Fibres 



323 



distributed to tropical America, occurring abundantly in Florida ; S. ehrenbergii, found in 

 East Africa ; and S. Zeylanica, cultivated in Ceylon. All the species are perennial, stemless 

 plants with thick, fleshy, usually sword or lance-shaped root leaves, which yield the fibre. 



5. guineensis is the best-known species producing bowstring hemp, and, as stated above, 

 is found on the West Coast of Africa, in Central America, and in the West Indies, the principal 

 locality being Jamaica. 



Mauritius, Hemp 



Mauritius hemp is yielded by the leaves of Furcraea gigantea, a plant belonging to the 

 Amaryllidaceae, the natural order containing such familiar plants as the Snowdrop and Daffodil. 

 Furcraea is closely allied to the Agaves, and like them possesses a massive long-lived stem with 

 immense fleshy leaves ; the flowers are produced, after a long period, upon tall central stems. 



The plant is found throughout tropical America, but the fibre is produced commercially 

 only in Mauritius, where the industry is most important. The preparation of the fibre involves 

 processes essentially the same as those employed for sisal, viz., scraping, washing, and drying. 

 The fibre is softer and whiter than other hard fibres, and is weaker than sisal. 



Sunn Hemp 

 The plant producing this fibre is Crotalaria juncea, a member of the Pea family, Legu- 

 minosae. It is a tall shrub growing from eight to twelve feet high, with a branching furrowed 

 stem, and is extensively cultivated in India, more especially in the North- West Province's . 

 The seed is generally sown with the advent of the rains, and it is important to sow "the seed 

 thickly in order to avoid the bushy branching habit of the plant, which would result if abun- 

 dance of room were allowed for development. The fibre is obtained from the stems which 



NEW ZEALAND FLAX 



