70 CORDAGE FIBRES 



extracting the fibre in a practical and profitable manner. 

 The various processes of fibre extraction may be divided into 

 three general heads, viz., (i) Obtaining the fibre after subject- 

 ing the raw material to some simple chemical process ; (2) the 

 extraction of the fibre without subjecting the material to any 

 operation beforehand ; and (3) the separation of the fibre 



FIG. 12. 



with the aid of a machine. The first process, viz., retting 

 and scutching, we have already described. As regards the 

 second, many a fibre may be separated from either the stem 

 or the leaf by simply pulling the filaments one by one. Manilla 

 hemp is hand-cleaned by native labour, the pulp being scraped 

 from the newly-cut leaf-stalks by drawing them under a rudely 



