FIBER PLANTS 169 



upon various economic considerations which it would be quite 

 futile to discuss at the present time. 



JUTE 



Jute is perhaps the fiber of second commercial importance. 

 The plant is called by botanists Corchorus olitorius or C. cap- 

 sularis, and is native of India, China, Formosa, Federated 

 Malay States,' etc. Jute is an annual plant with long slender 

 stems 8 to 12 feet high and rather conspicuous yellow flowers. 

 The seed is sown broadcast or in nursery beds from which the 

 young seedlings are transplanted. About three months elapse 

 between seed time and harvest. In harvesting jute the stems 

 are cut or pulled just at flowering time. The stems are then 

 retted in water until the trash readily separates, that is for 4 

 to 30 days, after which the fiber is cleaned by hand. The acre 

 yield of jute fiber ranges from 1,200 to 3,000 pounds. Jute 

 fiber is used for a great variety of purposes, but chiefly for 

 gunny bags, cordage, carpets, cloth, curtains, etc. In Bengal, 

 there are at present about 2,000,000 acres cultivated to jute and 

 the total export of jute fiber from India is more than 15,000,- 

 000,000 pounds annually. There are many fibers better than 

 the jute, but the great prominence of jute fiber in manufactur- 

 ing industries is due to the ease of cultivation and the lack of 

 mechanical or technical difficulties in manipulating and spin- 

 ning the fiber. 



SISAL 



Sisal is an agave and native of Mexico and Central America. 

 True sisal is known as Agave sisalana, while henequen is known 

 as A. elongata, and maguey as A. cantata. Sisal is ordinarily 

 planted about 8 by 8 feet both ways. The first leaves mature 

 at the age of 3 to 4 years and the plant sends up a tall flowering! 

 shoot or pole at the age of 7 to 9 years. Sisal is propagated 

 either by suckers or pole plants. Suckers are young plants 



