58 J FIBRES 



the price declined and remained unchanged, and for that 

 reason the planters did not make the anticipated profits, 

 and the cultivation progressed only slowly. 



At the beginning of 1911 there were in Java some thirty- 

 seven European plantations with 15,309 acres under agave 

 cultivation, and some 681 acres of this plant cultivated 

 by the natives in the Netherland East Indies. 



Agave Cantala and Agave rigida var. sisalana. Two 

 species of agave are principally planted, between which 

 there is a rather great difference, namely, Agave Cantala 

 and Agave rigida var. sisalana. 



Agave Cantala, which seems to be a native of Java, and 

 which grows luxuriantly, yields a fibre showing very 

 important differences compared with those of the true 

 sisal hemp, the fibre of Agave rigida var. sisalana. The 

 Cantala fibre is much thinner, more brilliant white, and 

 more flexible than the sisal fibre, and owing to these 

 properties it is suitable for spinning purposes for which 

 the coarser sisal hemp is less suitable. Owing to this 

 the foreign markets pay more for the carefully prepared 

 Java Cantala fibre than for the sisal fibre. 



Cultivation and Preparation. Of the cultivation of 

 these agaves only very little can be said as they require 

 little care, and grow well on soils less suitable for other 

 cultivated plants. The yield of leaves and the percentage 

 of fibre are in this country almost equal to that of other 

 countries, such as Yucatan ard German East Africa, while 

 in Java diseases and pests up to the present have only 

 appeared sporadically, and are only very exceptionally 

 observed in the plantations. 



The preparation of the fibre by the natives is done, 

 as already mentioned, in a very primitive way, namely, 

 by drawing the agave leaves, which usually are beaten 

 soft with a stone or a piece of wood, through a simple 

 scraping apparatus. However, the fibre obtained in this 

 way is usually short, and the colour as well as the clean- 

 ing often leaves much to be desired. 



The fibre prepared by the natives is principally used 

 locally, only small quantities being exported. On the 

 plantations under European supervision, which are prin- 

 cipally situated in Central Java and Kediri, the prepara- 



