50 



MANILA DAILY BULLETIN 



Abaca or Manila Hemp Industry of the Philippines 



BY N. N. SALEEBY 



ABACA is not only the most important 

 fiber, but also the most important ex- 

 port product of the Philippines. For a 

 number of years this fiber comprised more than 

 one-half of the total export trade of the Islands. 

 The recent increase in the production of copra, 

 coconut-oil, and sugar has reduced in a meas- 

 ure its relative importance, but it still re- 

 mains our leading export product. 



Abaca is the premier cordage fiber of the 

 world. It is a structural (hard) fiber ob- 

 tained from the outer layers of the over- 

 lapping leaf-sheaths which form the stalks 

 of the abaca plant. It is light, elastic, 

 strong, and durable. When properly ex- 

 tracted and dried, it is also of a white, lus- 

 trous color. One particular feature of the 

 abaca fiber which emphasizes its superiority 

 over all other fibers of its class is its great 

 strength and its resistance to the action of 

 water, hence its particular adaptability for 

 marine ropes. 



In the commercial world this fiber is known 

 as "manila hemp" or "manila". It is often 

 called "hemp," especially locally by the 

 English-speaking community, but this term 

 is both incorrect and misleading, and its 

 use should be discontinued in favor of the 

 Spanish-Filipino term "abaca." 



History of the industry. The first authen- 

 tic account of the use of either abaca or 

 banana fiber in the Philippines is that given 

 by an Englishman, Dampier, who lived in 

 Mindanao in 1686. This writer describes 

 the "banana textoria", both as an edible 

 and as a fiber-producing plant. One of the 

 companions of Magellan, Antonio Pigafetta, 



Fiscal year ending June 30 



prepared a description of the plants of the 

 Philippines, but in this paper no mention is 

 made of abaca. This indicates that both 

 Dampier and Pigafetta either did not know 

 of the abaca plant or more probably they 

 both confused it with the banana plant, 

 owing to the strong resemblance between the 

 two species. 



The fiber was first exported from the Is- 

 lands about the beginning of the last century 

 but the export did not become important 

 until about 1850. In 1820 a sample of abaca 

 was brought to Salem, Mass., by John White, 

 a lieutenant in the United States Navy. 

 From 1824 to 1827 the fiber began to be used 

 quite extensively in Salem and Boston. 



The production of abaca for export did 

 not commence until 1818, when 41 tons were 

 exported. Until 1830 the exports ranged 

 from 100 to 500 tons annually; but in 1840 

 they increased to 8,502 tons, or an increase 

 of 8,000 tons in about ten years. During the 

 ten years from 1840 to 1850, the exports 

 remained practically stationary, amounting 

 to 8,561 tons in the latter year. The decade 

 from 1850 to 1860 shows an increase from 

 8,561 tons to 30,388; while that from 1860 

 to 1870 shows an increase of from 30,388 

 to 31,426, or about 1,100 tons only. From 

 1870 until 1900, the exports increased from 

 31,426 to 89,438 tons, with an average in- 

 crease of about 20,000 tons during each dec- 

 ade. 



The quantity and value of the exports 

 of abaca from the Philippines since the fiscal 

 year ending June 30, 1900, are as follows: 



Value in U. S. currency. 



All countries. Percent- Average 



Quantity. Value. age of local 



total ex- value 



ports. per ton. 



*Fiscal year ending December 31 (calendar year.) 



During the whole history of the abaca 

 industry, the fiber has been identified with 

 the Philippines. This is due to the fact 

 that the introduction of the abaca plant into 

 other tropical countries, in both the East- 

 ern and the Western Hemispheres, has not 

 resulted in any considerable degree of suc- 

 cess and the fiber is still, as it always has 

 been, distinctly a Philippine product. 



Distribution. Abaca is distributed through- 

 out the greater part -of the Philippine Archi- 

 pelago. The provinces and islands which 

 are most favorable for the growth of the 

 plant and where the greater part of the com- 

 mercial fiber is produced are the following: 

 Southern Luzon, comprising the Provinces 

 of Ambos Camarines, Albay, and Sorsogon; 

 Leyte, chiefly the northeastern, western, and 



southeastern parts; Samar, chiefly the north- 

 ern and southeastern parts; and Mindanao, 

 comprising the Provinces of Davao, Jolo, 

 Misamis, Surigao, and Agusan. The plant 

 is also cultivated to some extent in the Is- 

 lands of Negros, Cebu, Mindoro, Panay, 

 and Marinduque. The most northern limit 

 of the cultivation of abaca is central south- 

 ern Luzon, comprising the Provinces of 

 Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas. 



Climate and soil. The structure of the 

 abaca plant and its habits of growth are 

 such that a large and constant supply of 

 moisture is required. The most important 

 abaca provinces have, as a rule, a heavy 

 and evenly distributed rainfall. The actual 

 amount of rainfall required by the abaca 

 plant is not very large, but it is essential 



TYPICAL OF IMPROPER METHODS OF CULTURE 



that it be evenly distributed throughout 

 the year. In districts having a long and 

 pronounced dry season, irrespective of the 

 annual amount of rainfall, the cultivation 

 of abaca can not be successfully carried on 

 unless water is available for irrigation. 



The abaca plant requires a warm climate, 

 and for this reason its successful cultivation 

 can be accomplished only in tropical coun- 

 tries and below an elevation of 1,000 meters 

 (3,280 feet). Cold climates are detrimental 

 to the plant, both in regard to the extent of 

 growth and the development of its fiber. 

 Extreme heat, on the other hand, appears 

 to affect the plant unfavorably, probably 

 because it causes excessive and rapid eva- 

 poration of moisture both from the leaves 

 and the soil, especially during the driest 

 period of the year. 



The abaca plant with its heavy broad 

 leaves is very often seriously injured by 

 strong winds. It is, therefore, always desir- 

 able to select localities which are naturally 

 protected from such winds, particularly in 

 all provinces lying within the typhoon belt. 

 If natural barriers are not available, wind- 

 breaks must be planted along the exposed 

 side or sides and also at intervals among the 

 plants. 



Next in importance to favorable climatic 

 conditions is the selection of a suitable soil. 

 The suitability of any particular type of 

 soil of necessity depends, on the one hand, 

 on the climatic conditions, and on the other, 

 on the location. For instance, in a certain 

 location where the land is low and where 

 a heavy rainfall occurs, a certain soil, would 

 become oversaturated, while the same type 

 of soil, if the land were higher and the rain- 

 fall less abundant, might be sufficiently well 

 drained. 



Throughout the important abaca districts 

 the plantations are situated on the lower 

 slopes of volcanoes or other mountains. 

 The soils- in such locations are, as a rule, 

 deep, fertile, and well drained. Besides 

 being well drained, the soil should be of 

 lasting fertility, as abaca is grown on the 

 same land for a period of ten to fifteen years 

 without replanting, rotation, or fertiliza- 

 tion. This exposes the soil to a long drain 



