CHAPTER VII 

 CORDAGE FIBRES 



FOR many centuries, hemp (the fibre of Cannabis 

 saliva) has been employed on an extensive scale for 

 the manufacture of cordage (see Chapter V). As the 

 cultivation of this fibre in Europe gradually declined 

 to some extent on account of the increased cost of 

 production, due especially to insufficiency of labour, 

 attention was directed to certain tropical products 

 which are suitable as substitutes. The most important 

 of these is Manila hemp which serves as the best 

 material for the manufacture of marine cordage. 

 Other fibres, which have come into prominence and 

 find a ready market for the rope and twine industry, 

 are Sisal hemp, Mauritius hemp and New Zealand 

 hemp. 



MANILA HEMP 



Manila hemp, or Abaca fibre, is produced almost 

 exclusively in the Philippine Islands. From time to 

 time, attempts have been made to introduce it into 

 other countries, but usually with little or no success. 

 In the year 1822, an effort was made to grow the plant 

 in Bengal, and in 1859 it was introduced into Madras, 

 but in neither case was a satisfactory result obtained. 

 In 1873, an experimental trial was made in the 

 Andaman Islands, and the plant proved to be well 

 adapted to this locality. The cultivation of the 

 plant and the preparation of its fibre in the Andaman 

 Islands, however, have never become an important 

 industry, and but little attention is paid to it. Attempts 

 have also been made to introduce the plant into 

 British North Borneo and the West Indies. During 



