[ 324 J 



weight borne 



Line made of Sansiviera Zeylanica ... 316 Ibs. 



,, Gossypium herbaceum ... 346 



,, Agave lurida ... ... 362 



Crotolaria juncea ... ... 407 ,, 



Calotropis gigantea ... ... 552 



With Faure's machine Sansiviera fibre is extracted in one 

 operation out of the fresh leaves. 



479* Agaves. Though coarser than Sansiviera fibre, 

 Agave fibre being stronger, and being produced by plants 

 which seem to grow best on poor droughty soils, is likely to 

 respond better to cultivation operations. There are five 

 distinct commercial plants known as agaves : (i) Agave 

 lurida which is generally grown round jail gardens in Bengal 

 and which is more commonly known as Agave Americana. 

 It is variously called kawa", bilaiti-kia, konga, muga"i, anar, 

 na"k-pheni, murga, ban-dnaras and morabba. (2) Agave 

 vivipara or Bombay aloe is almost as good as Agave Sisalana 

 of Sisal hemp. Soutar's mill is used very successfully in 

 Bombay for the extraction of this fibre. (3) Agave rigida, 

 variety longifolia the leaves of which are armed at the sides 

 as well as the tips with spines, A. vivipara being armed at 

 the tips only. (4) Agave rigida, variety Sisalana, produces 

 the celebrated Sisal hemp of commerce. (5) Fourcroya 

 gigantea or the Mauritius hemp, which produces fibre as good 

 as the Sisal hemp, and the leaves being usually free from 

 spines both on the sides and on the tips, are easier to work 

 with. The Fourcroya gigantea also grows better on poor 

 soils than the Sisal hemp, and is altogether the best Agave to 

 grow for fibre,though as a hedge plant it is useless. Agave 

 lurida fibre extracted with Faure's machine has recently 

 fetched 24 per ton, and an acre of land may safely be 

 relied upon to yield 10 maunds of agave fibre per annum. 

 Agave Sisalana fibre recently fetched as much as 36 per 

 ton in the London market. 



