3io 



term of its life, it is easy to estimate that for profitable culti- 

 vation of sisal the area available must be very large. 



The greatest care must be exercised in the choice of a country 

 suitable for the growth of the Agavse. It is not quite easy to 

 lay down general rules with regard to soil and climate. Many 

 mistakes have been made here, and thus much capital has 

 been lost. Altogether, the cultivation of sisal is by no means 

 easy. In conclusion, it should be especially emphasized that 

 sisal hemp is, and will probably remain, a comparatively 

 unimportant item in the world's commerce, and that, there- 

 fore, too intensive cultivation might easily lead to over- 

 production. 



[DISCUSSION.] 



The CHAIRMAN : Gentlemen If no one has any remarks to 

 make I will thank Dr. Bruck most heartily for his paper on 

 sisal hemp cultivation. Although very much interested in 

 fibres, I am bound to say it was quite news to me to hear 

 that such an important industry was being developed in 

 German East Africa. There was one part of Dr. Bruck' s 

 paper which struck me as being rather on the pessimistic side, 

 namely, where he said that the increase in the production of 

 this fibre might lead to a fall in price. That, of course, is quite 

 true, and the reasons he gave for his opinion are quite 

 intelligible to us all. But if those of us who have been con- 

 nected with fibres and have studied the advance in the use of 

 fibres throughout the world will think over this question, and 

 look at the history of the past twenty or thirty years, we shall 

 see, I think, that although there may be times when there are 

 lulls in the demand for fibres of various kinds, yet every year 

 more and more uses are being found for fibres, and there is 

 little doubt that all fibres which foreign countries produce can 

 be utilized. And if we look back ten years hence upon what 

 has been said to-day as to the extension of the use of fibres, 

 we shall wonder why it was said; we shall say we did not 

 think their uses would have extended so much. I feel certain 

 that in regard to the possibilities of extending the market for 

 fibre, whether it is jute, or sisal hemp or any other hemps, 

 we have still a very long way to go. One factor which will 

 make the extended use of the manufactured goods more 

 certain is the production of an ample and cheap supply of the 

 raw material. That is what we want; cheapness in the pro- 

 duction, which will bring down the cost. I am sure that the 

 cheaper we can produce these fibres the more extended will be 

 the use of them. 



I again, on your behalf, thank Dr. Bruck for his most inter- 

 esting paper. 



