33 



DESCKIPTION OF FIBER. 



Abaca fiber of good quality is from 2.5 to 5 meters long, of glossy 

 white color, very light and strong, and of clean, even texture. As a 

 cordage material it has no superior, its chief value, particularly for 

 ships' ropes, being its relative lightness and strength. The strength of 

 abaca compared with that of English hemp is indicated by the following 

 figures : A manila rope 7.5 centimeters in circumference and 3.35 meters 

 long stood a strain of 2,123.27 kilos before giving way. The English 

 rope of the same size broke with 1,766 kilos. In a second test with a 

 rope 3.56 centimeters in circumference the manila rope broke with 

 677.27 kilos, and the English with 538.18 kilos. 



YIELD. 



The yield of fiber varies greatly, depending upon soil and climatic 

 conditions, the use of modern methods of cultivation, the selection of 

 superior varieties, irrigation, and careful management. From 375 to 

 2,500 kilos (6 to 40 piculs) or even more, can be obtained per hectare, 

 but an average of 1,000 to 1,250 kilos (16 to 20 piculs) is considered a 

 good yield; while the average yield throughout the Islands does not 

 exceed 375 kilos (6 piculs) per hectare. The yield of fiber from a single 

 stalk varies with the size and kind of stalk. Prom 0.15 kilo to 2.270 

 kilos of fiber can be obtained from one stalk ; but an average of 340 to 

 455 grams is considered highly satisfactory. Stalks weighing as much 

 as 163 kilos and containing 2.5 kilos of dry fiber are sometimes found. 



METHOD OF RENEWIlfG OLD PLANTATIONS. 



The life of an abaca hill varies from twelve to twenty years or more, 

 depending upon the adaptability and fertility of the soil, and on the 

 extent of care and cultivation. Heavy soils, lack of cultivation, care- 

 lessness in felling the stalks, overcropping, and the frequent digging 

 up of roots tend to shorten the life of the abaca hill. 



In the provinces where the cultivation of abaca has recently been 

 started this subject has not, as yet, been given any consideration as the 

 plantations are comparatively young. In the Provinces of Albay, Leyte, 

 Sorsogon, and others, where abaca has been cultivated for years, the 

 prevalent method of renewing the plantations consists in digging up 

 one or two immature stalks or shoots from an old hill and planting 

 them in the intermediate spaces. This system of renewing plantations 

 is wholly undesirable and the hills thus produced are, for obvious reasons, 

 neither so healthy nor so productive as the original ones. 



Every year a part of the old plant.ations should be plowed to a depth 

 of 14 to 19 centimeters and a crop of com or rice raised on it. After 

 the crop is harvested all that is left of the com or rice should be plowed 

 under. After these operations abaca stools or root sections could be set 



