FIBRES OF THE NETHERLAND EAST INDIES. 



By THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY AND 

 COMMERCE, Buitenzorg, Java. 



Introduction. 



THE Netherland East Indies, like all other tropical 

 countries, are rich in fibres of different sorts and 

 qualities. The greater part of these fibres are of only 

 local importance, and the only kinds which are adapted 

 to export are kapok, rattan, agave, Manila hemp, and 

 cotton; the fibre of the coconut palm, that of the arenga 

 palm (gemoetoe), and the widoeri (a vegetable silk 

 obtained from wild plants of Calotropis giganted] are 

 of little importance as articles of export. 



Of the fibres exported, kapok, Manila hemp, and cotton 

 are obtained from plantations. The fibres of the agave 

 are obtained from plants growing wild and also from 

 plantations, while the rattan is a product only collected 

 from the forests. 



The cultivation of fibre plants in the Netherland East 

 Indies, except that of cotton, which has been exported to 

 Europe since the beginning of the nineteenth century, 

 is comparatively of recent date. 



Kapok was exported for the first time in 1860, while 

 the cultivation of agave fibre and that of Manila hemp 

 dates from the beginning of this century. 



The cultivation of cotton, which is carried on only by 

 the natives, is gradually increasing, especially in the 

 islands beyond Java and Madura. 



The importance of the fibre trade of the Netherland 

 East Indies is shown by the following figures of exports 

 (in tons) in recent years : 



RATTAN. 



1909 1910 1911 1912 



From Java and Madura ... ... 515 422 774 441 



From the other islands of the Archi- 32,296 43,768 54,717 44,041 

 pelago 



Total ... ... 32,811 44,190 55,491 44,482 



