COMMERCIAL FIBERS OF THE PHILIPPINES. 13 



fiber is wasted by this crude process of drawing, and this fiber, too, is fine 

 and of good quality. The thought is at once suggested that this waste 

 fiber might.be used as a paper stock if it is not too much injured by the 

 juice and pulp with which it is mixed and if it can be economically 

 separated from them./ This is a line of investigations which will be 

 subsequently taken up. 



CLASSIFICATION AND USES.. 



For commercial purposes the fiber is classified into several groups 

 according to color, texture, and strength. Length plays a legs important 

 part in the commercial grades. The great lightness, combined with 

 strength, is the characteristic of this fiber which gives it its great value. 

 The qualities usually recognized are the superior, current, second, and 

 red. Then there are numerous gradations in each of these groups. The 

 fiber for export is usually tied in small wisps or hanks, and these are put 

 up in bales weighing 2 piculs (275 pounds). 



In all countries to which this fiber is exported the greater part of it 

 is used for cordage and ropes. In the United States immense quantities 

 are made into binder twine, and because of its lightness, strength, and 

 comparative durability it is very serviceable for ship's ropes and cables. 

 From old and disintegrated ropes our valuable Manila paper is made. In 

 the Philippines the finer qualities are used in the manufacture of textile 

 fabrics. Throughout the entire Archipelago these weavings are worn 

 extensively by both men and women, and when the fiber is mixed with 

 cotton a durable fabric is produced which is well adapted to the climatic 

 conditions of the Islands. It is believed that the demand for the better 

 qualities of these fabrics will increase in the United States and Europe. 

 A small use is made of the fiber in upholstery, packing, and brush making. 



Enough has been said in the general statement above to show the com- 

 mercial importance of this fiber and the quantities which are being 

 consumed. It may be that, as the wood pulp now being used so extensively 

 for the cheaper grades of paper becomes more scarce, certain qualities of 

 the Manila hemp may take its place. 



MAGUEY. 



Maguey is a name usually given to the various varieties of Agave 

 americana, or century plant, but sometimes, as here in the Philippines, 

 the same name is applied to the fiber of these plants also. The name is 

 in general use in Mexico and Central America, where the varieties of 

 this species grow most abundantly, but it is often used also to refer to 

 any species of Agave or its fiber growing in a particular locality. 



This plant has a rugged, hardy appearance which is in harmony with 

 the dry climate and stony or sandy soil conditions in which it is most 

 usually found. During the greater part of its life, which varies from 

 eight to twenty years, it is without a stem, having a rosette of twenty to 

 forty strong, fleshy leaves rising from the ground. These leaves bear 



