CHAPTER VIII 

 MISCELLANEOUS FIBRES 



PINEAPPLE FIBRE 



THE leaves of the pineapple, Ananas sativus, of the 

 natural order Bromeliacese, yield a fine, strong, white, 

 silky fibre. 



The pineapple is usually cultivated for its fruit and 

 comparatively rarely for its fibre. Pineapples are 

 grown in large quantities in the West Indies, the 

 Bahamas, Florida, the Philippines, Formosa, Java, 

 India, Indo-China and other parts of the tropics, but 

 the only countries which make much use of the fibre 

 are the Philippines and Formosa. In the Philippines, 

 the natives make beautiful silky fabrics, known as 

 " pina " and " rengue," which find a local market. 

 In Formosa also, the preparation of pineapple fibre 

 is a regular industry, and a quantity of the product 

 is exported to China where it is employed /or the 

 manufacture of " grass-cloths " of a particularly 

 high quality. A small amount of the fibre is also 

 produced in Java, but is not exported. 



The pineapple does not thrive in wet soils, but is best 

 adapted to a porous, well drained soil, and is capable 

 of withstanding protracted drought. It is usually 

 propagated by means of the suckers which arise from 

 the parent plant near the ground, but it can also be 

 reproduced by means of slips. The plant cannot be 

 grown satisfactorily for both fruit and fibre, but when 

 it is being cultivated for the latter, the fruit is removed 

 soon after flowering has taken place in order that the 

 leaves may develop more freely. Moreover, the best 

 fibre is produced by plants grown in the shade, whereas 



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