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THE IRRIGATION AGE 



SOME KNOTS AND SPLICES. 

 By J. M. Drew, Minnesota College of Agriculture. 



The purpose of this article is to illustrate 

 methods of making a few of the most useful knots 

 and splices. No attempt has been made to show all 

 the knots known to the sailor, or even to list them, 

 but rather to select a few of the most useful and 

 show the simplest and easiest way to make them. 

 It is the hope of the author that the illustrations 

 and brief description of each knot and splice will 

 enable the beginner in the art to easily master them. 



Rope. 



The most common materials for rope making 

 are Manila and sisal. 



Manila fiber, often called Manila hemp, is ob- 

 tained from the leaf and leaf 

 sheath of a kind of a banana palm 

 native in the Philippines. There 

 are several varieties, but all are 

 known by the general name of 

 abaca. The plants grow from 

 eight to twenty feet high and the 

 leaf sheaths are from five to 

 twelve feet in length. These are 

 cut into thin strips, and the pulp 

 scraped away by drawing the 

 strips under a knife held by a 

 spring against a block of wood. 

 After drying in the sun, the fiber 

 is tied in bundles and taken to 

 the market towns to be baled. 

 The average yield is reported to 

 be 650 pounds per acre. The 

 average price of the fiber in New 

 York varies from four to fourteen 

 cents per pound. 



Manila fiber forms over 60 per 

 cent ot the value of the exports 

 from the Philippine Islands, and 

 furnishes material for the best 

 grade of binder twine. Owing to 

 its great strength, it can be made 

 to run 650 feet to the pound, as 

 compared with 500 feet in the 

 :ase of sisal. 



The sisal plant, known as hen- 



equin in all Spanish speaking countries, is a native 

 of Yucatan. It is a plant somewhat resembling the 

 century plant and is propagated by suckers spring- 

 ing from the roots of the old plants, or by sets like 

 onion sets which grow on the flower stalks. The 

 fiber is found in the leaves and is separated by 

 scraping and washing. The average crop yields 

 about 600 pounds per acre. The price varies from 

 2% to 10 cents per pound in the New York market. 

 The fiber is from 2^ to 4 feet in length and stands 

 next to Manila in strength. It is much harsher and 

 stiffer than Manila, and is used very largely in mix- 

 tures with Manila fiber in making binder twine 

 and rope. 



