FIBRE 111 



Fourcroya has not proved itself a popular fibre 

 among planters, and in most cases where it has 

 been tried it has eventually been discarded in 

 favour of sisal. To make it pay where others 

 have failed a planter should lay his plans very 

 carefully, so as to reduce expenditure to a minimum, 

 and take every advantage of labour-saving appli- 

 ances and devices known to practice. 



Unlike sisal, which only needs soaking for a 

 short time in a tank of running water, fourcroya 

 requires rather an elaborate dressing before it 

 becomes sufficiently bleached. 



On leaving the grattes the green fibre is placed 

 on racks in the shade till the evening ; it is 

 then put into a tank with hot water and soap 

 and left to soak till morning, when it is washed 

 in two or three clean cold w^aters and hung 

 out to dry. All that day and night it is left to 

 dry and bleach on the lines, and in the morning 

 brought in and put through the brushes. 



Hand-feeding machines are now being super- 

 seded by automatic feeders. These machines 

 receive the leaves, decorticate one-half, reverse 

 and decorticate the other half, and deliver the 

 fibre clean with a much smaller percentage of 

 loss than is the case with the hand-fed grattes 

 or raspadors. Automatic feeders of this character 

 are as yet manufactured by only one firm, I 



