FIBER-PRODUCING PLANTS 353 



bases of old plants; these are planted out, often in soils that are 

 too rocky to be plowed, and allowed to grow, with little or no 

 cultivation, until they are about seven years old, when crops of 

 leaves are first cut from the plants. Today sisal is grown in 

 Florida, Africa, Java, Sumatra, India, and Haiti. The fibrous 

 product is located in the leaves, from which it is removed by 

 hand or machine, then cleaned, dried, and shipped to the manu- 

 facturer. Sisal fibers are used mainly in binder twine; fibers from 

 some species contributing to the manufacture of lariats, coarse 

 sacks, and similar products. The fibers are weak and heavy, 

 hence they are not suitable for cables, ropes, rigging, etc. 



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As its name indicates, New Zealand hemp comes from a 

 native New Zealand plant, a member of the lily family, now 

 widely cultivated throughout the tropics and even in temperate 

 regions. It is grown as a fiber plant in California, and elsewhere 

 in the United States as an ornamental. The fiber comes from the 

 leaves, which may be as much as eight feet long and eight inches 

 wide, containing up to 20% of fiber. When removed from the 

 leaves, the fibers are softer and more flexible than manila, and 

 have a high luster. New Zealand hemp is used to some extent 

 for cloth, mostly for binder twine, tow lines, and cordage where • 

 it is often mixed with other Monocot leaf fibers mentioned above. 



Panama hats are made from the leaves of a stemless tropical 

 American palm, cultivated in Colombia and Ecuador. Young 

 leaves are collected, split into thin strips, cleaned, bleached, and 

 hand woven to form the hat. The leaves of the Puerto Rican hat 

 palm are similarly used to make the so-called Puerto Rican hats. 

 Both of these hats are far more durable and of a finer texture 

 than the ordinary straw hats, which are made from braids or 

 straw plaits of wheat, rice, rye, or barley straw especially grown 

 for that purpose. 



Fibers from Monocot Stems 



The "stems" of many Monocot trees are composed largely 

 of persistent leaf stalks. However, there are two groups of plants, 



