144 PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE 



are maguey and pina. Both are raised here for their 

 fiber, and produce the strongest fiber where the air and 

 soil are not too moist. Both also have other uses. 



FIG. 103. Maguey plants 



Kinds of Agave. The plant called maguey in the 

 Philippines is Agave cantula. There are many species of 

 Agave. All are natives of Mexico and Central America, 

 but they now grow in all tropical countries. Most of 

 the agave fiber is produced in Yucatan, from the species 

 named Agave rigida ; it is called sisal. This plant has 

 been introduced into the Philippines by the Bureau of 

 Agriculture. The plant called maguey in Mexico is 

 Agave americana, which produces a very poor fiber, but 

 is grown to obtain a drink called pulque. When pulque 

 is distilled, it makes mescal. The maguey of the Phil- 

 ippines is cultivated in India also; but the Philippine 

 fiber is better than the Indian. 



Planting and Cultivation. Maguey is usually propa- 



