399 



since ow ; np to its greater strength it can be made up at 650 feet to the pound 

 .1- compared with sisal at 500 feet." l 



VI. SISAL 



503. Sisal. Several species of the genus Agave, to which 

 the century plant belongs, have been cultivated in Central 



Carrying hemp. Manila 

 (From photo by Gilmore) 



America for many hundred years, the most highly prized and 



the source of commercial fiber being the sisal plant (Agave 



rigida Miller), known in Spanish speaking countries as henequin. 



The fiber is a structural or hard fiber, and is obtained from 



1 U. S. Dcpt. Apr. Yearbook 1903, p. 395. 



