MANILA HEMP AND OTHER FIBRES 149 



grown on the estate, the area planted should not be less 

 than 450 acres, although if grown as a secondary crop, 

 90 acres may be profitable. 



A sample of Manila hemp grown at the Government 

 Experimental Garden, Kullar, Madras, at an elevation of 

 1300 feet, was reported on by the Imperial Institute * as 

 being inferior to ordinary Manila hemp ; it was regarded 

 as well adapted for the manufacture of binder twine, and 

 was valued at about 23 to 24 per ton (October 1908). 



Wild Banana Fibre. Wherever there is a very large 

 local supply of " wild bananas " which yield a good fibre, 

 it may be profitable to work up this supply, just as it pays 

 in Mauritius to extract hemp from the wild Furcroea, 

 although it would not be profitable in any other colony to 

 plant Furcroea for the purpose. 



Samples of fibre of Musa Ensete and M. ulugurensis from 

 German East Africa have been chemically examined and 

 reportecf on by the Imperial Institute. j* The commercial 

 experts to whom the fibres were submitted reported that 

 they were of very promising quality. The " first quality " 

 of Musa Ensete was stated to be of good bright colour, well 

 cleaned, readily saleable in the London market, and probably 

 worth about 50 per ton. The " second quality " was 

 considered to be inferior in colour but of good quality, and 

 worth 45 per ton. The fibre of Musa ulugurensis was 

 regarded as a very useful material, but inferior to that of 

 Musa Ensete ; its value was estimated at 40 per ton. The 

 results of this investigation have shown that these East 

 African Musa plants would no doubt prove well worth 

 cultivating for the sake of their fibre, which, if carefully 

 prepared, would obtain a ready sale at good prices. 



Samples of wild banana (Musa Livingstoniana and other 

 Musas) from Nairobi, British East Africa, were reported 

 on by the Imperial Institute, J and the opinion of the 

 commercial experts was that these products are comparable 



* Butt. Imp. Inst., vii. 10 (1909). 

 t Ibid., iii. 226 (1905). 

 J Ibid., v. 228 (1907). 



