160 CORDAGE FIBRES 



hung on bamboo poles or wire lines and allowed to dry 

 in the sun as rapidly as possible, and is afterwards tied 

 up in bundles and finally graded and baled for export. 

 It is of great importance that the fibre should be 

 thoroughly dry, as otherwise it is liable to become weak 

 and discoloured. The bales weigh about 275 Ib. each. 



Machines have now been introduced into the 

 Philippines for extracting the fibre, and it is probable 

 that before long they will be adopted in all the larger 

 plantations, and the old methods of cleaning by hand 

 will gradually be superseded. 



During the usual process of separating the strips, 

 part of the fibre is left attached to the inner layer of 

 the sheath, and in drawing the strips under the knife 

 a further quantity is lost. It is estimated that the 

 amount of waste created in these two operations is 

 not less than 30 per cent, of the total fibre. 



YIELD 



The freshly cut stalks weigh from 90 to 220 Ib. 

 each, and give from one to five Ib. of fibre. Accord- 

 ing to another estimate, the fresh stalks yield from 

 1 1 to 2\ per cent, of dry fibre. The yield per acre 

 depends on various factors, such as the method of 

 cultivation, the particular variety grown and the con- 

 ditions of soil and climate of the locality. The annual 

 yield varies from 3 cwts. to i ton per acre, \ ton per 

 acre being usually regarded as very satisfactory. 



PROPERTIES, STRUCTURE AND USES OF THE FIBRE 



The Manila hemp of commerce is composed of 

 strands from 6 to 10 feet long, which are generally 

 flattened and appear more or less oval in cross-section. 

 The colour varies from pale straw to brown, but when 

 the product has been carefully extracted and dried 

 it is nearly white and highly lustrous. The fibre is 

 very strong and tenacious, and is so light as to be 

 able to float on water. 



The strands are composed of aggregations of small, 

 ultimate fibres which are from 0*08 to 0*12 inch long, 

 and have a diameter of 0*0005 to 0*0017 inch with an 



