68 CORDAGE FIBRES 



tain the most valuable fibre, and are cut off and boiled, or 

 steamed, for about four hours before being subjected to the 

 extracting machine. A crop of leaves may be secured every 

 three months, or oftener if the plant grows in a moist situation. 



A suitable fibre-extracting machine has been invented by 

 a local man, Mr. Jose Farias, of Monterey, and patented both 

 in the United States and Mexico. The machine is mounted 

 upon a light iron truck, and can be moved from one locality to 

 another by a team of mules, which also furnish the power 

 required to drive the machine when at work. One of these 

 machines, with five men and a pair of mules, produces about 

 5 cwt. of cleaned fibre in ten hours, the quantity of fibre 

 secured from the leaves amounting to about 18 per cent. 



Monterey is the port of export, the fibre being shipped to 

 the United States and Europe, principally Germany, where it 

 is manufactured into ropes, cordage, bags and carpets. The 

 price of the fibre in Monterey has lately been about ig 

 per ton. 



Denje and Nzonogwe fibre grows abundantly in some parts 

 of British Central Africa, and more especially in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Zomba and throughout the Shire Highlands. 

 The British Central African Government have recently sent 

 sample bales of these fibres to this country, where they have 

 been examined by experts and spun into yarn by a firm of 

 Dundee spinners. 



The fibre received consisted of ribbons averaging 4 ft. in 

 length, and varying in colour from pale grey to buff. The 

 fibre was of fair strength, and fairly well cleaned, but seemed 

 to have been insufficiently retted, and the spinners found that 

 a six weeks' treatment in the " batch " was necessary before 

 spinning could be attempted. A good level yarn was produced, 

 which, however, had a harsh feel, and was weaker than jute 

 yarn of corresponding size. This result may have been due to 

 the long time during which the fibre was soaking in the batch. 

 The fibre received was valued at only 16 per ton, but no 



