FIBRES 585 



area of 957 acres at the beginning of the year 1911, of 

 which 669 acres were in Java and Madura, and 288 acres 

 in the other islands of the Archipelago. 



Preparation. The fibre is obtained from the leaf- 

 sheaths of which the trunk is composed. The trunk is 

 first cut down, and then the sheaths are one after the 

 other peeled and the fibre is extracted by hand, or, on 

 larger plantations, by machinery. 



The fibre which is prepared by hand is, however, in 

 every respect superior to that which is obtained mechani- 

 cally, although the yield by the former method is smaller. 



As the existing mechanical preparation requires rather 

 much manual labour, the Manila hemp planters in Java 

 are eagerly looking out for a better constructed machine, 

 but up to the present their efforts have not met with 

 success. During recent years trials have been made with 

 a new so-called automatic fibre-extracting machine, which 

 seems very promising, but it still remains to be seen 

 whether it will turn out satisfactory in the end. 



The sooner the drying process ends the smaller becomes 

 the ever threatening danger of discoloration of the fibre, 

 owing to which the value of the product can decrease 

 considerably. The drying is done by hanging the fibre 

 in the sun on a bamboo and turning it from time to time. 

 Sometimes the fibre before being dried is washed once 

 more. The dried fibre is often brushed a method which 

 causes considerable waste, and therefore it is not often 

 done and then it is sorted according to length and 

 colour. 



Packing. The fibres are pressed and packed in bales 

 of about 100 kilograms. During the packing, folding and 

 twisting of the fibre must be avoided as much as possible. 

 For the packing, matting or gunny bags are used. The 

 bales are bound by hoops and are then ready for ship- 

 ment. 



Exports. The export of Manila hemp from Java is 

 still small, owing to the comparatively low prices which 

 were realized during the years 1907 to 1912, and the 

 planters, therefore, have not seen any inducement to 

 extend their cultivation. 



