippine Islands. A heavy and relatively well- 

 distributed rainfall, and a fertile, well-drained soil are the basic re- 

 quirements of this plant. Furthermore, large areas of abandoned 

 banana lands on which abaca might be grown were available on this 



