COMMERCIAL FIBERS OF THE PHILIPPINES. 25 



rays of the sun. When the young plants are from 3 to 5 inches high 

 they may be transplanted in the field. 



Cuttings should be taken from the upper half of the stem of the plant 

 when mature, and cut from four to six buds. They should be rooted in 

 porous soil containing a goodly amount of sand, and shaded until the 

 leaves begin to grow. Plants from cuttings or from seed do not produce 

 a crop of good fiber the first year. 



The root divisions may be transplanted in the field at once, and if the 

 season be good the plants will produce a smal crop of fiber from the first 

 cutting of stalks, but the succeeding crops will be heavier. 



In general the plants p.re placed in rows 18 inches to 2 feet apart and 

 from a foot to 18 inches apart in the row. Thick planting is necessary 

 in order that the plants grow tall and without branches, for upon both of 

 these characteristics does the value of the fiber depend. If the soil is of 

 good depth and contains a sufficient amount of humus the plants should 

 grow to a height of 6 to 8 feet and produce two or three crops a year. On 

 the best lands in the northern provinces of Luzon, about the only district 

 in the Philippines where ramie is produced, four crops can be taken 

 each year. 



It is a common practice in some parts to burn over the field after 

 each successive crop. While the ashes are valuable constituents of the 

 soil, yet the humus which would result from incorporating the leaves and 

 stalks in the soil would be of far more lasting benefit. When the crop 

 is removed the land should be cultivated by plowing, if possible, to 

 loosen up the soil, and light cultivation should be continued until the 

 plants become too high to be worked. The application of nitrogenous 

 and potassic fertilizers usually produces good results, and the application 

 of barn yard manures will always result in much advantage to the soil. 



It is estimated that an acre of three cuttings per year produces 25 

 tons of stalks. From careful estimates in Prance it has been determined 

 that a ton of green stalks will produce 46 pounds of dry fiber (DeLandt- 

 sheer). This would give a yield for these Islands of about 1,162.5 pounds 

 of dry fiber per acre. This in turn would yield about 625 pounds of 

 degummed fiber. 



At the present time the untreated fiber is worth from 5 to 7 cents a 

 pound or from $100 to $140 a ton. At this price and with favorable 

 climatic conditions and cheap labor the production of this fiber ought 

 to become a resourceful industry. 



PANGDAN. 



(Pandanus. ) 



This genus embraces some thirty species, 17 of which are reported 

 from these Islands. The common name by which these plants are known 

 is "screw pine," a name suggested by the spiral arrangement of the leaves 

 around the stem. Because of this arrangement and the peculiar aerial 

 roots the plants are highly prized for their ornamental effect. 



