FIBER PLANTS 175 



from the outer portion of the trunk is shortest, darkest in color, 

 and of least value. It is used mostly in cheap bagging. Fibers 

 from the intermediate portion of the stem are exported for 

 cordage, while the inner part of the stem furnishes a fiber used 

 in fine fabrics and gauzes. For many years the quality of the 

 fiber exported from Manila was allowed to deteriorate as a 

 result of improper sorting, cutting the trunks at the wrong 

 stage of growth, the use of a saw tooth edge in place of a 

 smooth knife, and packing the fiber before it was dry. Many 

 complaints were received from manufacturers and attention 

 was again directed to proper methods in preparing this valuable 

 product. * 



About 10 per cent, of the total quantity of Manila hemp ex- 

 ported is best grade, 18 per cent, good current, 40 per cent, 

 current, and 32 per cent. low. The total export of Manila 

 hemp is about 175,000 tons. This appears to satisfy the world's 

 demand. At any rate the market demand is apparently not 

 larger than the supply and varies from year to year with the 

 available supply of other fibers. 



BANANA FIBER 



Attempts have been made in many localities throughout the 

 Tropics to extract a serviceable fiber from various species of 

 edible and wild bananas. The fiber of Musa basjoo is of fair 

 strength, good length and luster, and is used in Japan to some 

 extent in the manufacture of bashofu cloth and as a substitute 

 for wall paper. Many experiments have also been carried on 

 with the fiber of M. sapientum and M. cavendishii and other 

 species of bananas. Banana trunks yield about 2 per cent, of 

 fiber which is light colored, but weak and ununiform. The na- 

 tives of the West Indies have used banana fiber for making 

 cheap bags and even garments. Companies have been organ- 

 ized with announcements of good prospects from the extrac- 

 tion of banana fiber, but this fiber is of doubtful commercial 



