148 



PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE 



Pineapples for Fiber. Pineapples can well be grown 

 for fiber on poorer and drier ground, and cultivation is 

 then less necessary. In no case will this plant grow in 

 ground where water stands. The soil must be rich in 

 lime ; and the plant is not injured by much clay. 



Describe a pineapple plant, and draw it. What parts of the plant 

 make up the fruit ? For what purposes is the fiber used ? 



OTHER FIBER PLANTS 



Cotton. The most important of the fibers in the world 

 is cotton. Little cotton is raised in the Philippines, ex- 

 cept in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and Union. The cot- 

 ton genus is Gossypium, and at least four species are 



FIG. 105. Cotton field in the United States, showing cotton-picking machine 



sources of valuable fiber; these species have, become 

 very mixed through cultivation. All of them were prob- 

 ably naturally perennial. The most valuable cottons are 



