I 20 ] 



" vivipara" etc. (Royle, Fibrous Plants of India, London 1855, 

 pp. 1-50: Walt, Diet. Economic Products, Vol. I, pp. 133-M.) 



Royle was aware (///. Himalayan Botany, p. 37 1) that several 

 species of Agave were naturalized in India, and he gives 

 Bawskeora as the vernacular name of " A. vivipara "; but in his 

 Report on Indian Fibres he did not attempt to discriminate 

 between the species from which fibre was taken for the experi- 

 ment a detailed in his work, the reason obviously being that no 

 one could say what plant was used for any given experiment. 

 Sir George (then Dr.) Watt (1. c.) writes as follows, 



* # * * * 



4 * Af the present moment it is next to impossible to arrive at any 

 "definite knowledge regarding the species and varieties cultivated 

 "for their fibre." 



* # * * * 



"An important step would be taken were the fibre-yielding 

 "plants to be carefully referred to their respective genera. The 

 " account of A. americana in the succeeding pages should be viewed 

 " more as Aloe fibre plant since it teems probable that the name 

 " A. americana is popularly given to a series of species and varieties 

 ' * y ielding allied fibres.'' ' 



The first step indeed towards developing the "Aloe fibre 1 " 

 industry in India, is to ascertain as accurately as possible what 

 are the species of Agaveae that are already naturalized or 

 cultivated for their fibre, and it is to facilitate this that the 

 present paper has been undertaken. When we know what is 

 already growing in the country, and how different species 

 thrive in particular tracts, the proper authorities will be in a 

 position to deal with the economic history and capabilities of 

 the different species, and to advise as to the encouragement of 

 particular kinds in different localities, or the introduction of 

 new sorts, just as Agave sisalana was brought in through the 

 efforts of Sir George King, thus reviving the public interest 

 in these products, which was weak or dormant so far as India 

 was concerned since the work of Roxburgh was closed in the 

 beginning of the last'century. 



Living plants of this family are not always easy to des- 

 cribe or identify, while their classification by means of herba- 

 rium specimens has been so far -found to be impracticable. 

 The bulk and habit of the plants, the similarity of some 



